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The gistIdentify your shape from four options based on how different women gain and store weight.
Then, over nine DVDs, Tracy Anderson leads you through equipment-free cardio and strength exercises.
Do one hour-longworkoutsix days a week for 90 days.
The extremely low-caloriedietis stricthardly anygrainsordairyand falls very short on calcium.
(SELF recommends 1,000 milligrams of calcium from foods like lowfat dairy.)
$90;TracyAndersonMethod.com
Tester’s Take
“I’ve lost 21 pounds in 90 days!
I feel strong and lean, I have more energy, and I’msleeping better.
It’s a lifestyle change, but it’s entirely worth it and so much fun!
The gistThecardio-conditioning program includes 10 DVDs of no-equipment drills.
Six days a week for two months, you perform an hour or less of intense exercise.
It also includes a balanced, low-glycemic meal plan.
(I didn’t do the diet.)
But I did increase myflexibilityand got more definition in myarms.
I realized that my workouts are fueled by the presence of others.
Watching fit people on a DVD doesn’t do it for me.
Yourjeanswill be too loose within two weeks.”
It also comes with a walking program and a 1,200- to 1,400-calorie meal plan.
But the workout became less challenging the more I did it.
It’s probably better forfitness newbies, not a regular exerciser like me.
Fun, yes, but I felt only my obliques working.
The gistTony Horton, the guru behind celeb favorite P90X, created this intense workout.
Do at least one of the five 10-minute DVDs daily for a month.
The gistHe’s back!
Our former Tae Bo crush, Billy Blanks, guides you through 30-minute workouts on seven DVDs.
Tackle cardio and strength at once with boxing gloves and a resistance band that attaches to hands and feet.
Do DVDs five days a week for a month.
You also get a meal plan high infiberandlean protein.
$90;BillyBlanksPT247.com
“I saw changes in myarmsafter two weeks (not one).
They’re more toned but not scarily so.
You do a new DVD every day, so it’s almost impossible to get bored.
Use it on yourlower body, too: A butt and thigh routine is included.
Because the workout is only15 minutes, it’s easy to do every day.
And the ball is portable.
I even brought it on a cruise!
“Hadley Garrettson, art assistant
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