That's Fit

I don't know about you, but when I set out to drop some weight, I don't mind working extra hard for a defined period of time. I know, I know -- it should be a life choice, but the fact of the matter is that, while I can hit the gym six or seven days a week for several weeks, most of the time I'm more likely to get there five days, and sometimes less. So, when I received a copy of The Six-Week Bikini Countdown, I was stoked -- I can totally stick with a program for a month and a half!

The book, by Karon Karter (host of Pilates from the Inside Out) has some really good features. Each week has cardio, weight-training, and Pilates incorporated for a well-rounded workout.

Some of the workouts aren't too hard -- the first week, I found myself adding intensity to the cardio and doing extras on the weights. However, Week Two was harder, and by Week Three, I was working really hard. However, I tend to work hard at the gym anyway -- this book would be extremely challenging for someone brand new to fitness.

The only complaint I have is that it's not always terribly easy to follow. The weight-training sessions are broken up into three sets, with two or three exercises each -- simple and easy, right? Well, the trick is you need to really read the intro to each week's weight-training to make sure you do each set the correct number of times. For example, in Week One, you're told to repeat Set One three times before going on to Sets Two and Three -- does that mean you do each set three times, or only Set One? I'm still not sure!

Additionally, while there are good pictures of the Pilates moves, the later weeks get a little confusing because you're adding new moves (with pictures) on to old moves from previous weeks, which means going from one part of the book to another during the workout. It's not a dealbreaker -- I was still able to follow along, but it broke the momentum a bit.

All in all, I can definitely say that the Six-Week Bikini Countdown motivated me to get to the gym a bit more often and gave me some challenging routines. I liked the mix of workouts like boot camp-style strength training and cardio intervals. And, I lost a few pounds (yahoo!).

However, getting a bikini body isn't all treadmill, weights and Pilates -- to get that perfect body, you have to eat well and keep the calorie count down (which is what I always have trouble doing). If you keep your eating habits in line while following this program, you're sure to see results -- just make sure you read through all the instructions before you get started to make sure you're getting the intended workout!