I'm sick of classic lunges and squats, what else can I do for my legs?

I've decided to break this up into two responses. This week, we'll tackle the lunge portion and next week the squats. That being said, instead of just throwing out either of these exercises, why not try adding some variety to these traditional movements? There are many different forms of the lunge, such as the reverse lunge, lateral lunge, walking lunge, skater's lunge, etc.

In addition, you can also utilize a slide board, especially with the reverse or lateral versions in order to add a different stimulus to the movement pattern. If you don't have a slide board, you can place a small hand towel under your sneaker and perform them on a wood floor.

The Exercise Prescription: Perform three sets of 10-12 reps per side. Make sure you take three seconds to lower yourself, pause slightly in the bottom position and then take one second to return to the start position. Perform all reps on one side and then switch legs.

Here's how to do the moves:

Burpees. The name's not pretty, but the results sure are!

A combination of squat, push-up, and vertical jump, the burpee has a somewhat nasty reputation for being the exercise of choice in prisons. But you should consider adding burpees to your routine for the same reasons inmates might: The burpee requires no equipment and can be done just about anywhere. Plus, it works your entire body, including those important core muscles, while increasing your cardio endurance.

So how do you do a burpee? The basic version is a six count move. Begin in the standing position, then:

1. Sit into a squat.
2. Kick your feet behind you so you're in a push-up position.
3. Lower your chest to the ground.
4. Press back up to complete the push up.
5. Pull your feet back in so you're in squat position.
6. Jump up in the air while clapping overhead.

The Ballast Ball is like a regular Swiss Ball on steroids. It's full of an exciting substance that makes it perfect for a killer upper body and core training workout, as shown here in this video.

Discover innovative fitness equipment, training techniques and delicious low fat recipes at Fitzness.com.

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I like a good squat. It's an exercise I do on my off-running days, when strength training is a priority (psst: I'm not doing very good on this front lately). I'm never really sure if my squats are perfect, though. Sometimes, I stand in front of a mirror so I can watch my form. Still, not sure if I'm squat successful. Pete McCall, with the American Council on Exercise (ACE), is here to help. Check out these spot-on squats.

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If you're in search of sexy legs and a curvy can, squeeze these three moves into your workouts a few times each week. In fact, even if you aren't going to do a "full workout," just do these moves and your lower body will shine. I do these often myself and often incorporate them into the training sessions of my personal training clients. Each move works a variety of lower body muscles, and all of them will provide results quite quickly!

Squat Jumps: Squat down like a frog and explosively jump up as high as you can. This exercise will also crank up your heart rate, so begin with several sets of five jumps in a row with a short break in between. Increase your reps each workout.

Walking Lunges: Find a stretch of open space like a sidewalk or group fitness room. Alternating legs, take huge steps forward dropping your back knee close to the ground. Keep your back straight and avoid driving your front knee past your front ankle. Begin with 20 lunges and progress by adding steps or distance each time your train.

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Hips are one of those weird body areas where you want a little curve, but not too much. With the right exercises, you can keep your hips toned and dead sexy. Shape magazine has three moves that target your hips. The moves all use some special equipment, so you might not be able to do them at home. But keep them in mind for your next visit to the gym.

• Side-lying leg lift. This move that works your outer hips uses an ankle cuff and a low-cable pulley.
• Machine squat. This variation on a squat, using a hip abductor machine, works your outer thighs.
• Standing side leg lift. A cuff and a low cable pulley are also used in this move that works your inner thighs and outer hips.

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Kelly Ripa looks pretty darn great. Kelly's fit frame has graced the cover of not one, but two fitness magazines. (Though I don't understand why Shape magazine air-brushed Kelly's cute outie belly-button and made it an innie.)

Now, you can try these six moves that help keep Kelly in shape:

• Triceps can-can. Like Kelly, this move is a little quirky and a lot of fun. But it definitely works your triceps, quads, and abs, too.
• Leg raise. You'll need a counter or tall chair for balance with this move, which works your butt and outer thighs.
• Thigh dancing. Definitely unusual, Kelly swears this move works her quads, butt, and abs. We've even got her on video doing this move.
  
• Pretzel. You'll need some balance and flexibility to do this move, which works your butt, thighs, and abs.
• Squat with ball squeeze. If, like Kelly Ripa, you're a parent, you probably have more than your fair share of sports balls around the house. Put one of them to use with this move that works your legs, butt, and inner thighs.
• Rolling crunch. Put a new twist on the standard crunch with this move.

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Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz, I'm a woman in my early 40s and have really let myself go over the past decade. I used to have a nice figure, but now I'm stuck with a 'lumpy bumpy butt' that is far too big. The rest of my body needs work too. I joined Weight Watchers two weeks ago, cause I saw that you wrote it was a great program. I'm down three pounds already. So, what do you advise I do to improve my backside. It's awful! Marlene

A. Hello Miss Marlene. I'm glad you sent me your question, and I'm confident I can help. There are a lot of things you can do to tighten up that tush. You've already taken the first step with Weight Watchers -- losing weight will be most important for getting rid of bulging pockets of fat.

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Having a consistent workout routine is a good thing. Never budging from it though, can be a bad thing. Our bodies tend to adapt and become mighty efficient if we tell it to do the same thing over and over. We're a smart species! What can I say?

The October issue of Women's Health magazine has a great little section on various ways you can tweak traditional exercises to make them challenging once again. Give them a looksy and then give them a try. A little difference goes a long way.

Women's Health magazine just sent me a release with some fun tips entailed, and I thought I'd share this one with you. Four fabulous moves useful for those of you guilty of missing morning workouts to sleep in late, and then missing the gym after work due to fatigue. As your online trainer I want to make this clear to you: skipping your workouts on a regular basis is detrimental to your health!

Of course, early morning workouts can be tough. They're also what keeps you full of the energy you need to get through each day with vigor! Check out this gallery, and next time you go to hit the snooze button ... get your fanny up and do the Cat Cow pose instead. (No moo-ing necessary!) These four easy moves will give you the energy to get to the gym and start your day off right!

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I, for one, know that it's a struggle to fit my day into the number of hours I'm awake. Between work and bills and chores and spending time with my son, there just isn't a spare minute left. It's important to carve out time for exercise even in the busiest of schedules. But if you find that you aren't exercising as much as you'd like, try finding ways to multitask.

Fitsugar has some great multitasking ideas for fitting squats into your day. Loading the dishwasher? Squat instead of bending at the waist. The same method can be used when pulling clothes from the dryer. Will you look a little silly doing squats while doing chores? Yep. You absolutely will look a little ridiculous. But, who cares? If anyone chuckles at your unusual moves, just wait until you've got killer thighs from all those squats and see who's laughing then.

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Who couldn't use a little more grace in their life? Balance and stability exercises are particularly important for healthy aging, but everybody can benefit from balance exercises. Women's Health magazine shares a great balance routine you can add to your workouts a few times each week:

• Single-Leg Reach. Stand with your weight on your left leg and your knee slightly bent. Slowly lift your right leg behind you and hold for two seconds. Do six reps on each leg.
• Single-Leg Squat. Stand on your right leg and lift your left foot slightly off the floor. Slowly sit as if you were sitting. Start with six reps on each side and gradually work up to 12 reps. (I tried this one and it's hard to get the motion down. I used a chair to stabilize myself until I got the hang of it.)
  
• Hop with Stabilization. Stand on your right foot then hop forward 12 to 18 inches, landing on your left foot. Hold the position for a few seconds, then hop backward and land on your right foot. Work up to 12 reps.

AOL Health has more information on balance and exercises to improve your stability.

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Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hey Fitz. I blew it! I am going on vacation with a bunch of my college buddies and some hot girls in four weeks. I've totally slacked off on my workouts since school ended and now I'd like to get ripped again before we head to Mexico. What can I do at my gym to shred a bit of fat and get buff quick before the trip? I know I'm a dork for slacking, but I also know you can help me improve. I'm willing to do the work! Jason

A. Familiar story Jason! You're not the only one who's taken some time off from their fitness training only to have it blow up in your face. You're also not the first person to try and undo the damage quickly. Four weeks is a pretty decent amount of time, so if you are really clean with your eating habits and start training intensely ... I think it would be safe to take off at least 10 pounds before you see Mexico, and all of those hot girls see you!

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Fitness celebrities -- as well as celebrities who are into fitness -- frequently endorse workout DVDs, books, and machines. Their blessing is, at least as far as marketers are concerned, reason enough for us to shell out our hard-earned money on the products they are trying to hawk. But, what's the ROI (return on investment)? Are people really seeing whole body transformations by using a haphazard assemblage of plastic and metal pieces? More likely than not, they aren't. So who, then, should you trust when it comes to fitness endorsement? Try this one on for size: Prisoners.

Using body weight exercises, many prisoners pass their time performing workouts that people on the outside are now looking to for ideas. Pull-ups, burpees, crunches, push-ups, and the aptly-named prisoner squats are just a few of the moves many prisoners perform to stay in shape, and they also happen to be the same moves that are being aped by us law-abiding folks.

The best part about the prisoner workout is that you can do it just about anywhere. All you really need is a little open space to move around in. After sweating your way through the routine, you may soon be sending all those expensive infomercial fitness gizmos back for a refund. Those crooks should be locked up for selling you that garbage in the first place ;)

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