Get Strong and Sexy in Six Weeks—the Workout Plan

Strong is the new sexy. Follow this workout plan for six weeks straight to get the body you want

Define your shoulders, flatten your abs, and perk up your posterior with this program created by Kellie Davis, strength coach and coauthor of Strong Curves: A Woman's Guide to Building a Better Butt and Body. Rather than working single muscle groups the way many body-building programs do, this approach focuses on compound exercises (like squats, deadlifts, and presses). This distributes the work evenly, which allows you to lift heavier loads without injury. It's also more metabolically taxing, meaning you torch a greater number of calories in a shorter period of time.

This plan features two routines (Workouts A and B), which you'll complete each week. The linchpin: You can't rely on a single pair of dumbbells to get you through a workout. Large muscle groups (think legs, glutes, chest, and back) can handle a larger amount of weight than smaller muscle groups (like your arms, shoulders, and calves). For each move, choose a weight you can lift for the prescribed number of reps, but no more. If you're well under or over the rep range, increase or decrease the weight by two to five pounds. Just don't get too comfortable: You're becoming stronger as your body adapts to the demands you place upon it, so you should try to add a little weight each workout or week.

Prepare for Liftoff
For each workout, do three sets of each move in order, performing all reps and sets before going to the next exercise. When you see two exercises next to the number, do them as a superset: Alternate between them (no rest!) to complete the sets. Lifting twice a week is sufficient, but you'll see better results doing four total workouts each week. On rest days, you can stay active with other physical activities like yoga, hiking, biking, conditioning circuits, dance classes—just don't push yourself to the point of exhaustion or pain. Here's how to space your workouts throughout the week:

If You're Lifting Twice A Week. . .
Day 1: Workout A
Day 2: Rest
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Workout B
Day 5: Rest
Days 6 And 7: Rest

If You're Lifting Four Times A Week. . .
Day 1: Workout A
Day 2: Workout B
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Workout A
Day 5: Workout B
Days 6 And 7: Rest

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