Today' Flat Abs Tip

Befriend a dumbbell today!

It’s true that cardio burns the most calories minute-for-minute while you work out. But adding lean muscle by strength training will elevate your overall metabolism—so you’ll burn more calories 24/7. Find out how much weight you should be lifting.

A lot of women still harbor secret fears about weights bulking them up. (No, no, no—a thousand times no!) Or they feel they need to stick to the very smallest end of the dumbbell rack. But look: Every time you do a sit-up or push-up you’re lifting your entire body weight—which, we’d venture to guess, is a little more than three or five pounds. You can—and should—lift the heaviest weights you can manage. “Muscle is your fat-burning machinery," says Bikini Blast trainer David Barton. And you’re not going to build that lean muscle if you’re lifting weeny weights. “When it comes to losing body fat," he says, “strength training is the most important component—more so than cardio. If you’re looking to achieve tone and leanness, weights should be your best friends." So starting now, we want you to vow to realize what a strong woman you are—and strength-train accordingly. You should be lifting weights heavy enough to barely do the last few reps with good form. Your payoff: hotness—without the least hint of Hulkishness.