A 5-Move, Full-Body Circuit That's SUPER Intense

 This 10-minute workout is designed to get you awesome results fast. The name of the game is to work really hard during each exercise for 20 seconds. Then you get to rest up for 10 seconds before moving on to the next exercise. You can do whatever you want for the 10 seconds of rest—walk around, march, or jog in place; just be sure to keep moving. Have a stopwatch or sports watch handy so that you can stay true to the 10-second periods and get the most from this workout. (You’ll be tempted to rest longer!)
Part of the genius of this routine is that you’ll begin each exercise without having fully recovered from the last. Over the course of the workout, your fatigue will increase so that you’ll end with a bang and a whole lot of sweat! Get ready to work it and create your most super fit bod ever.
The Workout: Complete all five exercises in a row (circuit-style), using a 20-seconds-on, 10-seconds-rest approach. Then repeat three more times for a total of four sets, with only 10 seconds of rest between each set, too.
You can take a look at the entire workout in our pin-able graphic below, then keep scrolling for a breakdown of each exercise.

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12 Workouts You Can Do in Only 5 Minutes (Yep, 5!)

Spending an hour at the gym can be a great way to get blissed-out before heading to the office or to unwind after a long day. But sometimes (read: often) you don't have an hour to spare. That's why the 12 workout videos in our playlist below, led by Women's Health fitness director Jen Ator, C.S.C.S., author of the book Shape-Up Shortcuts (published by Women's Health's parent company, Rodale), are about to become your secret weapons. Each of the muscle-toning cardio workouts they feature is only five minutes long. FIVE. MINUTES. LONG. Yes, ma'am.
Try out just one, or keep moving through our playlist for 10, 15, 20 minutes, or longer. Who knows? Once you get started, you may not want to stop!
 

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The Plank Workout That Will Tone Your Abs, Sculpt Your Tush, and Strengthen Your Arms

We don't like to play favorites, but...for planks, we'll make an exception. "They are, without a doubt, the best core exercise there is," says trainer David Kirsch, who works with Kate Upton and Liv Tyler. The harder-than-they-look poses in this workout take it up another notch. Adding movement—like, say, raising an arm off the ground—while holding a plank position increases the challenge to your abs. It also recruits your legs, glutes, back, shoulders, and arms to get in on the action—meaning it can firm you up all over.
Try this routine, created by Kirsch, two or three days a week. Perform 10 to 15 reps of each exercise, moving from one to the next without resting. (If your form starts to slip, raise your hips to give your core a break, or place one knee on the floor for a few seconds. And remember that proper plank form means hands on the floor directly under your shoulders, with your body forming a straight line from head to heels.) Rest for one minute, then repeat the circuit up to four times total.
Check out the full workout below in a pin-able graphic, then keep on scrolling for step-by-step how-tos for each of the four exercises!

MOVE 1Plank Row and Kickback

Beth Bischoff

Start in a plank position with your right hand resting on a dumbbell (A). Row the weight to your chest (B); pause, then straighten your elbow until your forearm is parallel to the floor (C). Pause, then reverse the movement to return to start. That's one rep. Complete all reps, then switch sides and repeat.

MOVE 2Plank with Front Raise

Beth Bischoff

Start in a plank position with your right hand on a dumbbell (A). Extend your right arm straight out in front to shoulder height, keeping your hips parallel to the floor (B). Lower slowly back to start. That's one rep. Do all reps, then switch sides and repeat.

MOVE 3Rotating T Extension

Beth Bischoff

Start in a plank position (A). Rotate your torso to the right, raising your right arm toward the ceiling as you roll onto the outside of your left foot (B). Pause, then reverse the movement to return to start. Repeat on the other side. That's one rep.

MOVE 4Mobility Plank

Beth Bischoff

Start in a plank position. Bend your right knee toward your left elbow (A). Pause, then return to plank, keeping your right foot raised a few inches off the floor. Then angle your right leg out to the side while keeping it extended (B). Pause, then reverse the movement to return to start. Repeat on the other side. That's one rep.
For more great workouts, check out the January/February issue of Women's Health, on newsstands now

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Next Fitness Star Emily Schromm Shares Her Rules for Getting Results: Watch the Video!

Emily Schromm nabbed our second-annual The Next Fitness Star title with her sick moves and infectious energy.  Don't miss out on ordering The Next Fitness Star DVD (sold by Women's Health's parent company, Rodale), available now!
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Emily Schromm is not afraid of tougher-than-tough, blast-your-butt-off workouts. (Just check out her badass routine, featured in the January/February issue of Women's Health, for proof.)
That awesome, motivating attitude is also evident in her fitness philosophy. One tenet: "Really push yourself—you'll see results that way." Another? "Don't be afraid of lifting weights." (Yeah, we love this girl.)
To find out more about what Emily stands for, how she's transformed her life since appearing on MTV's Real World: Washington, D.C., and to get a peek of what went down behind the scenes of her Women's Health photo shoot, check out the video below:

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It’s Time to Do This Super Strengthening Move the Right Way: Watch the Video

You know what would be awesome? If we could all work out with a personal trainer every single time we hit the gym. Yeah, not going to happen. Of course, that doesn’t mean you don’t always want to get the most out of your workout—burn-wise, confidence-wise, and safety-wise. In each of our Fix Your Form videos, certified strength and conditioning specialist Holly Perkins breaks down the right way to do one of your favorite exercises.
Watch the newest video below to learn the safest, most effective form for a deadlift!

Holly Perkins is a certified strength and conditioning specialist who holds a degree in exercise physiology. She is on a mission to match the number of women to the number of men in weight rooms around the world. Holly created the Women’s Strength Nation movement to help women uncover their personal strength through the development of their physical strength. More from Women's Health: The 5-Move Workout That Tones Your Entire Body The Short-on-Time, High-on-Intensity Circuit Workout 10 Strength Moves That Are Better Together Tags: fit and fierce, winter fitness, strength training, videos, fitness videos, fix your form

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Next Fitness Star Emily Schromm Shows You How to Get a Rock-Hard Body Like Hers

Emily Schromm nabbed our second-annual The Next Fitness Star title with her sick moves and infectious energy. Test out her ridiculously effective routine, below, and don't miss out on ordering The Next Fitness Star DVD (sold by Women's Health's parent company, Rodale), available now!
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Say hello to the country's hottest new trainer and the winner of our 2014 The Next Fitness Star contest: Emily Schromm, 26, a certified personal trainer in Denver and founder of Unleashed Fitness (and, yes, an alum of MTV's Real World: Washington, D.C.).
Her physique is killer, but it's her empowering attitude that really shines. When Emily screams at you to bang out one more rep, you do it for this major reason: Her brand of tough love doesn't break you down; it brings out your true potential. "There's nothing cooler than doing something you thought impossible," she says. "I call it a superhero moment—that instant when something you do in the gym makes you feel invincible."
And who isn't up for that? Two days a week, perform these moves in order, resting 60 seconds after each; repeat the routine up to five times total. Then get ready to, ahem, say hello to a hotter you.
Check out the pin-able graphic with the entire routine below, then scroll down for step-by-step instructions.

MOVE 1Pushup Row

Terry Doyle

"This combo hits your entire upper body and core like no other move."
Start in a plank position with your hands resting on a pair of dumbbells directly under your shoulders and your body forming a straight line from head to heels (A). Keeping your core tight, bend your elbows to lower your body to the floor (B). Press back to start, then row the left dumbbell up to your chest (C). Pause, then lower. Repeat on the right side. That's one rep. Do five. When five is manageable, increase the weight of the dumbbells.
Make It Harder: Add on this total-body combo: From a standing position, squat down and jump your feet back into the plank. After each rep, reverse the move to return to standing.

MOVE 2Pistol Squat

Terry Doyle

"When done right, you're guaranteed a sore rear after a pistol day! It's the best butt move."
Sit on a box or chair. Lift your left leg and hold your arms out to the sides for balance (A). Driving through your right heel, stand up from the box (B). Pause, then return to start. Repeat on the other side. That's one rep. Do six.
Make It Harder: Remove the box. From a standing position, lift your leg, lower your body toward the floor, then return to start.

MOVE 3Wall Walk

Terry Doyle

"It only takes one or two of these to get those arm muscles burning—it's that good! This move will give you beautiful, strong shoulders."
Start in a plank position with your feet against a wall (A). Walk your feet, one at a time, up the wall (B), then begin to walk your hands closer to the wall (C). Continue until your torso touches the wall or until you start to feel unstable or your back begins to arch. Reverse the movement to return to start. Do one more.
Make It Easier: Place your feet on a chair or box instead of the wall. Walk your hands toward the box while piking your butt up into the air.

MOVE 4Dumbbell Thruster

Terry Doyle

"One fluid movement means my 'quad-zilla' legs and core are driving each rep—not my arms."
Hold dumbbells at shoulder height, elbows bent and palms facing each other, feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees and sit your hips back to lower into a squat (A). Explode back up, pushing the dumbbells directly overhead until arms are fully extended (B). Pause, then lower the weights as you squat. That's one rep. Do eight.
Make It Easier: Sit on a chair or box, then stand and press from there.

MOVE 5Hollow Rock

Terry Doyle

"By squeezing your legs, booty, core, and shoulders together, you can work many muscle groups and really feel the burn quickly."
Lie on your back with your arms and legs raised toward the ceiling, head and shoulders lifted off the floor (A). Bracing your core, lower your arms and legs toward the floor, then rock your body forward and back in that position, like a rocking chair (B). Rock 12 times.
Make It Harder: Slow down the movement to make sure your muscles, not momentum, are doing the work.

MOVE 6Deadlift to Bent-Over-Row

Terry Doyle

"There is nothing sexier than a toned back, but many women neglect those muscles. This move hits your back, glutes, and hamstrings all at once."
Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and holding dumbbells in front of your thighs, sit your hips back to lower your torso toward the floor (A). Pull the weights up to your ribs (B). Slowly lower the dumbbells and reverse the movement to return to standing. That's one rep. Do 10.
Make It Easier: Put down the dumbbells and master the movement using just your body weight.
For more from fitness tips from Emily, pick up the January/February issue of Women's Health, currently on newsstands, and The Next Fitness Star DVD (sold by Women's Health's parent company, Rodale), available now.

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Crush This Exercise for Killer Legs

Join the Women's Health Weekend Challenge to help you meet your fitness goals fast and make your weekend workouts count. Thousands of women already have. Join them, and achieve your fitness goals faster!

Dumbbell Front Squat: 2014 may have been the year of the booty, but you can (and should) still show your lower half some love in 2015! For the first Weekend Challenge of the New Year, grab a pair of dumbbells and squat it out. This lower-body blaster will engage your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and core, says Tony Gentilcore, a certified personal trainer and strength and conditioning specialist. Here's to killer legs for the next 364 days!

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What to Do About Crotch Sweat

It’s the world’s most embarrassing sign of a good workout: the crotch sweat-spot.
So let's talk about it. First of all, it’s completely natural to sweat where the sun don’t shine. After all, you’ve got sweat glands. And, when you’re working out, it gets hot down there, says exercise physiologist and certified strength and conditioning specialist Marta Montenegro. While any exercises will raise your body temp (including in the groin area) legs-together workouts like running tend to cause the most crotch sweat. When you’re hitting the pavement or are on the elliptical, the air just can’t get where it needs to go to cool things off. What’s more, since fat insulates your body, any extra throughout your hips and thighs can also keep your groin’s temperatures up, she says.
That said, it can still be hugely awkward—and the need to swear off all workout pants that aren’t black isn’t necessarily the worst part of a sweaty nether region.
RELATED: Do You Sweat More Than Normal?
“There are two major types of sweat glands: apocrine and eccrine glands,” explains Jeremy Fenton, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist at Schweiger Dermatology Group in New York and New Jersey. Eccrine ones produce the most moisture, whereas the apocrine glands produce the most stank—and your groin has a higher density of them than just about any part of your body, save your armpits, says Fenton. That means: A sweaty crotch it going to be a smelly one.
Those smells can lead to more smells—and itches. “The problem with this sweat is that this area rarely gets to breathe," says Melissa Goist, M.D., clinical assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. "So the skin stays wet and occluded. This environment is perfect for the yeast that lives on your skin to thrive and overgrow, causing external yeast infections.” Trapped down-there moisture can also result in small cracks or fissures that can be itchy and irritating, allowing entry for bacteria that may cause skin infections, she says.
RELATED: 11 Ways to Keep Your Vagina Happy and Healthy
“The best thing a woman can do is keep herself as dry as possible,” says Goist, who recommends changing out of your sweaty workout gear (and washing up!) immediately following your sweat sessions. Wearing loose-fitting pants can also help the skin “breathe,” so it stays cooler and less sweaty, says Montenegro. Plus, whatever sweat you do have can dry more easily.
Montenegro recommends splurging on workout-worthy underwear that help to wick away sweat; many athletic apparel brands, including Under Armour and Moving Comfort, sell them. Both brands even sell undies with microbial technology. Meanwhile, Dear Kate specializes in underwear and yoga pants that boast breathable and leak-free inner liners. (They can hold up to three tablespoons of moisture—sweat, pee, period spotting, whatever.)

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10 Things All Women with Muscle Know to Be True

Muscle is a pretty neat thing. Once you start building it, it completely changes your outlook on what it means to be fit—and for the way better. Here are 10 funny, awesome, and totally legit facts of life every muscle-wielding woman has realized along her get-strong journey:
1. “You Look Strong” Is The Best Compliment Ever
Cute? Pretty? You can do better than that.

2. Calloused Hands Are Sexier Than Any Manicure
Lifting gloves? No, thank you!
3. A Big Butt Is a Source of Pride
When it can no longer fit into your jeans, it’s simultaneously infuriating and thrilling.
4. More Muscle = Faster Metabolism
Truth.
5. Acrobatic Sex Is Awesome
Oh, the things you can do with some thigh strength!

6. Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone Feels Really Freaking Amazing
Adding more weight might seem impossible in the moment, but afterward, it’s a reminder of how tough you are.
7. Muscles Makes Everything Easier
Catching the bus, getting your suitcase into the plane’s overhead compartment, and opening jars like a champ—you do it all.
8. Treat Your Body Well, and You’ll Notice a Major Difference
…In your energy, in your skin, in your mindset.
9. Backless Dresses Are The Best
Is there anything more flattering than a perfectly toned set of shoulders?
10. Physical Strength Yields Inner Strength
Every time you flex a muscle, you grow on the outside and inside. #confidence

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