(Almost) Friday five

There’s nothing better than a tight-knit family... of muscles.

With the neverending rain and a growing case of cabin fever, I decided to look to YouTube for distraction. 

In the form of exercise.

Tracy Anderson is a celebrity trainer who uses a unique method of training that focuses on smaller muscle groups to tone rather than bulk the body. Her fans include Gwyneth Paltrow (her business partner in crime), Nicole Richie, Jennifer Lopez and Miss B.

What I like about this arm workout video is that you don't need any equipment to do it and after about three minutes it feels like your arms are going to fall off.

Jillian Michaels, A.K.A. "America's toughest trainer," has a variety of really great videos but the one I tried today, for "killer buns and thighs" features a couple of really interesting and challenging moves (see 3:09 and 3:48).

Killer indeed!

There are a variety of standing ab workout videos that I like (both Tracy Anderson and Jillian Michaels have them) but what works best for me is picking a song that I really like and doing sit-ups (crunches, oblique crunches, bicycle crunches, torso twists), planks, side planks and more until the song ends.

Or I collapse.

The longer, and slower, the song the better the burn. I tried Stay by Rihanna yesterday and today, it hurts when I cough.

For the boot-eh!, or Canadian booty, I like to use the same approach I do with abs. Choose a song and start squatting.

Ewww.

Regular squats, Sumo squats. Squats with front kicks. Squats with side kicks. Static squats.

Basically squat 'til you drop. 

Finally, Tracy Anderson has a challenging grunt-inducing workout that targets muscles you didn't even know you had in your legs.

All you need is a chair.

And the will...

What workout works best for you?