Good, Better, Best Body

Our exclusive beginner-to-advanced guide to firming and toning your muscles into their sexiest

You squat, you lunge, you kick, you crunch. And as you get fitter, these basic moves get easier. Your body is a work in progress, so to sculpt the right curves in all the right places, your exercises should evolve along with you. We asked Reebok master trainer Petra Kolber to take the basic lunge as featured here two steps further. For more on the squat, ab curl, and leg lift, see the October issue ofFitness. The result is a series of moves that progressively stimulate your muscles to work harder so your body continues to improve. For each move, there's a good, better, and a best version (think bronze, silver, gold). They'll all make you stronger, since they target the same muscles. But the better and best moves push you harder with added jumps, balance components or increased gravitational pull. "Do the good version if you're tired or haven't been working out regularly," suggests Kolber. "When you're ready, plug in the next move. But if you can't do it with good form, do as many reps as you can correctly, then drop to the previous level for the remaining sets." Do three sets of 8 to 12 reps of at least one exercise in each series; use 5 to 10 pound weights. Feel free to mix and match the moves. "Switching things around is a terrific way to keep seeing results," says Kolber. By pumping up your program, you'll be on the way to your best body yet!