BOSU
Choose it: If you cut a stability ball in half and slapped a plastic base on it, you'd get the BOSU. Think of this balance trainer as a surfboard for landlubbers: Staying steady while standing on it activates your abs.Use it: Most people stand on the squishy side, but for an even more effective balance challenge, flip the BOSU over (it does mean "both sides up"), says Rich Barretta, who owns a private training studio in New York City. Now you're working to steady yourself and the BOSU, so during our tush-tightening, saddlebag-busting Side Kick, your abs are working their butts off!
Side Kick
Stand with right foot centered on flat side of BOSU; step left foot back and to right on floor, arms out to sides at shoulder height. Balance on BOSU, swinging left foot out to side at hip level (as shown). Return to start. Do 10 reps. Switch sides; repeat. WORKS ABS, HIPS, BUTTBody Bar
Choose it: Unlike a barbell, the weight on a Body Bar is evenly distributed along its 4-foot length, keeping you balanced. (Imagine you're a tightrope walker.) The bars are covered in rubber for a comfy grip and range in size from 4 to 36 pounds. Start with an intermediate-level 12-pound bar and go heavier or lighter from there, suggests Lashaun Dale, national creative manager for Equinox Fitness Clubs.Use it: Grip the bar during our bootylicious Pullover Bridge to fight arm flab and keep your body in proper alignment.
Pullover Bridge
Lie faceup with knees bent, feet flat, hips lifted; hold bar at waist with both hands to start. Lower hips to floor as you extend right leg, bend elbows and reach bar behind head (as shown). Return to start. Repeat on opposite side for 1 rep. Do 20 reps. WORKS BUTT, ARMS, ABS, THIGHS
Step
Choose it: This is no '80s flashback???the deck popular in high-impact aerobics classes is also a universal toning tool. Add risers to customize the height on this use-anywhere weight bench, Dale says.Use it: Who says you have to stay horizontal? Do the Decline Squat to downsize your butt and thighs while going easy on knees. Standing downhill helps perfect your form: You can sink deep into the squat without bringing knees too far over ankles.
Decline Squat
Put three risers under one side of deck. Stand facing downhill, arms extended at shoulder height. Squat, then move right heel down step, toes up (as shown). Stand, extending right leg forward at hip height, bringing arms behind you. Return to start. Repeat on opposite side for one rep. Do two sets of 12 reps. WORKS ABS, BUTT, THIGHSFoam Roller
Choose it: Foam tubes come in 12-inch and 3-foot sizes and are generally used for rolling out tight, achy muscles, especially in the quads, hamstrings and calves. The fancy name for the technique is self-myofascial release???it's basically a sports massage minus the masseuse.Use it: The roller also has your back: Lying on it during the Treasure Chest releases tension in the muscles around your spine and forces you to balance, for firmer abs, says trainer DeAnna Bellamy, a corrective exercise specialist and owner of Body Revolution in Chicago.
Treasure Chest
Lie faceup on roller with head supported, knees bent and feet flat. Hold a 5-pound dumbbell in each hand, arms bent 90 degrees. Contract abs to stabilize and extend arms up (as shown). Return to start. Do two sets of 15 reps. WORKS CHEST, SHOULDERS, TRICEPS, BACK, ABS, HIPSYoga Block
Choose it: Not-so-flexible yogis lean on these foam blocks to maintain proper alignment during poses or sit on them for bonus back support.Use it: In the Serving Tray, the tone-up toy hangs in the balance, and keeping it stable helps to shrink your stomach as you lean your legs, says Kristin McGee, a yoga and pilates instructor in New York City.
Serving Tray
Lie faceup with legs extended on floor, arms at sides. Bend right leg toward chest, toes turned out, and place block on top of foot to start (as shown). Balance block on foot as you extend leg straight up. Return to start. Do 12 reps. Switch sides; repeat. WORKS ABS, BUTT, THIGHSPilates Ring
Choose it: Pilates devotees believe in the Magic Circle???a 13-inch soft rubber ring with comfort grips that adds resistance to basic body-weight exercises.Use it: Pining for a pilates patootie? Step into the ring and you'll increase the tush-toning power of a standard squat by 50 percent, according to a study from The Journal of Applied Research.
Ring Squat
Stand with ring around thighs, feet hip-width apart. Press out into ring as you squat (as shown) until thighs are almost parallel to floor. Return to start. Do three sets of eight reps. WORKS BUTT, HIPS, THIGHSTrampoline
Choose it: Hopping on a mini-trampoline, also known as an urban rebounder, is 68 percent more effective than running on a treadmill at a similar heart rate and oxygen intake, a NASA study finds. You can jump off the jiggle and go easy on your joints.Use it: There's no bouncing but plenty of benefit with the Trampoline Jackknife. The rebounder's unstable surface recruits even your deepest ab muscles, says fitness expert Jonathan Roche, who developed a trampoline workout system for Gaiam.