If your goal is to look and feel your best before your final wedding dress fitting, you've come to the right place. Choosing the right gown for your body type isn't always the easiest task, but there are exercises that can accentuate and tone what you've already got to help you feel most confident on your big day. So whether you're planning to wear a gown with a plunging neckline or a mermaid-style dress that highlights your hourglass figure, check out the 52 exercises and five workouts ahead that strengthen and shape by style.
Get ready to obliterate your obliques with the ultimate core move. Mountain climbers are especially great because they provide intense cardio also. Start in plank position and prepare to burn some major calories.
An effective way to carve and strengthen your deep front and side muscles is side planks. Fire up your obliques and arms at the same time.
This killer move focuses on your lower abs as the bottom half of your body is in full control of the ball. First things first: make sure the ball is sized to your body; you should be able to sit on the ball with 90-degree angles at your hips and knees. If you don't have an exercise ball, use two sliders or paper plates on carpet to slide up to pike position.
Master this move and you'll have those lower abs showing in no time.
Add weights to Russian twists to blast your front ab muscles, transverse ab muscles, lower back, and obliques.
Achieving a flatter midsection isn't possible with a weak upper body. Lats are the biggest muscle in the upper half, so strengthening this area will help you burn more above the waist. Lat pull-downs are also a good one to add.
On top of working your abs and obliques, this move also doubles as a great thigh toner. If hanging leg raises are too advanced for you, try this floor variation instead.
This exercise works your core, shoulders, back, traps, and arms, all while helping you build muscular endurance. Bonus: your heart rate will stay elevated, which means you're torching calories.
To complete weighted lunges, you can hold dumbbells in your hands down by your sides or use a barbell held across the back of your neck and shoulders. "Using weights will speed up your results. I recommend using weights for lunges if you have mastered bodyweight walking lunges," Chadwell said.
Toned calves combined with Summer wedges complete the sexy look you're wanting for your legs. Don't leave the gym without working your calves, too. To make these harder, Chadwell suggests completing calf raises while holding dumbbells or by putting a plate on the floor and "hanging 10," thus using the plate as a platform for the exercise. Or you can do both!
Wake up your inner thighs with this squat variation! Chadwell said, "To add a a little extra calf work, rise up on your toes as you are returning to the starting position and hold for a two-count before placing your feet flat on the floor again. Then begin the next repetition. This move will require excellent balance."
Working with your feet off the ground in a tabletop position means your abs are working too. If holding your legs up hurts your lower back, bring your feet down to the mat.
We love this multitasking move! Holding the bridge works your butt and hamstrings while the chest press strengthens the pecs. If you're a beginner, feel free to skip the bridge and keep your back flat on the mat.
The asymmetrical push-up forces you to work one side of your upper body more — chest included. This variation is great for increasing the work on the pecs one at a time.
Moving between plank and elbow plank keeps the pecs under constant tension, making this move effective for toning and strengthening your chest.
The BOSU adds an element of instability, which always increases the difficulty of an exercise, and moving laterally over the BOSU works the pecs and shoulders nicely.
Reps: 30 pulses leg in parallel, 30 with knee out
Isolate the glutes from a couple of angles in this quick butt-sculpting series on all fours.
This is a butt-challenging variation on your standard Superman.