XTEND BARRE: LEAN & CHISELED

If Pilates sculpts your body, Xtend Barre chisels it.

Developed by professional dancer, choreographer, and Pilates instructor Andrea Rogers, Xtend Barre combines the grace and flexibility of dance with the strength and sculpting of Pilates to give you a long, strong, and lean physique.

The program is divided into three segments, allowing you to customize your workout each day. The upper-body section creates defined shoulders and arms and a beautiful back. The barre segment employs flowing dance movements to lift and tighten trouble spots like the glutes, hips, and thighs. And the core program targets the deep abdominal muscles to help chisel your midsection.

Incorporating both toning and cardio elements, this unique barre workout lengthens and strengthens your entire body in an exciting new way. You’ll burn calories, build lean muscle, and feel terrific! Includes tutorial segment.

Equipment needed: a chair and light hand weights

If you are looking for a challenging workout that will get you toned and sleek while offering great cardio, Xtend Barre Lean & Chiseled is the routine for you. Led by the very inspiring Andrea Rogers, a dancer who incorporates ballet, Pilates, yoga, and traditional workout moves, Xtend Barre Lean & Chiseled is appropriate for all fitness levels. Beginners always have a way to modify the moves, and experts can leap and bound to their hearts' content to add challenge. And Rogers's routines are quite precise and will give results if done regularly. The arms segment, for example, is just 11 minutes, but even if you do the moves without weights, you will feel your triceps and shoulders burning in that good way. Like all good exercise instructors, Rogers urges one or two more sets of repetitions than anyone would be inclined to do on her own--and the muscles feel the difference. To do the routine, you need light weights. And Rogers is serious when she says "one-, two, or three-pound weights," because five-pounders are almost impossible to use for all the reps she presents. The exerciser also needs a regular household chair, the back of which is used for balance. Rogers's routine also focuses on the all-important (and often overlooked) importance of balance, which will further help engage the core. Extras include a slight bio of Rogers, as well as previews of some other workouts distributed by the manufacturer. But Xtend Barre Lean & Chiseled is simple, challenging, and adaptable to any fitness level, so can be an excellent go-to routine for virtually anyone. --A.T. Hurley