The year was 1972. Nicole Ronsard published her best-selling book, Cellulite: Those Lumps, Bumps and Bulges you Couldn't Loose Before. Women of all shapes and sizes examined the orange-peel skin on their hips, thighs and buttocks, and wondered if the supposed miracle cure creams and massage gadgets were capable of eliminating their cellulite. Then, in 2003, Wayne Westcott, Ph.D., director of research programs at the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Massachusetts, devised an anti-cellulite exercise plan. The thrice-weekly program combines 20 minutes of strength training with 20 minutes of aerobic exercise at 70 to 80 percent of your maximal heart rate.
Step 1
Calculate your target heart rate. Subtract your age from the number 220. This is your approximate maximal heart rate. Your target heart rate is 60 to 80 percent of that number.
Step 2
Attach your heart rate monitor or use the monitor on the cardiovascular equipment. Warm up with two to five minutes of indoor or outdoor aerobic exercise. Gradually increase intensity, until you are at 70 to 80 percent of your maximal heart rate.
Step 3
Walk for two minutes to cool down, and then set the weight and sit on the leg press machine with your legs bent and your feet on the foot pad. Straighten your legs, and bend them with control. Perform one set of 15 repetitions.
Step 4
Lie prone on the leg curl machine, placing your feet under the foot pads. Bend your knees, bringing your heels toward your buttocks. Perform 15 repetitions.
Step 5
Sit upright on the abductor/adductor machine. Set the machine so that the pads are together. Push the pads apart to work your outer thighs. Perform 15 repetitions, and then set the machine so that the pads are in the open position. Draw your legs together to work your adductor or inner thighs.
Tips and Warnings
- While Westcott suggests 20 minutes of aerobic activity, the American College of Sports Medicine advises a minimum of 20 minutes of aerobic exercise on most days of the week. Vary your aerobic activity to avoid boredom.
- Allow at least 48 hours between weight-training sessions. There is no scientific proof that any of the cellulite creams reduce cellulite. Dr. Lionel Bisson, author or The Cellulite Cure, warns that tight underwear may constrict blood flow and make you more susceptible to cellulite.
Things You'll Need
- Aerobic exercise equipment
- Strength training equipment
- Heart rate monitor
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