Power up your weight loss! Is the needle stuck on your scale? Try these 8 multimuscle strength moves to rev up your metabolism and get a toned, trim body

Shape, March, 2005 by Jeanine Detz

If you're looking to accelerate your weight loss and are thinking about ditching your strength-training program for an all-cardio routine, don't do it! While cardio is critical to losing weight, strength training is just as important. Here's why. As you burn more calories from cardio and cut calories out of your diet, you don't just lose fat, you lose muscle too, which slows your metabolism.

"The reason to do strength training is that you maintain your muscle mass so you keep your resting metabolic rate (RMR) up, and you don't lose your strength or the size of your muscles," says Gerald Endress, fitness manager of the Duke Diet & Fitness Center in Durham, N.C., who designed this strength plan based on the principles of functional training. And a higher RMR means more calories burned--and greater weight loss.

Each exercise in our plan works you body the way it moves naturally, using several large muscle groups at the same time, which gives you a time-efficient total-body workout guaranteed to keep your metabolism revved and put your weight-loss goals within reach. So don't banish your dumbbells to the garage; haul'em out and watch the needle on your scale get unstuck!

1. wall squat

Place a stability ball between your lower back and a wall. Lean against ball and walk feet forward, hip-width apart, until you can see your toes. Hold a 4- to 10-pound weighted ball or dumbbell in front of your rib cage, elbows bent, abs pulled in, shoulders relaxed [A]. Bend knees, lowering hips until things are parallel to floor [B]. Without locking knees, straighten legs to strating position and repeat. Strengthens quadriceps, hamstrings and buttocks

Intensity boost Hold for 15 seconds at the bottom of the squat.

2. stability-ball dumbbell chest press Sitting on a stability ball, hold a 5- to 10-pound dumbbell in each hand and walk feet forward until head, shoulders and upper back are supported on ball, feet hip-width apart. Tighten your abs and butt, and lift hips so body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees. Extend both arms above chest, palms facing forward [A]. Bend elbows down and out to align with shoulders [B]. Straighten arms to starting position and repeat. Strengthens chest, front shoulders and triceps; abdominals, spine extensors and buttocks work as stabilizers.

Intensity boost Bring knees and feet together.

3. lat pull-down Attach a long bar to a high cable pulley and set the weight between 40 and 70 pounds. Grasp the bar with an overhand grip, hands slightly farther than shoulder-width apart. Sit on bench, knees bent, feet flat, arms extended and wrists straight. Lean back from hips to align bar with collarbone, shoulder blades drawn down, abs pulled in [A]. Bend elbows down toward hips as you lift chest up toward bar [B]. Without rocking torso, return to starting position and repeat. Strengthens upper and middle back, rear shoulders

Intensity boost Perform exercise sitting on a stability ball instead of a bench.

4. step-up overhead press Hold 5- to 8-pound dumbbells, palms facing in, in front of shoulders and stand facing a 4- to 6-inch step. Step up on platform with left foot [A], then right. Straighten arms, pressing dumbbells overhead, palms still facing in [B]. Lower dumbbells to shoulders and step down with right foot, then left. Repeat, alternating lead foot with each rep. Strengthens quadriceps, hamstrings, buttocks, calves, upper back, shoulders and biceps; abdominals and spine extensors work as stabilizers.

Intensity boost Increase height of step or weight of dumbbells.

5. bow and arrow Attach a single handle to a cable pulley at waist height and set the weight between 15 and 30 pounds. Stand facing machine, feet hip-width apart, and hold handle with right hand, palm facing in, left hand on hip. Keeping right elbow close to your side, bend it back [A]. Bend left knee as you step backward with right foot, turning foot out at a 45-degree angle so your body opens to the right. Rotate your torso as you pull the cable toward your right hip [B]. Return to starting position, straightening arm. Complete reps on right, then repeat on left to finish 1 set. Strengthens abdominals, middle back and rear shoulder; hip and shoulder rotator muscles work as stabilizers.

Intensity boost Step back farther from machine.

6. medicine-ball crunch Sit on a stability ball, holding a 2- to 4-pound weighted ball in hands. Walk feet forward until torso is supported on the ball, knees bent, feet flat. Bend elbows and extend arms so weighted ball is behind your head [A]. With abs tight, lift shoulder blades off ball and exhale as you straighten arms and bring ball over head toward knees [B]. Return to starting position and repeat. Strengthens abdominals, middle and front shoulders, upper chest and triceps

Intensity boost Perform this move with knees and feet close together.

7. leg curl Lying faceup on floor, place heels in center of a stability ball, legs straight, arms at sides, abs in. Press heels into ball and lift hips up until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to ankles [A]. Keep body stable as you bend knees to pull ball toward hips [B]. Straighten legs, pressing ball back to start position, and lower hips to floor. Repeat. Strengthens buttocks and hamstrings; abdominals and spine extensors work as stabilizers.