Wedding Dress Power Moves

Power Moves

Look your best in your dress with these key exercises from celebrity fitness expert Marco Borges
Wedding Fitness & Health:
Strapless? Halter? Mini? Now that you have the perfect dress, it's time to get the bridal body you want—the one that will make you look and feel stunning when you walk down the aisle.

World-class fitness instructor Marco Borges has all the right moves to help you achieve your goal. We asked Borges, author of Power Moves: The 4 Motions to Transform Your Body for Life and trainer to celebrities such as Beyoncé, Gwen Stefani, Shakira and Jay-Z, to tell us the best exercises for brides preparing to wear certain dress styles. Read on for his power-packed tips.—Elayne Fluker
If you're wearing: a strapless or halter-top dress

Work your: shoulders

The workout: "The Resistance Band Shoulder Fly Lunge is the ideal move for a strapless-/halter-ready body. This exercise targets the muscles of the shoulders, glutes, legs and core while also toning the stubborn fat that likes to pop over the bra strap."

1. Begin with feet shoulder-width apart and resistance band securely under stationary foot. Hold bands at your side, palms in.

2. Lunge back with free foot (foot without the band) and quickly raise your arms using your shoulders.

3. Step forward. Lower arms.

4. Perform 15-20 repetitions for three sets (four as you get closer to the wedding date).

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If you're wearing: a sleeveless or cap-sleeve dress

Work your: arms

The Workout: "For this type of dress, I would recommend the Incline Curl and Press. This exercise works the biceps, triceps, chest and shoulders—giving you toned arms. This movement is simple and requires very little equipment."

1. Lie flat on an incline bench with your knees up, one dumbbell in each hand.

2. Curl dumbbells up to chest, then press up above your chest.

3. Bring the dumbbells back to your chest, then to starting position.

4. Perform 15-20 repetitions for three sets (four as you get closer to the wedding date).

View our wedding dress galleries for sleeveless or cap-sleeve gowns.
If you're wearing: a backless dress

Work your: back

The workout: "For a dress that shows off the back, I like Resistance Band Rows. This move is especially good for the muscles of the back, arms and legs (isometrically) and is great at toning that stubborn fat that likes to pop up over the bra strap."

1. Begin with feet shoulder-width apart and the band securely fastened directly in front of you on anything that’s firmly in place (e.g., the knob of a closed door or a gym pole).

2. Bend at knees; lean forward slightly; keep your back straight.

3. Pull the band toward the bottom of your chest; return to starting position.

4. Perform 15-20 repetitions for three sets (four as you get closer to wedding date).

Still deciding on your dress? View thousands of styles here.
If you're wearing: a minidress

Work your: thighs

The workout: "For this type of dress, I like the Overhead Medicine Ball Squat. I chose this move because it is a compound move that incorporates all the muscles of the body, and when you wear a minidress, your legs have to look right but so does the rest of the body because there isn’t a lot of fabric to cover you. This move is especially good for the legs, glutes, core, shoulders and arms."

1. With feet shoulder-width apart, hold medicine ball between your palms overhead.

2. Drop down into a squat until thighs are parallel to the floor while still holding ball overhead.

3. Contract your quads and come back up to standing position.

4. Perform 15-20 repetitions for three sets (four as you get closer to the wedding date).

See short and sweet mini dresses here.
If you're wearing: a revealing dress

Work your: midsection

The workout: "The Medicine Ball Lunge and Twist is great for dresses that focus on the midsection because it targets the core (midsection) but also tones the glutes, which will complement your midsection. This move is especially good for the core, glutes, legs and arms."

1. With feet shoulder-width apart, lunge forward with medicine ball in line with your body.

2. At end of lunge, reach up with the medicine ball and twist your core across your forward leg.

3. Return and repeat to the other side.

4. Perform 15-20 repetitions for three sets (four as you get closer to the wedding date).

Explore your softer side with dresses featuring chiffon. For more, click here.
If you're wearing: a fitted dress

Work your: butt

The workout: "A fitted dress looks great over a toned butt; however, it looks even better over a toned body. For this reason, I recommend the Dumbbell Front Squat. This move is a total body blast, which targets the muscles of the legs, glutes, arms, shoulders, core and chest."

1. With feet shoulder-width apart, hold one dumbbell between your hands at your chin.

2. Squat down, hips back, back straight and chest up until your elbows touch your knees.

3. Squeeze your legs and glutes; return to start position.

4. Perform 15-20 repetitions for three sets (four as you get closer to the wedding date).

Show off your figure in a gorgeous gown with a trumpet silhouette. For styles, click here.
If you're wearing: a tea-length dress

Work your: calves

The workout: "Jumping Lunges are great for many different dress lengths because they work the muscles of the legs, glutes, calves and core and, best of all, do not require any equipment! So for knee-length dresses, try these and you’ll be ready to show a little more than just the knee."

1. Begin in a lunge position—one leg forward, knee bent and in line above foot, the other leg back, foot forward, knee almost touching ground.

2. Explosively jump to the opposite-side lunge.

3. Jump back. Repeat.

4. Perform 15-20 repetitions for three sets (four as you get closer to the wedding date).

Looking for the perfect tea-length dress? Click here.

For more fitness power moves from Marco Borges, visit marcoborges.com.

For tips on how to look 10 pounds thinner in your wedding photos, click here.

Courtesy of Penguin