Eternal Beach-Body Plan, Phase I

Get in shape for summer, and the rest of your life, with Phase I of our 12-week program

by T.R. Goodman

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Directions, Phases and workouts

Most people think being "fit" is a function of how much muscle mass and how little body fat they have. What they often don't realize is that some of the best athletes and bodybuilders in the world-guys with great-looking physiques-are walking time bombs. Their training has either neglected certain muscle groups, or it's been focused on aesthetics for so long, that they're at risk for serious injury. The resulting damage could be so severe it may threaten their ability to stay in shape over the long haul.

To keep that from happening, we've designed a program that will not only help you to build the chest, arms, and abs you want for this summer, but also keep them. For as long as you keep training. We've divided your workouts up into three, four-week phases. A link to directions on how to properly follow our program—as well as a list of workouts—appears below. Don't forget to check back for Phases 2 and 3.

In order to help you achieve long-lasting fitness, the program begins by helping you bring your entire body back into alignment. That's essential, since your muscles tend to move in ways that cause the least aggravation, regardless of whether that's the way they were designed to move. Depending on the postures we adopt and any injuries we sustain over the years, some muscles get stronger than others and the body begins to move differently than it's meant to. If you don't correct these imbalances, the effectiveness of your training is diminished and you become more prone to injury. In our program, during the first four weeks especially, you'll even things out, setting the stage for better and faster aesthetic results in the weeks (and years) to come.

The training consists of core work, but not just for the abdominal core you already know. Major joints such as those in the hips and the shoulders can also be considered "cores," as they too must be stable to prevent injury and provide a foundation for strength. Several of the exercises target the muscles surrounding these joints, and they require slow, deliberate movements and concentration. You'll notice that you don't hit your chest directly until Week 4. Since most people spend hours a day behind a desk, at the wheel of a car, or staring at a computer, their shoulders are rounded and their chest muscles are tight. Bench pressing only worsens this problem, so we want you to build up the pulling muscles in your upper back and shoulders to compensate.

Because you'll be concentrating on shoring up weaknesses, you'll have to give up many of the ego-building, big-weight exercises you're used to (though you will get to hit some of them in this phase, and there will be more in the phases that follow). Believe us, it will be worth it, both by the time you take your shirt off on the beach this summer, and when you take it off 20 summers from now.