Fit: No Ifs, Ands or Butts

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A LITTLE JIGGLE up top only makes a bikini look better. When that something extra is down below, though, most bathing beauties refuse to unwrap their beach towels. But there's no need to let cottage-cheese thighs suck the fun out of summer — just get your rear in gear for a tush worthy of the skimpiest suit.

"You want dimples here," says Kathie Branitsky, group exercise director at the Washington Sports Club in Chevy Chase, while pointing at the sides of her mouth. "Not here," she adds, gesturing to her lower set of cheeks. Last week, she introduced club members to the "Butt Blaster Workout," a new class being tested at the Chevy Chase and Dupont Circle WSC locations.

The idea, she says, is to give students a total body workout with a focus on toning areas where ladies carry cellulite. "Not that there's any way to spot-reduce," she quickly adds.

So, this isn't for women who just want to do a few leg lifts and call it a day. Branitsky takes an aggressive approach to burn as many calories as possible with cardio and strength training. Students who stick with it, she says, will slim down all over, including the never-ending problem area of the upper thighs and caboose.

Perky, Minnesotan-accented Chris Freytag takes a similar tack in "Fight Cellulite Fast!," a new DVD from Prevention ($15). A bonus segment explains what exactly the lumpy areas are all about (it's the same as other fat, but more visible), why women get cellulite more than men (thinner layers of skin allow every bump to pop, and gals have a tendency to gather fat in certain problem areas) and which methods of removal will actually work long term (we don't want to spoil it for you, but here's a hint: exercise and diet, not creams and lasers).

Although Freytag keeps putting cellulite on notice with her encouraging words to viewers, the workout is really suitable for anyone looking for a cardio routine spiked with high-intensity intervals and a stronger lower body. The strength training section offers up riffs on the traditional squat (the curtsy, the plie) and uses hip bridges to attack more muscles.

That's pretty close to what Banitsky led her students through during that debut class — squats (in oh so many more painful variations), lunges and speed skater-esque leaps from side to side, plus dumbbell-wielding upper body moves. (Don't forget that dimpled flesh can appear in meaty arms, too.)

One move that elicited groans from the Chevy Chase crowd: Lay down on a step bench with a resistance band under it, place each foot into one of the handles, stick your legs together straight into the air and grab dumbbells with each hand. Then, do chest presses while spreading legs into a center split and closing them again. "My goal is to have you thinking, ‘How am I going to walk tomorrow?'" Branitsky explains.

She achieved that with Adriana Murphy, 28, who was already sore by the end of the 45-minute session, and determined to return. "I'm at the age range just at the time when my body is about to make that shift. I want to beat that curve — literally," she says. "Anything I can do to prep my body, I want to do." Her future bathing suits are probably going to thank her.

But it's not all about looking one's bikini best. Jeannie Duvel, 55, explains: "I'm not as concerned with looks. It's more about overall health." Saying so long to cellulite just happens to be a positive side effect.

» BUTTS BEWARE:
The "Butt Blaster Workout" will be offered at 12:15 p.m. this Thursday and July 5 at the Washington Sports Clubs Chevy Chase location (5345 Wisconsin Ave. NW; 202-966-5051; mysportsclubs.com). It's free for members, and non-members can get a day pass to the club for $25. Call the Dupont Circle location (1835 Connecticut Ave. NW; 202-332-0100) for information about when the class will be offered there.
» Beyond exercise: "Fight Cellulite Fast!" offers another tip for cellulite reduction: sunscreen. Slather it on to keep your skin thick, which hides cellulite.

Photo by Marge Ely/Express