ABS I’m a woman but I wanted those “rock-hard abs” advertised in all the men’s mags. I’m also too busy to work out. So I had a go at two weeks of five-minute abdominal exercises, devised for me by Melissa DeLancey, a trainer at Clay (25 W 14th St between Fifth and Sixth Aves, 212-206-9200). These consisted of two sets of 15 reverse crunches (lie on your back, put your hands under your butt and lift your legs toward the sky); 20 bicycle crunches (on your back with both hands supporting your neck, alternate by bringing each elbow to the opposite knee while extending the other leg outward); the plank (in push-up position, draw one knee toward your chest while stabilizing the rest of your body, then alternate legs for 20 reps); the Superman (lie on your stomach, lift your arms and legs as straight as possible, arching your back, for 15 reps); and the scorpion plank (like a push-up, except support your body weight on your forearms instead of your hands and hold for 30 to 60 seconds). To actually see the results, I’d have to do lots of fat-shrinking cardio—but punch my stomach. No, go ahead, do it. It’s tighter, right?—Jaime Jordan

BICEPS Good news for slackers who want muscle tone: You can make improvements by weight training just twice a week, according to Larry Betz, director of personal training at Maxim Health and Fitness (193 North 9th St at Driggs Ave, Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-486-0630, maximhealthandfitness.com). He assigned me three sets of 15 straight barbell curls (lifting weights with palms facing up) and three sets of 15 alternating dumbbell curls (palms facing in; twist to palms facing up as you lift). If you prefer a daily routine (I did), you can do these exercises each day, but reduce the number of sets to avoid straining your burgeoning biceps. Over my two weeks of training, I did two sets of 12 reps for each exercise, five times a week. I noticed some improvement in my strength—back bends in yoga class became easier—and in the second week, moved from using laundry detergent bottles to ten-pound weights in order to get those guns.—Heidi Patalano

PECS For a guy whose normal heavy lifting involves a tumbler of whiskey, it seemed impossible to stick to the regimen designed for me by Fred DeVito, creator of the Core Fusion program at Exhale Spa. He assigned the daily task of five plyometric push-ups (the scary military kind with a clap between each repetition) and three ten-rep sets of his Double Arm Triceps Toner (bending over and lifting one-pound weights—or, in my case, heavy books—behind me until my arms were parallel with the floor). But after week one, my upper body stopped throbbing. Now, two weeks in, my arms feel less squishy—especially in the triceps. Hoisting a glass has never felt easier...or more well deserved.—Adam Rathe

LEGS My own personalized five-minute routine was designed by Renee Daniels of The Slope Health and Fitness (808 Union St, Park Slope, Brooklyn, 718-783-4343). She assigned me wall sits (stand with your back against the wall, lower yourself into a sitting position, then stand up; do two sets of 20); pliés: (feet at shoulder-width, squat into a plié, just like they do in the Nutcracker; two sets of 20); the butt lift (lie face up with knees bent and feet flat on the floor, stick a pillow between your knees and lift your backside off the ground; two sets of 20) As for the results? I was going for inches, people! I measured my thunder thighs at the outset, and then again at the end of two weeks. Sadly, I didn’t lose any inches, but running up the stairs from the D train doesn’t make me feel like my muscles are on fire anymore—and that’s improvement in my book.—Maggie Samways