If you're hoping to get 'beach ready' with a good workout regimen, grab some tunes, comfortable attire, and learn the right exercises to tone your body and shed the fat.

So, you want to get beach ready by hitting the gym hard and want to know how long it will take and what you need to do to get there.  No problem, keep reading and learn how to build muscle and shred fat with an interval training workout that comes straight from the major league baseball personal fitness trainers. 

While you won’t walk away with a $5 million contract to play ball, you will be on the road to a better body, more energy and looking good when you hit the sand! Your routine will be conducted in two stages, each of which requires you workout 4 times a week.

To begin, start with some good music to keep you motivated and moving.  The top workout songs are any songs which will keep you moving.  Then perform the following exercises:  Complete each exercise (listed below) 12 times, rest 45 seconds and repeat the entire circuit for a total of three rounds.  Do this four times a week and be sure to rest in the days you are not performing the circuits.  Follow each workout with 20 minutes of light cardio training.

 Lunges - (quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes) Stand with your feet placed comfortably apart and your toes pointed forward. Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Take a large step forward with your left leg and dip down until your left thigh is parallel to the floor. Push off the floor with your left heel; return to the starting position and repeat. Do a full set with your left leg, then switch to your right leg.

 Modified Pull Up - (lats, rhomboids, biceps) Place a barbell on the lowest rung of a squat rack. Lie down underneath the bar and grab on to it with both hands using an underhand grip. Pull your chest up toward the bar, and at the same time draw your pelvis forward so your body forms a straight line from head to toe. Slowly lower yourself back down, but don't let your glutes touch the floor.

 Squat and Touch - (quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, hip abductors, hip adductors) Stand on your left foot with your right leg bent just enough to elevate your right foot off the floor. Bend your left knee as you simultaneously bend forward at the waist. Reach down with your right hand and touch the floor in front of you, then stand again without allowing your right foot to touch down at any time. Do a full set with your left leg, then switch to your right leg.

 Push Up and Reach – (chest, shoulders, back, core) Place your hands and feet on the floor in push up position.  Lower your torso until your chest is just a few inches from the floor and then push yourself up maintaining a straight strong back.  As you lift, reach your right arm up and out, hold this for 5 seconds and release Repeat to the left.

 Dumbbell Shrug – (traps, deltoids, rhomboids) Holding two dumbbells, lift your shoulders towards your ears and roll them back.  Make complete circles with your shoulders. Reverse the direction.

 Chopping Wood – (shoulders, arms, core, legs) Hold a medicine ball above your head and to the right of your body. Swing the medicine ball with control down towards the floor and lift back up to start.  Repeat to the other side.

 Triceps Press Down – (triceps, shoulders) In a push up position, bring hands directly under the shoulders and as you lower the torso, keep your spine in a straight line and direct the elbows back so they are tucked in and touching your sides.

 Calf Raise – (calves) Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Standing tall lift onto your toes and then slowly lower your body.

 Weighted Crunch – (abdominals) Laying on your back grab one dumbbell and lift it as high as you can and return to start position. Repeat to the other side.

After your first four weeks of doing these exercises, increase the intensity of your cardio from light to moderate.  A great cardio workout is the jump rope fitness workout.  Grab your jump rope and get going.  You will burn more calories than on just about any cardio trainer.  You can hop with both feet, one foot, in a pattern.  Get as creative as you like.  Keep it fun and steady so that your heart rate is pumping.

Now that you have laid the foundation for your training, it’s time to increase the intensity.  You will now do split routines.  You will continue to exercise 4 times a week except that now you will do all legs one workout and all upper body the next.  You will also continue the cardio conditioning you have started and increase it to 30 minutes per session.  You may either do the cardio at the end of your training or on your free days.

By focusing on your training four times a week for 8 weeks you are creating more than just a sculpted physique, you are creating a habit you will continue for the rest of your life.

By Christina  Leon, Staff Writer