In his recent gig as a guest editor for Wired, President Obama shared his 10-track workout playlist on the magazine's Spotify account.  After listening to it in its 45-minute entirety, however, we've got some questions.

The playlist starts off with The Black Eyed Peas's encouraging "Let's Get It Started".  The playlist then takes on a more laid-back tone with Nina Simone's "Sinnerman".  Perhaps this is his stretching song?

The following two songs from Sting and The Isley Brothers, respectively, are upbeat and groovy and sound like the ideal playlist of dads across the nation.  Then there's Icona Pop's "Emergency".  A recommendation from his teenage daughters, Sasha and Malia, maybe?  The president then shows off his hipster side with a song from New York-based Brazilian band Forro in the Dark.

Then there's Beyoncé.  No workout playlist is complete without Beyoncé.  The high-energy "Get Me Bodied" is followed by a Jay Z and Drake collaboration, "Off That", and two positive cooldown songs:  Bob Marley's "Could You Be Loved" and Aussie (!!) Courtney Barnett's "Elevator Operator".

Listen to President Obama's unexpected playlist.

1. Let's Get It Started - Spike Mix
   The Black Eyed Peas
    
2. Sinnerman
   Nina Simone
    
3. If You Love Somebody Set Them Free
   Sting
    
4. Live It Up, Pts. 1 & 2
   The Isley Brothers
    
5. Emergency
   Icona Pop
    
6. Perro Loco
   Forro In The Dark
    
7. Get Me Bodied - Extended Mix
   Beyoncé
    
8. Off That [Jay-Z + Drake]
   JAY Z
    
9. Could You Be Loved
   Bob Marley & The Wailers
    
10. Elevator Operator
    Courtney Barnett

How does VS Angel Bridget Malcolm prep for the casting of the 2016 Victoria's Secret Show?  With a lot of hard work and determination, that's how!  She says, "For me, it's three months before the casting I need to step up my game with training and not skipping workouts."

The NY-based model adds, "Last year ahead of the Victoria's Secret casting, I did two gym sessions a day.  But this year I am doing less, and more focusing more on resistance and strength training, which has really changed my body."

Bridget shares, "I do a bit of boxing but I have actually shifted over to doing a workout called 'Body by Simone', which is little bits of high intensity cardio mixed with a lot of toning.  It's really changed my body, and it's found these muscles that I didn't know existed.  What's great is that it's a lot of fun too, which I think exercise needs to be."  We couldn't agree more!  Here's a glimpse into how she works out.

 

A Band for Her Legs and Booty

 

A Little Boxing to Get Her Heart Rate Up and Reduce Stress

 

A Little Upper-Body Resistance Training

 

Some Much-Needed Stretching

 

And Some Foam Rolling For Tight Muslces

 

Along With Workouts Comes a Dialed-In Diet

 

Bridget eats clean all year round, so no desserts, sugars, or starchy foods.  She says, "Leading up to the show I drink lots of water, protein shakes, and vegetables.  I really love to cook, so I do a lot of it myself."

If being able to do 50 push-ups is on your fitness bucket list, it's time to make it happen.  Just like the 30-Day Squat Challenge, here's a plan to build your upper body and core strength so by the end of the 30 days, you'll be able to bust out 50 push-ups.  This challenge involves five push-up variations, to not only prevent boredom and overuse injuries, but they'll help sculpt other areas of the body.  Here are instructions for the five different variations, followed by a 30-day plan to get you all the way to 50.

 

Number 1:  Basic Push-Up

• Come into plank position with your arms and legs straight, shoulders above the wrists.
• Take a breath in and as you exhale, bend your elbows out to the sides and lower your chest toward the ground.  Stop as soon as your shoulders are in line with your elbows.  Inhale to straighten the arms.  This counts as one rep.
• If this is too difficult, do this exercise with your knees on the floor.

 

Number 2:  One-Legged Push-Up (Left Leg)

• Begin in plank position.
• Extend your left leg straight behind you so it's parallel with the floor.  Engage your abs and try to keep your left heel in line with your hips.
• With your left leg extended, and your right toes on the floor, exhale to bend the elbows, lowering into a push-up.  Inhale to straighten your arms.
• This counts as one rep.
• If this is too difficult, the photo above shows how to do this push-up variation with your right knee resting on the floor.

Keep reading to see the other three push-up variations and the 30-Day Push-Up Challenge Plan.

 

Number 3:  One-Legged Push-Up (Right Leg)

• Now switch sides.  From plank position, extend your right leg straight behind you so it's parallel with the floor.  Engage your abs and try to keep your right heel in line with your hips.
• With your right leg extended, and your left toes on the floor, exhale to bend the elbows, lowering into a push-up.  Inhale to straighten your arms.
• This counts as one rep.  As mentioned above, if this is too difficult, rest your left knee on the floor.

 

Number 4:  T Push-Up

• Begin in plank position.
• Take a breath in and then exhale to bend your elbows, lowering into a push-up.
• Inhale to straighten your arms, and at the top of your push-up, lift your left arm straight up overhead, rotating your torso to stack your shoulders, and turn your heels to the right, making a T-shape with your body.
• Exhale to place your left palm back on the ground and lower into a push-up.
• Inhale to straighten your arms and lift your right arm up overhead, rotating your torso and turning heels to the left.
• Exhale to place your right hand back on the ground.
• Doing a T push-up on both sides counts as one rep.

 

Number 5:  Diamond Push-Up

• Begin in plank position.  Place your hands together, directly under your sternum, with the tips of your index fingers and thumbs touching.  Your fingers and thumbs should form a diamond or triangle shape.
• After an inhale, exhale to bend your elbows, lowering your chest toward the floor.
• Inhale to straighten the arms.
• This counts as one rep.
• If this is too difficult, try separating your hands a couple inches or widen your feet slightly.  Still too hard?  Then lower the knees to the ground.

 

The Plan

Instead of rolling out 50 regular push-ups in a row, you'll work up to doing 10 reps of each.  This plan gives your upper body a day of rest every two days, but feel free to strength train other areas of the body on those rest days.  If you're new to the push-up scene, it's OK to perform these push-ups with your knees resting on the floor if straight legs is too difficult.  But keep in mind that unless you practice doing push-ups on your toes with your legs straight, you'll never be able to do them.  So do as many reps as you can with proper form with your knees lifted, and lower them when your arms start to fatigue.  It's also OK to rest your arms if you need to (in Child's Pose or Seated Heart Opener), but as the plan progresses and you build strength and endurance, spend less time on your knees and resting, and more time rocking these push-up variations.

True love is so rare, so when you see it for yourself, it's a beautiful spectacle to witness.  Exhibit A:  Lea Michele and SoulCycle.  A love story so deep, so raw and real, it can only be told with these 26 Instagrams.  Behold.

 

Everyone Has Their Favorite Workout

For Lea Michele, it is absolutely and undoubtedly SoulCycle.

 

From What We Can Tell, She's There Basically Every Day

 

With Friends ...

 

By Herself ...

 

Always Striking a Pose

 

Work That Wall of Shoes, Girl!

 

She Says It's Her "Happy Place"

 

And It Makes Her Feel Strong

 

If You Go to SoulCycle in LA, Chances Are You'll See Her There

 

She Starts Her Day With SoulCycle

 

Ends Her Day With SoulCycle

 

She Can't Stop

And by God, she won't stop.

 

She's Got a Solid Squad of Soul Sisters

 

But Loves Rocking a Solo Class

 

She Also Loves Her Instructor, Lindsay Buckley

This was a birthday post, celebrating Lindsay!

 

It's Safe to Say That Lea Michele Has Found Her Soul

 

And Her Favorite Photo Walls

 

(Hint:  This Wall)

See what we mean?

 

And It's Definitely Working For Her

 

She's Happy, Healthy, and Living Her Best Life

You go, Lea Michele!

While doing calorie-burning cardio is essential for losing weight, if you want to lose weight faster and reveal that six-pack under your pudgy pooch, you must incorporate strength training.  Using weights instead of straight-up bodyweight moves will get you results in less time, especially if you follow these three tips.

 

Go Heavier

To burn more fat, go for heavier weights.  Don't worry — you won't bulk up unless you lift superheavy weights and train for hours a day.  What will happen is you'll burn more calories, which will help you burn more overall body fat, which means bye-bye belly fat.  Use heavy dumbbells like 15- or 20-pounders, or use a barbell with plates.  Lifting heavy weight with fewer reps is one way to slim your tummy quicker.

 

Combine Cardio

If you've always been a dumbbell user or a bodyweight moves kind of person, it's time to embrace kettlebells, medicine balls, and battle ropes.  Using these types of equipment allows you to combine cardio with strength training, so you're burning an amazing number of calories while building calorie-burning muscles.  Kettlebell swings, dynamic ball slams, and wall balls are three basic yet effective moves that will not only leave your muscles burning, but will also get your heart rate racing as fast as if you were doing high-intensity intervals.

 

Do Compound Moves

Why just work one part of your body?  Get more out of your gym time by doing multitasking strength-training moves.  Squat or lunge while holding weights, hold your body in plank while doing rows, or do the burpee variation with weights called man makers.  These are harder, which means you'll probably want to do fewer reps, but man, they work!