Phenomenon.

getting a leg up

Problem: Thick legs

Name: Shelley*, 26

The expert: Edward Jackowski, chief executive officer of Exude Fitness Center in New York City and author of Escape Your Shape (Thomas Dunne Books).

The story: OWhen Asian women have big legs, we call them daikon radishes,O Shelley says. OAnd thatOs what IOve got, lucky me.O A self-described exercise fanatic, Shelley was convinced that with enough work she could shed some of the girth from her thighs and calves. Over the last few years, she spent

three to four evenings a week running and doing some weight lifting, but she still wasnOt slimming down.

The plan: Jackowski wasnOt surprised by the results Shelley achieved with her former routine. OThrough mis-exercise, Shelley has created the muscle mass of a speed skater,O he says. OSheOs a great athlete and she works really hard, but unless she wants to bulk up even further, heavy weights are her enemy.O He switched her to an hour-long interval-training program that involved cycling and jumping rope for bursts of ten minutes, interspersed with calisthenics. As opposed to weights, calisthenics (like push-ups and plis) use the body for resistance, to create leaner, ballerina-like muscles, he says.