True Beauty host Vanessa Minnillo is as fit as they come in Hollywood and is certainly looking great as she gets ready to hit the beach this summer.  Self Magazine chose Vanessa to test their latest bikini workout featured in their July issue.

The workout features three parts: high intensity intervals called Tabata intervals, a circuit of body sculpting strength moves, and an abdominal exercise to tone up the stomach.

“When you move through this routine with short periods of rest, your heart rate soars, so you’ll increase your calorie burn and see results fast,” says Jeff Halevy, CEO of Halevy Fitness in New York City, who created the plan.

You can build a bikini body like Vanessa Minnillo by following this three-part workout routine 3 or 4 times per week.

Part 1: Tabata Intervals

Tabata intervals are a form of a high intensity workout which feature 20 seconds of maximum intensity exercise, followed by 10 seconds of rest.  The sequence is repeated 8 times for a total of 4 minutes of work.  Tabata intervals are named for the Japanese doctor who’s study showed that these shorter periods of high intensity exercise followed by minimal rest have a greater impact on fat burning.

Warmup for 5 minutes before starting the Tabata intervals, then pick an exercise, or a group of movements to perform during the series.   The Self workout calls for jumping rope, but other options include running on the treadmill, riding a stationary bike, using the elliptical, or hitting a heavy bag.  You could also do any number of body-weight exercises such as squats, pushups, or burpees.

Vanessa Minnillo is a former childhood jump roping star, so it’s easy to see why she would pick that exercise for her Tabata intervals.  ”When I was living in Turkey as a kid, I was on a traveling team and performed all over the country,” she says.

[Click here to read about the rest of Vanessa Minnillo's workout...]