Shape Up 2013: The Fad Fitness Challenge

With the arrival of a new year comes a slough of New Year's resolutions. And every January 1, improved fitness always tops the list of most popular—and, often, hardest to attain—commitments.

But if you do want to prepare for that backpacking trip through India, work on your six-pack or run your first marathon, what's the best way to get in shape? Lucky for you, we've enlisted a team of writers (ourselves included) to try out and critique some of the top fitness programs of 2012. Each touts calorie-burning, muscle-building abilities, but will they live up to the hype?

Follow us on our six-week experiment to sort out the most effective programs from the, well, here-today-gone-tomorrow fitness fads. We'll try out CrossFit, Insanity, Barre, Flywheel/SoulCycle and kettlebell training to help you find the best way to shape up in 2013.

CROSSFIT: PETER KOCH

CrossFit, Week 1 

CrossFit, Week 2 

CrossFit, Week 3

CrossFit, Week 4

CrossFit, Week 5

CrossFit, Week 6

INSANITY: MEGAN TAYLOR MORRISON

Insanity, Week 1 

Insanity, Week 2

Insanity, Week 3

Insanity, Week 4

Insanity, Week 5

Insanity, Week 6

PHYSIQUE 57—BARRE: LISA HOEHN

Barre, Week 1 

Barre, Week 2

Barre, Week 3

Barre, Week 4

Barre, Week 5

Barre, Week 6

FLYWHEEL: MARK LEBETKIN

Flywheel, Week 1

Flywheel, Week 2

Flywheel, Week 3

Flywheel, Week 4

Flywheel, Week 5

Flywheel, Week 6

KETTLEBELLS: MOLLY RAISCH

Kettlebells, Week 1

Kettlebells, Week 2

Kettlebells, Week 3

Kettlebells, Week 4

Kettlebells, Week 5

Kettlebells, Week 6