From J. Lo to the average Joe, fitness guru Jorge Cruise has worked with just about everyone.

Cruise, The New York Times best selling author of nine books, including the forthcoming book, The 12-Second Sequence™, has trained Tyra Banks, Al Roker, Katie Couric, and been praised by the likes of Mehmet Oz, doctor to uber-celebrity Oprah Winfrey.

Now, in preparation for the release of The 12-Second Sequence, Cruise is giving the VIP treatment to 10 readers of the Gay & Lesbian Times.

The GLT is working with Cruise to recruit at least 10 participants for The 12-Second Sequence fitness program, designed to get you ripped, toned and sculpted in eight weeks. Four of the 10 participants will be featured in the GLT’s fitness feature, scheduled to run in January. In addition to six pack abs, the participants will receive an advance copy of the book, a training DVD, and training sessions with Cruise and his team of trainers. The training sessions alone are valued at more than $1,000.

Participants could also be selected as a success story for the book – like Justin Kroupa, 30, who started the program in June.

Kroupa was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in February 2006, and battled the cancer until June, when doctors gave him a clean bill of health, and he was able to re-start his workout regimen.

Kroupa looked to the 12-Second Sequence to help restore his body.

“It [The 12-Second Sequence] really gave me an A to Z on how to get my body where I wanted to get it,” Kroupa said.

Kroupa had used fitness programs in the past, and they didn’t yield the results he wanted.

“I was a little skeptical,” he said. “Eight weeks is a short amount of time to see the results that are promised.”

But, within two weeks, Kroupa started to see progress – his body was more defined, he had more energy, and his workouts were more effective.

“I saw something that motivated me to keep going,” he said. “Even friends I see on a daily basis said they noticed changes in the first couple weeks.”

At the end of the eight weeks, Kroupa was fully satisfied.

“I got what I was promised,” said Kroupa, whose transformation impressed his trainers.

So what exactly does the program promise? Well, Cruise says dedicated participants will get the six-pack abs they’ve always wanted in the eight weeks.

“The 12-Second Sequence is designed to yield maximum results, with minimum time spent in the gym,” said Chance Miles, The 12-Second Sequence coordinator and member of Cruise’s training team.

The program’s workouts are gender specific, and focus on men’s upper bodies and women’s lower bodies. The workouts are composed of 10, four-repetition, 90-second exercises, and participants spend about 35 minutes in the gym three times a week. Men use a variety of gym equipment, while women’s workouts can be done from home.

The Web site for the program offers daily support to help participants track their meals and workouts, and answer questions they might have about the program.

The program uses a Controlled Tension™ technique, which combines slow-cadence lifting and static contract.

The technique takes the muscle at its weakest point, and pushes it harder. It fatigues and works the entire muscle, not just parts of it.

Coupled with cardio, and a balanced nutritional program, the program helps participants build lean muscle mass, which helps burn more calories at all hours of the day.

The timing of when participants eat, and what they eat, is important to success.

The program, Miles said, boils down to exercising smarter, not harder. It focuses on the quality, not the quantity, of a workout.

“We always hear from the men that the program takes the ego out of going to the gym,” Miles said. “They’re lifting half the normal amount of weight they can – but at the end of eight weeks, they’ve lost 10 to 15 pounds, their arms are bigger, and other guys in the gym are walking over to ask them what they’re doing.” To apply for the program, visit www.12second.com and mention the GLT to be tracked for the fitness feature.