If you want to get in shape by starting a new exercise program, then congratulations on making the commitment to improve your health inside and out. When beginning a new exercise program, you may become overwhelmed at all of the exercises that exist that you can include in your new routine. Don’t worry, you don’t need to be confused and overwhelmed when you choose the right exercises for your body type.
Apple
A person with an apple body type carries much of their weight in their mid-sections and upper bodies. If you are an apple, then you may struggle with a larger belly than you would like. You may also feel that your legs look thin in proportion with your upper body.
Apples benefit from the following exercises that burn fat and build leg muscles:
Cardiovascular Exercise. The most surefire way to burn body-fat in your core is to perform heart-rate elevating cardiovascular exercise. You can walk or jog on a treadmill, but using an elliptical machine is perfect for apple shapes. The elliptical on moderate resistance can help you build your leg muscles while you burn fat from your core.
Lower-body Strength training. The classic leg press is a great way to strengthen and build all of your leg muscles. When you are ready to advance, you can switch from leg presses to squats to work your legs and core.
Pear
If you have a pear-shaped body, then you carry much of your extra weight in your hips and thighs.
Good exercises for people with pear-shaped figures include:
Upper-body strength training. Shoulder presses, bicep curls, and tricep kick-backs can help you build your shoulder and arm muscles to balance out your larger lower body.
Classic Crunches. Most pears have killer waistlines, and you can enhance your already flat belly and small waist by working out your core muscles. Crunches done on an exercise ball can help you define your waist even further.
Pears also benefit from fat-burning cardio to help burn fat from hips and thighs, but you don’t want resistance that can bulk up your lower body further. Walking on a flat surface can help you burn fat without bulking up.
Rectangle
Rectangles carry their weight relatively evenly from head to toe. Rectangles benefit from all-over fat burning exercises and full-body weight training to build curves where you may not feel you have them.
Great exercises for rectangles include:
Any cardio. From jogging to elliptical training to aerobic classes, any cardio exercise can help you burn fat.
Upper-body sculpting. You should work your arms and shoulder with shoulder presses, bicep curls, and tricep kickbacks to sculpt and shape them.
Glute and leg work. Build up a killer derriere, awesome quads, and sculpted calves with squats. Walking lunges are also great defining glutes and legs.
The Hourglass
These hourglass beauties have curves galore, but they also tend to store extra fat all of the body. Zap fat and torch calories with high-energy cardio such as Zumba or HITT several times a week. Throw in a couple of sessions of all over strength training and you will give Jessica Rabbit a run for her money.
Even though ideal silhouette of a woman’s body has been pulled, stretched and even airbrushed into what the world thinks is should be, women are beautiful regardless of shape or size. So work with what you have, and make what you have work for you.
Every body is different, so every exercise routine should differ, as well. Keep your body shape in mind when working out, so you can shed fat while building muscle in the right places to balance your body.
