We all have different body shapes, hourglass, pear shape, apple or banana but do you know which exercises are best to maximise weight loss and tone the right areas? Do you even know what body shape you are? Before you next head to the gym make sure to read this and find out to maximise your workouts. There are 4 main body shapes that most people fit into, banana/ruler, pear, apple/cone, and hourglass.
BANANA/RULER:
The banana or ruler shape describes an athletic body which is evenly proportioned, slightly boyish and pretty straight up and down. The best exercises for this kind of body shape would be long distance running to up fitness, twisted sit ups to create more of a waist and cycling to get more shape to your legs. Some great sports to play are basketball, volleyball or swimming to engage your whole body.
PEAR:
A pear shaped body normally has fuller thighs and hips with a slim waist and shoulders. Some may have a larger bottom and a smaller bust with slim arms. The best exercises for a pear shaped body are squats and lunges to sculpt and burn fat and push ups to strengthen the core muscles while adding definition to arms. Rollerblading would be great to tone up thighs without bulking up too much muscle and cycling is a great longevity exercise for fitness which will focus on the bulkier parts of the body.
APPLE/CONE:
Apple or cone shaped bodies have slender legs with broader shoulders and round stomach without much definition around the waistline. The best exercises for this body shape are squats and lunges to build muscle and shape to the legs and spinning for fitness. Sit ups and the plank are a must to tone and shape the tummy area and walking or jogging on a slight incline will work your fitness and build leg muscle.
HOURGLASS:
This is the classic Marilyn Monroe curvy body shape, equally proportioned bust and hips with a slim waist which looks similar to the shape of an hourglass full of sand. The best exercises for someone with an hourglass figure are leg raises and press-ups to tone arms, legs and stomach. Spinning classes would be great to tone and raise fitness levels and swimming for a full body workout.