One is said to have an Hourglass Figure  when their hips and bust region are wider as compared to the overall size of a person’s waist. Thanks to the mainstream media’s depiction of beautiful women, the hourglass body shape,  has gained a lot of popularity. In fact, both females and males prefer the hourglass figure/physique over just about any other body  shape due to this ever-increasing popularity.

As a general rule, many, if not most women who have this body shape  gain weight in the bust and the hips region. As a consequence,, if they are not careful, they can easily lose their original figure, unless they eat right and take part in a regular fitness/exercise regimen that they ‘know’ will work to help them maintain that hourglass figure.

Here it is pertinent to note, that some lucky women are born with the perfect hourglass figure, while others are not as fortunate. For those beautiful women with th natural hourglass body shape , it is more a question of genes than anything else. However, if you did  not hit the genetic lottery, then there is no particular need to fret. The hourglass figure is buildable, provided that you work for it, through a dedicated workout routine filled with exercises that will help you lose weight in your stomach.

When you decide to start a workout routine to help build your hourglass body shape, it is important to know which exercises to engage in. Doing the wrong exercises will not only  waste time and  effort but can also lead to a more block-like figure in the long run.  Which is not what you want when working towards an hourglass figure.

The following exercises can help you gain an hourglass figure. But talk to a doctor before engaging in any strenuous workout/fitness routine, especially if you already have a medical condition.

1. The Stability Ball Shoulder Bridge

Tip: Keep your core engaged throughout the exercise

To do this exercise, you should lie down flat, on your back, on a mat  with both of your feet placed firmly on top of a Swiss ball. Your arms should be outstretched to their maximum point on the floor, and your palms should face down.

Once you are in the starting  position, proceed to slowly lift your hips off the ground with controlled movements. Make sure to press both of your palms firmly into the floor and engage your body’s core to get the most out of the exercise.

Now, without lowering your hips, use your hamstrings and your quads to slowly roll the Swiss ball closer towards your hips, until the soles of your feet are right on top of the ball, itself. Keep your muscles engaged   and roll the ball  towards your hips. Once that is done, extend your legs to roll the Swiss ball  back out to its original starting position. This whole exercise makes up one rep.

Try to do as many reps of this exercise as you can, until you begin to lose your form. . When adding this exercise to your workout routine, start off with only four reps in total and continue to increase them till you hit around a dozen reps for one whole set.  You will feel the strain in your core, quads, hamstrings, and hip.

2. Back Leg Elevated Lunges

Tip: Maintain your form by using slow and controlled movements

To do this exercise, take a lightweight dumbbell in both of your hands and stand straight, with a chair placed a few feet behind you. Now slowly move your right foot behind you until the toes of that foot are placed on the seat of the chair.

With your left foot planted firmly on the ground and slightly in front of your left knee, engage your hamstrings and begin to slowly lower your body towards the ground. Make sure to keep your upper body upright and your core engaged as you lower your body towards the ground until your thigh is parallel to the floor.  Then, from this position, aim to press upwards through your front heel, as you bring your body back to starting position with your right leg straight on the chair. This would be one full rep.Once you have successfully completed the first rep, you should continue for at least five more reps, increasing your reps , as your endurance increases.

Once you complete the designated number of reps with your right leg in the chair, switch sides and do the exercise with your left leg in the chair.   You should feel the strain in your arms, your shoulders, core, and chest.
Lunges are an effective way to trim those pesky saddlebags and bring you closer to having an hourglass body shape. Besides squats and lunges, most celebs go for “CoolSculpting Inner Thighs” and other trouble areas to sculpt the perfect lower body.

3. Focus on the Funnel Shape

Tip: Lose weight all over your body by staying active every day

Apart from the above exercises, for just about any hourglass figure, it is imperative to lose weight all over your waist. This means that you should work on your waist to bust, as well as, waist to hip, ratios too.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to only lose weight in one area of your body. Instead, you should incorporate a cardio workout into your regular fitness routine to help you lose weight all over your body.  . Luckily, losing all that excess weight is not really as difficult as people tend to think it is.  You could commit to a 40-minute,brisk bout of of aerobic exercise to  help you burn all of that fat, as long as it is done regularly.

In the long term, the habit of performing regular aerobic exercise, if practiced diligently enough, can easily lead to a skinny waist.  Some of the best exercises for getting rid of those extra layers of fat (and ensuring that they are not regained) include jogging, cycling, and swimming, to name a few.

Conclusion

Achieving that   picture-perfect hourglass figure seen on beautiful women, is an easy task. It takes a lot of determination, as well as devout dedication to an exercise regime to achieve your ideal body shape. . Remember that you are making a , ‘lifestyle’ change and you have to make sure that you follow your routine, day in day out, for as long as it takes, to achieve your hourglass figure.

The post How to Exercise for An Hourglass Figure appeared first on BiggieTips.