Best Exercises for Different Body Shapes

Make the most of your workout routine by exercising with your body shape in mind. Try some of the best exercises for different body shapes for great results.

Body types are entirely determined by genetics, but instead of blaming your parents for the features you have inherited (height or bone structure), you can try to change your body shape (fat vs. muscle mass) with the right exercise routine and following healthy eating tips.

Balanced Exercises for Hourglass Body Shapes

If you are symmetrically curvy with a small waist, then you have an hourglass shape.
Your workout routine should be focusing on both cardio and resistance exercises to maintain a balance between your upper and lower body. Cardio exercises might include: Zumba, stationary biking (with light weights), a classic cardio workout (e.g. swimming), and jacks challenges.

For the strength-training, hourglass shapes need to pay special attention to firming the upper back with exercises like the Bent Over Row (two sets of eight to 12 reps with a moderate to heavy weight).

Low Resistance Exercises for Apple Body Shapes

Apple shapes tend to be athletically built women (think Jennifer Garner): shoulders are typically wider, with smaller hips. The good news is that this body shape has a tendency to build muscle and lose fat faster due to their often higher metabolism, so you won't have too much trouble in choosing the best exercises for different body shapes. Try performing exercises that are low resistance and involve low repetitions, such as: jogging, reverse lunges, wide squats, leg presses and deadlifts.

Adequate Exercises for Pear Body Shapes

This is the classic silhouette: curvy at the bottom with a small waist. We recommend up to 45 minutes of cardio five to six days per week: walking, jogging, and cycling. The benefits of low intensity cardio include little pressure on the knee, hip and ankles. Use moderate heavy weights for strength-training exercises, dumbbell bicep curls, overhead triceps extensions, dumbbell shoulder presses and chest presses. As you progress, you can increase the weights in the upper body workout.

Varied Exercises for Ruler Body Shapes

Ruler Body Shapes already have a great muscle tone and low body fat. You can perform pretty much any exercises you want, paying special attention to those cardio activities that will help you lose weight in your problem areas, such as stomach and buttocks: spinning, walking or jogging on an incline, step classes, squats, bench presses and shoulder presses, sit-ups. To make sure that you build symmetrical body shape with the right exercises for different body shapes, all muscle groups should be emphasized and regularly given a workout.