Exercising For Your Body Shape

Everyone has a certain type of body shape. You might be a pear shape, an hourglass shape, a ruler shape, or an apple shape. Let’s take a quick look at what these shapes mean.

For Men:

Pear Shape – Before you accuse me of calling you a fruit, read on! A man with this type of body shape is usually larger in the hips and thighs than in the chest and arms. He is usually petite in the arms and chest. A lot of men with this body type have an athletic type build.

Hourglass Shape – No, guys. This doesn’t mean you’re girly. This is actually the shape many football players have, with small waists and hips, and broad shoulders and muscular thighs.


Ruler Shape – You are probably pretty thin, with minimal muscle build up.


Apple Shape – This type of body shape means that the man has a larger chest and arms, with a small waist. Men with this body shape usually have a small butt and legs, and may look top heavy.



For Women:


Pear Shape – You have larger hips, with a smaller chest and arms. Most women with this body type have flat stomachs and chests.



Hourglass Shape – This is one of the favorite shapes of a woman. Your shoulders and hips are about equal in width, and you have a small waist and normally flat tummy.



Ruler Shape – You have a thinner body, with minimal curves.



Apple Shape – You have larger shoulders and larger breasts, with smaller thighs, and thinner or smaller hips and butt.


Unfortunately, we all get our body shapes genetically, which means “tough cookie,” if we want to get rid of them. However, we can utilize targeted exercises to shape up our bodies, and this will help us look great, no matter what body shape we are. Here are some great targeted exercises for each shape.



Pear Shape – For this shape, you need some great exercises that will balance out the difference in the bottom part of your body, and the upper part. Do aerobic activities that target the lower body, and resistance exercises for the upper body. You will be slimming the lower part, and building the upper part. Some great ones for you are push ups, chin ups, leg lifts, jumping rope, and elliptical training.



Hourglass Shape – Cardio is great for this body shape, along with resistance exercises. Try things like swimming, stationary biking with a bit of resistance, jumping jacks, bicep curls, shoulder presses and squats. This kind of exercise will help keep your weight in check, ensure a good balance between upper and lower body.



Ruler Shape – You don’t really need to do much extra. Your regular and balanced routine is fine, and ensuring that you get a healthy diet and nutrition. Some people with shapes like this want muscle building, so go for resistance training that targets the upper and lower body.



Apple Shape – Most likely, if you have this shape, you want to focus on losing weight. Losing weight all over will balance out your larger upper body. Do low resistance exercises with lots of repetitions, such as stair climbing, running and incline walking.



Good luck, and remember, we might not be able to change our body shapes completely, but we can change them for the better.