Creating an hourglass figure when your natural body is a little more pear or apple shaped is totally possible. Building muscle, toning and sculpting your figure can be a healthy goal too - it’s not all about losing weight and cinching in your waist to unnatural proportions.
In this quick article, we will take you through five different areas of your body to focus on, to build your shape and create definition.
P.S. Whether you want to embrace the curves your mama gave you, or hit the gym to tone up in all the right places, we have got some Sculpting Activewear to compliment your figure.
1. Shoulders and Upper Arms
Working on your glutes to create a wider base (and thus help your waist appear smaller) is certainly a good target. But for this list, we want to start by highlighting the importance of building muscle in your shoulders and upper arms.
Toning your upper body will help to balance your figure and also provide strength that feels amazing! Once your shoulders are strong and toned, you can show off your sculpted upper body in our Sculpt Halter Neck Top as you workout.
If you have spent little time working on your upper body, you aren’t alone. The best advice is to start slow and small. Our recommended exercises utilise two dumbbells:
- Lateral arm raises,
- Dumbbell press,
- Simple bicep curls.
2. Chest
Workouts to target your chest area provide more support for your upper body and tone the area above your abdominals. This enhances that hourglass figure, bringing more muscle and shape above the waist area.
Training your pecs also improves your posture, opening the chest, pushing the shoulders back, and preventing slouching. Another great benefit is that it can make your breasts a little perkier. Building muscle behind the breasts doesn’t take away the breast tissue itself, according to Shape.
To improve your posture and shape by working on your chest area, try these exercises:
- Chest press (start with single arm presses),
- Push-up variations,
- Renegade rows.
3. Back
Strengthening your back improves your posture and ensures that your hourglass figure looks lit from every angle. And don’t forget, having a toned back is a great reason to show off in our Lazuli Open Back Long Sleeve Top !
Working on your back also helps you to stand tall and support your weight, with your shoulders squared. If you are blessed with a full bust, strengthening your back could make a significant difference to your posture and general wellbeing.
To work on your back, combine these exercises with the upper arm and shoulder exercises above:
- Face pulls,
- Bent-over dumbbell rows,
- Pilates double kicks.
4. Core
With plenty of work to strengthen your upper body and glutes (see below), it’s the core work that can help to tone your stomach and complete the hourglass look. Core work to strengthen your abs also helps with posture (are you noticing a theme here?) and all-round strength.
You don’t need to develop a well-cut six-pack to obtain an hourglass figure. But we do recommend selecting exercises that tone the upper, mid and lower abs as well as the obliques. Along with the back exercises listed above, these core workouts can tone and enhance the slimness of your waist compared to the flair of your hips and strength of your shoulders.
Good core exercises to try include:
- Mason/Russian twist (feet lifted to turn up the heat),
- Ab wheel,
- Plank.
5. Glutes and Thighs
Working your glutes is a great way to achieve that perfectly rounded booty, but we highly recommend bringing the thighs into the mix too. Creating a better shape for your lower body, strong thighs will assist all your workouts and provide a better transition from your glutes down to your calves.
The reason why we have glutes and thighs as the last exercise on this list, is because most women have already got these exercises down! We have seen so many beautiful, strong women tag us on Instagram at Lazuli Label, showing off how our sculpting leggings perfectly support and highlight their toned glutes.
But just in case you are behind the curve and aren’t sure where to start, we recommend these exercises for your glutes and thighs to complete the hourglass figure:
- Hip thrusts,
- Bridges,
- Lateral lunges.
Whether you have just begun your workout journey or are already a familiar face at your local gym, we have something just for you: sculpting activewear! At Lazuli Label, we create comfortable, supporting and sculpting activewear to enhance your figure and provide support where you need it.
We recommend starting with our best-selling V-Seam Leggings. Made with ‘Shape’ fabric, they have a contouring and lifting effect, to flatter your natural curves. For help selecting and styling gym wear, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram - find as at @lazulilabel.