Best Workouts for Your Body Shape

Exercises for Ruler Body Shapes

You’ve heard the term stick-straight and you can apply it to your body, which has shoulders that align with your torso and just a slight curve at the hips.

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Best cardio routine: Twenty minutes of cardio two to three times a week is all that Ruler body shapes need, according to Bailey. “They want to gain lean muscle tissue to add shape to their narrow frame,” he says. “A short bout of cardio will help burn extra body fat without hindering muscle-building—walking, jogging, cycling, jumping rope and swimming are great for Rulers.”

Best strength-training routine: Rulers should focus on strength-training four to five times each week in a total body program in order to build muscular curves, suggests Bailey. He recommends the plank and side plank poses (hold each for 30 to 60 seconds), as well as the diamond pushups to tighten the waist area and create an hourglass-like shape. These push-ups, with hands close together in a diamond shape, work to build the biceps and triceps and also engage the transverse abdominals—the deepest layer of your core. Lateral hip raises (lying on your side and raising and lowering your leg, two sets of 20 reps on each side) help develop hip muscles, while squats (three sets of 12 to 15 reps, holding a moderate to heavy weight) strengthen the thighs and backside. Up top, try dumbbell lateral raises for shapely shoulders (two sets of 15 to 20 reps).

Exercises for Inverted Triangle Body Shapes

With a small waist and broad chest and shoulders, your body has a sporty shape.

Best cardio routine: “The Inverted Triangle shape has an athletic build and little body fat, so 20 minutes, two to there times a week is all the cardio you need to keep the heart strong and efficient,” says Bailey, who recommends utilizing the elliptical, cross-trainer and stair-climbing machines as well as step classes. “Those workouts all emphasize the legs, which will help to add shape and muscle that balances out broad shoulders,” he says.

Best strength-training routine: For the lower body, Inverted Triangle shapes should focus on increasing the weight load, while the upper body focus should be on increasing flexibility, according to Avellino. “A common complaint with this body type is a thick middle and disproportionate football player look,” she says. “So incorporating light weights in a full range of eccentric movements for the upper body and the opposite for the lower body—heavier weights with short-range movements like squats—is ideal.” Shoot for strength training sessions three to four times a week.

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