Exercises To Avoid For An Hourglass Figure – UPDATED 2022

If you are someone with an hourglass figure or want to develop an hourglass look, there are some exercises you should avoid.

Since an hourglass figure relies on a waist that is smaller than the hips and shoulders, there are some exercises you should avoid if your goal is to develop an hourglass-looking body type.

In this article, we show you the exercises to avoid and the ones you should focus on to help make your waist smaller than your hips and shoulders to give you this body-type look.

What Is A Hourglass Figure?

An hourglass figure is characterized by hip and bust measurements. To get an hourglass body type, you will need to have hip and bust measurements nearly equal in size. Your waist also needs to be narrower than your hip and bust measurement.

While most people aren’t able to develop an hourglass figure, others may be able to define their body shape by avoiding certain exercises and adding ones that promote a skinner waist and bigger hips and bust. A lot of this depends on your genetics, motivation, and knowledge of the right exercises that can help develop an hourglass figure.

To get the full picture of an hourglass figure, you must first understand the characteristics of this body shape. These characteristics include:

– Slightly round shoulders
– The bust and hips have the same width
– The waist is smaller than the hips and shoulders
– The hips and bottom are rounded
– Slightly larger thighs
– Weight gain is distributed evening across the body

 

Exercises To Avoid For An Hourglass Figure

If you are planning to help your body look more like an hourglass figure, there are some exercises you need to avoid. These include:

– Weighted crunches
– Weighted side bend
– Wood chops
– Side planks
– Hip dips

All these exercises have something in common. They target the oblique muscles. If your goal is to get an hourglass figure, you will need to stay away from workouts that target the oblique muscles. Otherwise, you will get boxy-looking abs, which will prevent the waist from looking smaller.

Because an hourglass figure consists of a smaller waist and a larger bust, and curvier hips. You will need to target certain areas of the body to get an hourglass shape.

These include:

– Your upper body
– Your waist
– Your glutes
– Upper thighs and hips

Depending on your natural shape, you may need to focus on certain areas over others. For example, someone that already has wide shoulders may need to focus more on their glutes, thighs, and hips.

If you already have a slim body shape, you may want to start training the shoulders and chest area. This will help give you a broader upper body look. Alternatively, if you carry weight around your midsection, you might need to prioritize that first.

How To Reduce Waist Size For An Hourglass Look

Since it is near impossible to spot-reduce fat, you will need to focus on overall weight loss to reduce your weight measurements. However, some exercises tend to be more successful at promoting weight loss than others. These include:

High-intensity interval training (HIIT)
Research has shown that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can help you lose weight and promote fat loss quicker than other workouts. HIIT training is a form of cardio training that requires short bursts of intense exercise with short rest periods.

To understand high-intensity interval training (HIIT), read our article here.

Running
Running is another form of cardio that has proven time and time again that it can help you lose weight and increase your metabolism. By adding regular runs to your training, you can help develop a flatter and more defined stomach.

Planks
The plank exercise can not only activate your inner core but can also help trim your waistline. It can also help you to improve your posture, which can help with other exercises you are doing to get an hourglass figure.

You will also need to follow a clean diet to help promote weight loss. While cardio will help you lose weight, if your diet is of track, weight loss might plateau or take longer than you expect. If you are unsure what foods to eat, or how much you should be eating, reach out to a nutritionist or personal trainer. They can help guide you in the right direction.

6 Exercises to Sculpt an Hourglass Figure

If you are beginning your journey to develop an hourglass look, we have 7 exercises you should do to sculpt an hourglass figure. These include:

Face Pulls
The face pull exercise helps work the upper back (rhomboids) rear delts, back and shoulder muscles. This exercise can help women define their backs and shoulders. More importantly, it can also promote better posture, which can help with the weight of your boobs.

Bridges
The bridge exercise works the Core muscles, gluteus maximus, and hamstrings muscles. By doing the bridge exercise regularly, you can help give the booty a more perky look.

Hip Thrust
Since the hourglass figure requires a nice shaped booty, you need to work on the glutes regularly. The hip thrust is a great way to tone and tighten the buttock muscles.

Mason Twist
Since the hourglass look requires flat and defined abs, the mason twist can help you work your core from the front to the back, giving you a muscular midsection that can help to achieve the smallest part of the hourglass shape.

Lateral Lunges
Lateral lunges are one of the best ways to work the gluteus medius, outer thigh (lateral quads), and inner thigh muscles. This can help give the legs a more toned look and help you one your way to developing an hourglass body shape.

Dumbbell Press
The dumbbell press and alternating dumbbell press can help promote a bigger and more defined chest, shoulders, triceps, and back, which are all parts of the hourglass look. This exercise will also help your shoulders become wider than the waist and close to that of the hips.