(UPDATED September 29th-2012 ) How do you get an hourglass figure? The indepth Original article by the original author. More updated information than on Answers.com
THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE: HOW TO GET AND PERFECT AN HOURGLASS FIGURE
(EVEN IF YOU WEREN'T BORN WITH ONE)
VERY IMPORTANT WORK OUT UPDATE September 29th 2012: Hello Hourglass fitness enthusiasts! This past summer I've been working with almost a dozen clients and I have a new trainer (she's mind boggling fit, educated, beautiful puts me in pain!) have some important new guidelines after receiving invaluable feedback. I'm now advising against 95% of Pilates if you are trying to create an hourglass figure. I'd still do split board, foot openers, ankles, parakeet and anything that isolates the legs without making the abs a central focus but that's it. Clients are going to Pilates even twice a week and seeing a wider waist the next day. On an already fit or very hourglassy body the Pilates abs hypertrophy won't be that noticeable but those who have a stomach to re-sculpt and weight to lose off their abs need to stick with my basic 30 waist sculpting moves (available exclusively from me following a consultation) , Gyrotonics, Gyrokinesis, basic weight training combines effective cardio, dance and or and lots of twisting and lateral movement. My recommendations for Calanetics has new guidelines also. OMIT the pelvic scoop aka Legs #1 and the 400 contractions for the hips and behind (Behind and Hips #1 and 2) and skip ahead to the stretch. When Callan Pickney says "you get the hips down to where they look like they've disappeared" she was not kidding, but we WANT hips in this programme. We do not want "childlike behind and hips" as she advocates in her best selling book. The two Hips and behind exercises create a muscle pull in that breaks up the hip lines visually and creates an indentation that looks too modern, masculine and linear for this system. The standing pelvic wave creates a flat butt via the tip up into the flat back posture. There is a way to access the abs, floating ribs, pelvic floor and the obliques by doing a similar standing posture but it is very subtle and does not include gripping and flattening the glutes into a board posture. Women did this hundreds off times a session in Jazzercise and stretch and tone classes during the 70s to the mid 90s usually lifting their butt off of the floor into a lower back irritating bridge repeated dozens and dozens of times rapidly. Ending up smaller and thinner yet with flat butts from overuse of the muscles, too much cardio and not building, sculpting and lifting the muscles instead. Once again for those who are simply fit or already hourglasses there may not be too much concern but others who are sculpting should consider the above. To learn more about how this programme can befit your specific figure, please contact me. For a 25.00 USD Pay Pal donation I can provide you with an indepth figure analysis and guide to getting started on your way to a smaller waist and shapelier hip ratio Pin Up figure. No matter what weight, body type or fitness level you are currently at you can achieve a feminine hour-glassier silhouette. This rate will never be lower and includes specific exercises for your individual body type and goals. You'll be asked to fill out an indpeth questionnaire, E-sign a standard liability waiver and then have me at your disposal for all your hourglass fitness questions and concerns. As with any exercise programme you should consult your doctor before starting.
Author's Note update June 3rd 2012: The article has been updated with a few big corrections and my now more positive take on corset training. I receive about fifty requests a month for workout plans and advice and I apologize for not being able to respond to all of them but I'm getting caught up and establishing a place where I can take donations for my time via the launching of super amanda.com and super amanda.co.uk. The websites will have a section each dedicated solely to my Hourglass fitness programme/education, pre- and post natal waist sculpting secrets and how you can help me get the first " Hourglass Conditioning" and "Hourglass Pilates" Dvds made. If you've posted questions in the past few weeks, I've answered now them. I've also been working with clients who want a bigger (not just toned) but bigger booty and I'm really on to something! I have a average/medium size butt in proportion to my body myself and I've figured out how some new ways to keep the legs leaner without losing your butt and how you can gain size and shape so a new essay is in the works.
Thanks so much and keep checking back. Let's get and keep the bodies we want and make all the effort pay off without buying into impossible media standards and masculine "one size fits all" forms of exercise.
My original and work all of it authored solely by me.
The most googled text article on the Hourglass Figure four years running.
I've updated and added over 1000 words regarding different body types who want to look more hourglassy and answers to fitness questions heretofore unavailable anywhere. I have been getting hundreds of emails and this is here to address many of the questions women and girls around the world have been asking me. These are only guidelines as a woman who is larger framed should follow a different workout than a woman of the the same height who is smaller boned and a physique who tends towards muscular legs should follow different regimen then a physique who's legs tend to be weak and so on and so forth.
A SMALL WAIST EQUALS HEALTH
Huge volumes of research and simple common sense says that getting and keeping weight off of your waist and not having a larger stomach, especially after having children and especially over 30. Teens will also want to avoid what I call "Perma-Muffin." A small waist is the key to better health not simply an aesthetically pleasing dividend.
NO ONE BODY TYPE IS BETTER THAN ANOTHER
So in the spirit of embracing ALL body types, I've renamed the four standard physiques with much nicer names:
Pear= Guitar
Top Heavy= Rocket
Rectangle or Ruler= Column
Apple=Diamond
I repeat, no ONE body type is better than another so it should not be just the Hourglass that has the pretty title.
All feedback appreciated and all my best,
Super Amanda
Determining your figure's symmetry
To get an hourglass figure you ideally should already be starting with a hip to ratio where your waist is over ten inches smaller than your waist and bust measurements or close to that number. To determine if you have an hourglass figure, you should measure your waist at it's smallest point which is above the belly button and below the ribs, measure your hips at their fullest (right across the rear, just above the pubic bone, not at the hip bones). Take your bust measurement braless or in your favourite unpadded bra and at the fullest point across your bust-line. Classic hourglass figure indicators are proportionally small ribcages and a tendency to gain weight in the hips, thighs. bust and upper arms not the waist.
For example, a 36 inch bust, a 24inch waist, and 36 inch hips= 36-24-36
38 inch bust, a 28inch waist, and 38 inch hips= 38-28-38
41 inch bust, a 29inch waist, and 41 inch hips= 41-29-41
32 inch bust, a 23inch waist, and 32 inch hips= 32-23-32
If your measurements fall into a slightly smaller bust and slightly bigger hips or a bust (eg: 39-30-40, 34-26-36 or 42-28-38 that is one to four inches bigger than your hips, then you are still an hourglass and can sculpt and almost perfectly symmetrical figure if you so desire with consistency and the correct clothing, nutrition and exercises.
If you are Rocket, Column, Guitar or Diamond Shaped
To create a true hourglass figure you do need a bust measurements that is also visually and statistically bigger than your waist measurement however if you have a small waist and big hips you can balance out a smaller bust with clever clothing choices and give the impression of an hourglass figure much more so than someone with a big bust and narrow boyish hips. Beyonce Knowles, Jennifer Lopez and pin up legend Bettie Page are three examples of smaller busted, guitar shaped women who have given the impression of having symmetrical hourglass figure by accentuating their impressive hip to waist ratios and wearing padded and/or bust enhancing clothing. In fact those three aforementioned women, especially Bettie Page and her awesome wide hips define hourglass to many. One cannot be an hourglass nor create the impression of one without a small waist and markedly bigger hips. Larger breast sizes are not limited to only rockets or hourglasses. In turn, Hourglass figures can often be smaller chested.
PATIENCE
If you have a full busted with narrow hips (Rocket), have a rectangular body (Column) or a diamond shaped body with most of your weight around the middle and you want more of an hourglass you CAN , through much patience and getting out of low rise clothing, get a smaller waist. It requires time, fitness knowledge and a willingness put in long term effort. Rockets, Diamonds and Column should avoid the washboard abs style work outs because they will create a toned version of width at the midsection NOT reduce the width of the waist itself.
Keeping your boobs
I am asked often by women who write me how to lose weight without losing their boobs. I've found as a trainer and with my own figure, the slower the work you do on yourself and the more focus on sculpting the LOWER body the more you stay buxom even if like the majority of hourglasses, your boobs can tend to get smaller with weight loss. The current obsession with women training their upper body for "big guns" should be avoided by hourglass figures. Train your upper body for definition and tone just don't over do it or make it more 20% of your training focus.
There are no short cuts to getting or perfecting an hourglass figure. A plastic surgeon cannot create one and neither can crash dieting. Those who are guitar shaped or hourglass and who find extra weight on their hips, thighs and arms have to give themselves months, not weeks or days to get toned. When hourglass figures crash diet or get into extreme exercise they can burn through their boobs as well.
FITNESS AND EXERCISES FOR AN HOURGLASS FIGURE
AND A SCULPTED WAIST TO HIP RATIO
Pilates and core work myths
All those who want an hourglass figures or who are maintaining them, should ideally avoid more than an hour or two of Pilates weekly. If you want a tiny waist and a great waist to hip ratio pilates has to be approached carefully as 90% of the exercises, on or off the apparatus, are working the FRONT of the abdominal muscles and building them up into a six pack which widens the waist visually and physiologically.
Understandably most Pilates aficionados will vehemently deny this. Many claim that "extra fat" and "genetics" will cause a square torso, not core work. If you are seeking a more hourglass figure through Pilates, you should ideally look and see if your teacher has a noticeable hip to waist and/or an hourglass figure themselves and then judge the veracity of their opinions before investing money in private training or dvds. Pilates is a huge investment in time and money if you want to master the system properly and you should get exactly what you want out of it.
"Too much core equals an apple!"
The Wunda Chair, box work on the reformer (eg:climb a tree & the Hundred) and the Barrel especially can create a "hyper-trophyed" abs look and even encourage you to store excess weight disproportionally above the hips if you decide to scale back or stop training.
Even mat work moves like "side plank with twist" and "side kicks" that may seem as if they will sculpt the waist can cause the muscles to build as the amount of effort the obliques have to do to stabilize the body is so powerful . This is true with countless of the classic Pilates exercises. Moreover, the majority of pilates is also taught incorrectly by teachers who have partaken in quicky weekend "certification courses" so proceed with caution if you study pilates and request that your trainer give you FLEXION work to keep your waist sculpted. Another Pilates myth is that it can give you a "dancer's body." In actuality only DANCING can yield the results of dancers body.
The truth about Pilates
I have trained extensively in Pilates and hold a mat certification from the most reputable certifying institutions in the world. I have also invested over 20K into Pilates, Gyrtonics and personal training with strength and cardio, training extensively with four master instructors. I can say with authority that pilates will sculpt and strength you arms feet, ankles, calves and thighs in ways that no other system will. Especially once you learn to use the Cadillac and the reformer, you can change the shape and definition of your legs from toes to hip. Hourglass and Guitar figures can tend to have very wide hips and full thighs, ankles and calves. Pilates leg work on the apparatus and work with therabands, can radically and permanently re-sculpt this area for women who have not found results with weights and cardio.
Sadly and perhaps ironically, I truly believe Pilates main downside is the much ballyhooed core and abdominal work. The fact that it was invented by a man who's own body was his template and who had a clear preference for a built up trunk does not bode well for women who want smaller mid sections. Also Joseph Pilates demanded that the method be practised THREE times a week (not five times) with small amounts of reps, for 30 hours and then the client's body was reassessed. Many of these clients were professional dancers with very low body fat to start out with.
Fast forward to 2012 and much of what Pilates taught has been reinvented, made up, changed or (more uncommonly) passed down as carefully as possible. In any incarnation his core work squares off a woman's waist something fierce when done often. That's why it has become so popular, as you see results in days not weeks. I only did Pilates core work for about a half an hour to 45 mins a week and only after having a baby. I avoided side kicks, side stretch, and all planks (yes, no planks!) Now happy with the results, I've dropped it entirely unless I'm teaching. I do the footwork and leg work on the reformer almost daily. Once again, Pilates represents superiority for leg sculpting incarnate, I just never combine it with core work.
Gyrtonics is superior
Gyrotonic Expansion, also created by a man (Dancer and Yogi Julio Hovgrath) is a far superior regimen as it work on continually accessing the oblique muscles which you need to keep toned for a small waist whereas Pilates hits the Rectus Abdominus and Transverse Abdominus which are the front and deeper ab muscles, in virtually EVERY exercise. When the latter two muscles are built up, the waist becomes bigger even if you are very trim. Both methods, when taught properly have the client pull up the pelvic floor which is crucial to a woa keeping her body together regardless of what results she wants for her tummy.
Gyrtonics has a much more stringent teaching code as well, partially because Julio, the creator of the method is still alive to keep an eye on it. While it too can get as pricey as Pilates, the mat work known as Gyrokenesis is available on vhs or dvd for a low price and no equipment apart from a chair or stool is required. Gyrokenesis is a powerful form of spiral, waist sculpting yoga that all levels can do.
Rating you Pilates instructor
If you search Google images you will note that many well known Pilates instructors and core based fitness advocates (eg: Mari Winsor, Zazunna Light, Jackie Warner and Joesph Pilates himself) have slight to almost no hip to waist ratios because their abs are so built up. Women's waists were much smaller until the Core strengthening revolution which gave way to a six pack abs/narrow hips look which is now considered the most preferable by the media and fitness professionals. Neither fitness philosophy is "bad" but if one does want a tiny waist and big hips then core fitness can't be overdone.
Some Core fitness is fine but it has now been over incorporated into too many types of fitness systems that waist sculpting is being overlooked. Tracy Anderson, Madonna's former personal trainer and of a very similar body type, is so built up through the waist muscles that they actually extend out farther than her hip lines and she sports an Iliac crest similar to a man's. Once again, this is not "bad" but training in that capacity will square you off.
C sections, pregnancies and hourglass figures
If you have had a caesarean however pilates is one of the best regimens to encourage your muscles to heal in the first crucial nine months after delivery because it is so powerful. Once Pilates assists in knitting the muscles of your midsection back together, you can continue to slim it down with consistency, patience and exercise systems that are NOT (or at least less) core fitness based. Sophia Loren, mother of two who had two caesarean pregnancies, still has a small waist at 76 years old and she primarily does old school waist twists and race walking.
Ideal fitness systems and sports for an hourglass figure
For an hourglass fitness regimen, the majority of midsection sport specific work should focus on twisting at the waist and if possible lateral motion. Here are the best fitness choices for a smaller waist and mid section in no particular order.
1.Gyrotonic expansion apparatus and Gyrokenesis mat work
2. Bikram, Iyengar and Kundalini yoga
3. Ballet
4. Cycling
5. Hill walking or flats
6. Treadmill on an incline or flat
7. Walking/ Running intervals on flat terain
8. Slide board
9. NIA
10. Aerobic, world/jazz/modern dance/Zumba/hip hop dance
11. Tennis
12. ice, inline and roller skating
13. pelvic floor work
14. The FIRM dvd collection
15. Calanetics (OMIT both Hips and Behind & the Pelvic tip up aka Legs #1 moves
16. Fencing
17. Baseball/softball
18. Soccer
19.*Strength Training (see below)
20. Horseback riding
21. Hula hoop
22. Belly dance
23. Climbing and descending real stairs
24. Ball room Dancing
Limit but don't avoid:
1. Swimming
2. Cardio machines other than the Treadmill
3. Step Aerobics (the lower the box the more you build the front of the thighs and abs. Higher box and lower reps optimal or going over and across the box laterally)
4. Pilates on the apparatus
5. Lunges
6. Power Lifting
7. Shadow boxing
Completely avoid:
1. Astanga Vinyasa flow Yoga (down dog/up dog plank series)
2. Kick boxing bag classes
3. Boot camp classes
4. Heavy abdominal training
5. Pilates Mat Work
6. Planks
7. Wackie Warner Method
8. The Spacey Anderson Method (reduces the hips and legs by building the waist and shrinking the glutes)
These regimens also square off the entire torso and you should never do these fitness programs religiously if you want an hourglass shape. These regimens sculpt men nicely but not women who want hourglass curves. If you want washboard abs then by all means do them as they are very effective at squaring off the waist.
Weight lifting is crucial to a small waist...really.
As for strength training, this is crucial for all women who want to maintain bone density, muscle mass, low body fat and stamina regardless of what body type they want. 2 to 5 hours a week depending on how much weight one wants to drop, broken up ideally into 4 sessions a week is the average amount of time recommended by many trainers for women with excess body fat. Unlike Pilates where the abs are accessed in virtually every single exercise, strength training can isolate areas without using or building the abs and waist. Avoid side tick-tocks with weights, medicine ball crunches and most weighted abs machines. Limit but don't avoid ab rockers, Roman chair work and lower back machines.
Clothing: A CRUCIAL part of having a tiny waist
Clothing is a very crucial part of accentuating an hourglass figure. Finding vintage clothes from the waist conscious 1940's, 1950's, 1960's, 1970's , 1980's and early to mid 1990's can be very complimentary to an hourglass figure as are all skirts, pants and dresses that belt or hit at the real waist not at the hip. Those with an hourglass figure should also avoid low rise jeans with a long baby doll top or trapeze dresses with cap sleeves that give a long shapeless (and waist-less) silhouette and was created for very linear, thin women. Always nip in and/or belt at the waist with skirts and dresses.
Low rise jeans can give you "perma- muffin" so keep them high waisted
As for jeans, avoid ALL low rise jeans. You will not get a smaller waist if you wear ANYTHING low rise ESPECIALLY jeans. Very few high waisted jeans look good unless they are boot cut, flared, corset or sailor style, in a darker wash and have very long inseams NEVER tapered as high waisted skinny jeans will usually not flatter the backside and give the dreaded "mom jeans" effect. Throughout her career Sophia Loren has almost never worn jeans.
Hourglass figures should ideally be wearing medium-low rise (about 8 to 10) inches with a boot cut. The best jeans for an Hourglass figure are made by Bernie Dexter or vintage. Avoid any denim (even high rise) cut mid calf unless you are very tiny framed lean legged hourglass with perfect proportions like Bardot or Kelly Brook. A higher heel shoe (3 inches or higher) invariably compliments an hourglass figure because it tilts the backsides, compliments the hips and behind and gives one an 'hourglass walk."
Media Hype and Celebrity Body Lies regarding The Hourglass Figure "stats"
Celebrities known for their figures like like Diora Baird, Elizabeth Hurley, Mel B, The Pussycat Dolls, Cindy Crawford , Katy Perry, Eva Mendez, kate Upton and Nicola Mclean are not hourglasses as they have only very slight hip to waist ratios and are usually photo shopped, padded or promoted via PR as more "curvy" than they actually are. Ignore their PR machines and don't fooled or intimidated by the media when you read the hourglass stats of many famous woman as it's usually 100% fiction. Also ignore the media when they call women like Paris Hilton, Kate Hudson and Kate Moss "curvy" as this is also incorrect.
I cannot stress this enough: the "measurements" issued by PR people are almost always fake Look carefully at any famous star or model and you'll see that even if they have virtually no curves they still lie and claim a tiny waist and hips ten inches bigger.
Ultimate Hourglass Figures
Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, Nigella Lawson, Meg Myles, Diana Dors, Lisa Marie Smith, Raquel Welch, Gina Lollobrigida, Lynda Carter, Brigitte Bardot, Kim Kardashian, Jayne Mansfield, Salma Hayek, Jane Russell, a young Anita Ekberg and Elizabeth Taylor, Rita Hayworth, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Christina Hendricks, Uschi Digard, Kate Winslet, Helen Mirren, Betty Brosmer, Mamie VanDoren, Raven Delacroix, Jessica Simpson, June Wilkinson, Keeley Hazel, Kelly Brook, Somaya Reece and Scarlett Johansson are some examples of truly symmetrical hourglass figures. They range from fuller figures, to average sized, to tiny framed, to toned dancers, to short waisted to long torsos and also to very busty and voluptuous but all have hips and busts that are about ten inches or more larger than their waist lines.
Corset Training and shapewear for an hourglass figure
Many women find that once they cease the low rise jeans and low rise yoga pants and start wearing waist accentuating clothing that their waists pull in naturally without body modification like corset training. I have changed my view on corsets in the past few months after buying my first real corset and waist cincher (shorter version of corset). The corset I wear in all my videos is a mall bought version with plastic stays but now I've graduated to steelbone, European construction etc which looks magificent under vintage reproduction dresses. I still don't think corset training hours a day is realistic mainly because, as with wearing extreme shape wear, if you cut off your circulation it can lead to poor muscle tone, digestion and cellulite. One need only look at some of the nude portraits from the Victorian era to get an idea of what extreme corset training can do to muscle tone. I do think if one wants to wear a corset for back support and shape a few hours a day then they are a nice edition to their Hourglass or other fitness programme.
The above original work is subject to copyright and cannot be reprinted without permission from SuperAmandaProductions.
Copyright 2004,2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012.
(EVEN IF YOU WEREN'T BORN WITH ONE)
VERY IMPORTANT WORK OUT UPDATE September 29th 2012: Hello Hourglass fitness enthusiasts! This past summer I've been working with almost a dozen clients and I have a new trainer (she's mind boggling fit, educated, beautiful puts me in pain!) have some important new guidelines after receiving invaluable feedback. I'm now advising against 95% of Pilates if you are trying to create an hourglass figure. I'd still do split board, foot openers, ankles, parakeet and anything that isolates the legs without making the abs a central focus but that's it. Clients are going to Pilates even twice a week and seeing a wider waist the next day. On an already fit or very hourglassy body the Pilates abs hypertrophy won't be that noticeable but those who have a stomach to re-sculpt and weight to lose off their abs need to stick with my basic 30 waist sculpting moves (available exclusively from me following a consultation) , Gyrotonics, Gyrokinesis, basic weight training combines effective cardio, dance and or and lots of twisting and lateral movement. My recommendations for Calanetics has new guidelines also. OMIT the pelvic scoop aka Legs #1 and the 400 contractions for the hips and behind (Behind and Hips #1 and 2) and skip ahead to the stretch. When Callan Pickney says "you get the hips down to where they look like they've disappeared" she was not kidding, but we WANT hips in this programme. We do not want "childlike behind and hips" as she advocates in her best selling book. The two Hips and behind exercises create a muscle pull in that breaks up the hip lines visually and creates an indentation that looks too modern, masculine and linear for this system. The standing pelvic wave creates a flat butt via the tip up into the flat back posture. There is a way to access the abs, floating ribs, pelvic floor and the obliques by doing a similar standing posture but it is very subtle and does not include gripping and flattening the glutes into a board posture. Women did this hundreds off times a session in Jazzercise and stretch and tone classes during the 70s to the mid 90s usually lifting their butt off of the floor into a lower back irritating bridge repeated dozens and dozens of times rapidly. Ending up smaller and thinner yet with flat butts from overuse of the muscles, too much cardio and not building, sculpting and lifting the muscles instead. Once again for those who are simply fit or already hourglasses there may not be too much concern but others who are sculpting should consider the above. To learn more about how this programme can befit your specific figure, please contact me. For a 25.00 USD Pay Pal donation I can provide you with an indepth figure analysis and guide to getting started on your way to a smaller waist and shapelier hip ratio Pin Up figure. No matter what weight, body type or fitness level you are currently at you can achieve a feminine hour-glassier silhouette. This rate will never be lower and includes specific exercises for your individual body type and goals. You'll be asked to fill out an indpeth questionnaire, E-sign a standard liability waiver and then have me at your disposal for all your hourglass fitness questions and concerns. As with any exercise programme you should consult your doctor before starting.
Author's Note update June 3rd 2012: The article has been updated with a few big corrections and my now more positive take on corset training. I receive about fifty requests a month for workout plans and advice and I apologize for not being able to respond to all of them but I'm getting caught up and establishing a place where I can take donations for my time via the launching of super amanda.com and super amanda.co.uk. The websites will have a section each dedicated solely to my Hourglass fitness programme/education, pre- and post natal waist sculpting secrets and how you can help me get the first " Hourglass Conditioning" and "Hourglass Pilates" Dvds made. If you've posted questions in the past few weeks, I've answered now them. I've also been working with clients who want a bigger (not just toned) but bigger booty and I'm really on to something! I have a average/medium size butt in proportion to my body myself and I've figured out how some new ways to keep the legs leaner without losing your butt and how you can gain size and shape so a new essay is in the works.
Thanks so much and keep checking back. Let's get and keep the bodies we want and make all the effort pay off without buying into impossible media standards and masculine "one size fits all" forms of exercise.
My original and work all of it authored solely by me.
The most googled text article on the Hourglass Figure four years running.
I've updated and added over 1000 words regarding different body types who want to look more hourglassy and answers to fitness questions heretofore unavailable anywhere. I have been getting hundreds of emails and this is here to address many of the questions women and girls around the world have been asking me. These are only guidelines as a woman who is larger framed should follow a different workout than a woman of the the same height who is smaller boned and a physique who tends towards muscular legs should follow different regimen then a physique who's legs tend to be weak and so on and so forth.
A SMALL WAIST EQUALS HEALTH
Huge volumes of research and simple common sense says that getting and keeping weight off of your waist and not having a larger stomach, especially after having children and especially over 30. Teens will also want to avoid what I call "Perma-Muffin." A small waist is the key to better health not simply an aesthetically pleasing dividend.
NO ONE BODY TYPE IS BETTER THAN ANOTHER
So in the spirit of embracing ALL body types, I've renamed the four standard physiques with much nicer names:
Pear= Guitar
Top Heavy= Rocket
Rectangle or Ruler= Column
Apple=Diamond
I repeat, no ONE body type is better than another so it should not be just the Hourglass that has the pretty title.
All feedback appreciated and all my best,
Super Amanda
How do you get an hourglass figure?
Determining your figure's symmetry
To get an hourglass figure you ideally should already be starting with a hip to ratio where your waist is over ten inches smaller than your waist and bust measurements or close to that number. To determine if you have an hourglass figure, you should measure your waist at it's smallest point which is above the belly button and below the ribs, measure your hips at their fullest (right across the rear, just above the pubic bone, not at the hip bones). Take your bust measurement braless or in your favourite unpadded bra and at the fullest point across your bust-line. Classic hourglass figure indicators are proportionally small ribcages and a tendency to gain weight in the hips, thighs. bust and upper arms not the waist.
For example, a 36 inch bust, a 24inch waist, and 36 inch hips= 36-24-36
38 inch bust, a 28inch waist, and 38 inch hips= 38-28-38
41 inch bust, a 29inch waist, and 41 inch hips= 41-29-41
32 inch bust, a 23inch waist, and 32 inch hips= 32-23-32
If your measurements fall into a slightly smaller bust and slightly bigger hips or a bust (eg: 39-30-40, 34-26-36 or 42-28-38 that is one to four inches bigger than your hips, then you are still an hourglass and can sculpt and almost perfectly symmetrical figure if you so desire with consistency and the correct clothing, nutrition and exercises.
If you are Rocket, Column, Guitar or Diamond Shaped
To create a true hourglass figure you do need a bust measurements that is also visually and statistically bigger than your waist measurement however if you have a small waist and big hips you can balance out a smaller bust with clever clothing choices and give the impression of an hourglass figure much more so than someone with a big bust and narrow boyish hips. Beyonce Knowles, Jennifer Lopez and pin up legend Bettie Page are three examples of smaller busted, guitar shaped women who have given the impression of having symmetrical hourglass figure by accentuating their impressive hip to waist ratios and wearing padded and/or bust enhancing clothing. In fact those three aforementioned women, especially Bettie Page and her awesome wide hips define hourglass to many. One cannot be an hourglass nor create the impression of one without a small waist and markedly bigger hips. Larger breast sizes are not limited to only rockets or hourglasses. In turn, Hourglass figures can often be smaller chested.
PATIENCE
If you have a full busted with narrow hips (Rocket), have a rectangular body (Column) or a diamond shaped body with most of your weight around the middle and you want more of an hourglass you CAN , through much patience and getting out of low rise clothing, get a smaller waist. It requires time, fitness knowledge and a willingness put in long term effort. Rockets, Diamonds and Column should avoid the washboard abs style work outs because they will create a toned version of width at the midsection NOT reduce the width of the waist itself.
Keeping your boobs
I am asked often by women who write me how to lose weight without losing their boobs. I've found as a trainer and with my own figure, the slower the work you do on yourself and the more focus on sculpting the LOWER body the more you stay buxom even if like the majority of hourglasses, your boobs can tend to get smaller with weight loss. The current obsession with women training their upper body for "big guns" should be avoided by hourglass figures. Train your upper body for definition and tone just don't over do it or make it more 20% of your training focus.
There are no short cuts to getting or perfecting an hourglass figure. A plastic surgeon cannot create one and neither can crash dieting. Those who are guitar shaped or hourglass and who find extra weight on their hips, thighs and arms have to give themselves months, not weeks or days to get toned. When hourglass figures crash diet or get into extreme exercise they can burn through their boobs as well.
FITNESS AND EXERCISES FOR AN HOURGLASS FIGURE
AND A SCULPTED WAIST TO HIP RATIO
Pilates and core work myths
All those who want an hourglass figures or who are maintaining them, should ideally avoid more than an hour or two of Pilates weekly. If you want a tiny waist and a great waist to hip ratio pilates has to be approached carefully as 90% of the exercises, on or off the apparatus, are working the FRONT of the abdominal muscles and building them up into a six pack which widens the waist visually and physiologically.
Understandably most Pilates aficionados will vehemently deny this. Many claim that "extra fat" and "genetics" will cause a square torso, not core work. If you are seeking a more hourglass figure through Pilates, you should ideally look and see if your teacher has a noticeable hip to waist and/or an hourglass figure themselves and then judge the veracity of their opinions before investing money in private training or dvds. Pilates is a huge investment in time and money if you want to master the system properly and you should get exactly what you want out of it.
"Too much core equals an apple!"
The Wunda Chair, box work on the reformer (eg:climb a tree & the Hundred) and the Barrel especially can create a "hyper-trophyed" abs look and even encourage you to store excess weight disproportionally above the hips if you decide to scale back or stop training.
Even mat work moves like "side plank with twist" and "side kicks" that may seem as if they will sculpt the waist can cause the muscles to build as the amount of effort the obliques have to do to stabilize the body is so powerful . This is true with countless of the classic Pilates exercises. Moreover, the majority of pilates is also taught incorrectly by teachers who have partaken in quicky weekend "certification courses" so proceed with caution if you study pilates and request that your trainer give you FLEXION work to keep your waist sculpted. Another Pilates myth is that it can give you a "dancer's body." In actuality only DANCING can yield the results of dancers body.
The truth about Pilates
I have trained extensively in Pilates and hold a mat certification from the most reputable certifying institutions in the world. I have also invested over 20K into Pilates, Gyrtonics and personal training with strength and cardio, training extensively with four master instructors. I can say with authority that pilates will sculpt and strength you arms feet, ankles, calves and thighs in ways that no other system will. Especially once you learn to use the Cadillac and the reformer, you can change the shape and definition of your legs from toes to hip. Hourglass and Guitar figures can tend to have very wide hips and full thighs, ankles and calves. Pilates leg work on the apparatus and work with therabands, can radically and permanently re-sculpt this area for women who have not found results with weights and cardio.
Sadly and perhaps ironically, I truly believe Pilates main downside is the much ballyhooed core and abdominal work. The fact that it was invented by a man who's own body was his template and who had a clear preference for a built up trunk does not bode well for women who want smaller mid sections. Also Joseph Pilates demanded that the method be practised THREE times a week (not five times) with small amounts of reps, for 30 hours and then the client's body was reassessed. Many of these clients were professional dancers with very low body fat to start out with.
Fast forward to 2012 and much of what Pilates taught has been reinvented, made up, changed or (more uncommonly) passed down as carefully as possible. In any incarnation his core work squares off a woman's waist something fierce when done often. That's why it has become so popular, as you see results in days not weeks. I only did Pilates core work for about a half an hour to 45 mins a week and only after having a baby. I avoided side kicks, side stretch, and all planks (yes, no planks!) Now happy with the results, I've dropped it entirely unless I'm teaching. I do the footwork and leg work on the reformer almost daily. Once again, Pilates represents superiority for leg sculpting incarnate, I just never combine it with core work.
Gyrtonics is superior
Gyrotonic Expansion, also created by a man (Dancer and Yogi Julio Hovgrath) is a far superior regimen as it work on continually accessing the oblique muscles which you need to keep toned for a small waist whereas Pilates hits the Rectus Abdominus and Transverse Abdominus which are the front and deeper ab muscles, in virtually EVERY exercise. When the latter two muscles are built up, the waist becomes bigger even if you are very trim. Both methods, when taught properly have the client pull up the pelvic floor which is crucial to a woa keeping her body together regardless of what results she wants for her tummy.
Gyrtonics has a much more stringent teaching code as well, partially because Julio, the creator of the method is still alive to keep an eye on it. While it too can get as pricey as Pilates, the mat work known as Gyrokenesis is available on vhs or dvd for a low price and no equipment apart from a chair or stool is required. Gyrokenesis is a powerful form of spiral, waist sculpting yoga that all levels can do.
Rating you Pilates instructor
If you search Google images you will note that many well known Pilates instructors and core based fitness advocates (eg: Mari Winsor, Zazunna Light, Jackie Warner and Joesph Pilates himself) have slight to almost no hip to waist ratios because their abs are so built up. Women's waists were much smaller until the Core strengthening revolution which gave way to a six pack abs/narrow hips look which is now considered the most preferable by the media and fitness professionals. Neither fitness philosophy is "bad" but if one does want a tiny waist and big hips then core fitness can't be overdone.
Some Core fitness is fine but it has now been over incorporated into too many types of fitness systems that waist sculpting is being overlooked. Tracy Anderson, Madonna's former personal trainer and of a very similar body type, is so built up through the waist muscles that they actually extend out farther than her hip lines and she sports an Iliac crest similar to a man's. Once again, this is not "bad" but training in that capacity will square you off.
C sections, pregnancies and hourglass figures
If you have had a caesarean however pilates is one of the best regimens to encourage your muscles to heal in the first crucial nine months after delivery because it is so powerful. Once Pilates assists in knitting the muscles of your midsection back together, you can continue to slim it down with consistency, patience and exercise systems that are NOT (or at least less) core fitness based. Sophia Loren, mother of two who had two caesarean pregnancies, still has a small waist at 76 years old and she primarily does old school waist twists and race walking.
Ideal fitness systems and sports for an hourglass figure
For an hourglass fitness regimen, the majority of midsection sport specific work should focus on twisting at the waist and if possible lateral motion. Here are the best fitness choices for a smaller waist and mid section in no particular order.
1.Gyrotonic expansion apparatus and Gyrokenesis mat work
2. Bikram, Iyengar and Kundalini yoga
3. Ballet
4. Cycling
5. Hill walking or flats
6. Treadmill on an incline or flat
7. Walking/ Running intervals on flat terain
8. Slide board
9. NIA
10. Aerobic, world/jazz/modern dance/Zumba/hip hop dance
11. Tennis
12. ice, inline and roller skating
13. pelvic floor work
14. The FIRM dvd collection
15. Calanetics (OMIT both Hips and Behind & the Pelvic tip up aka Legs #1 moves
16. Fencing
17. Baseball/softball
18. Soccer
19.*Strength Training (see below)
20. Horseback riding
21. Hula hoop
22. Belly dance
23. Climbing and descending real stairs
24. Ball room Dancing
Limit but don't avoid:
1. Swimming
2. Cardio machines other than the Treadmill
3. Step Aerobics (the lower the box the more you build the front of the thighs and abs. Higher box and lower reps optimal or going over and across the box laterally)
4. Pilates on the apparatus
5. Lunges
6. Power Lifting
7. Shadow boxing
Completely avoid:
1. Astanga Vinyasa flow Yoga (down dog/up dog plank series)
2. Kick boxing bag classes
3. Boot camp classes
4. Heavy abdominal training
5. Pilates Mat Work
6. Planks
7. Wackie Warner Method
8. The Spacey Anderson Method (reduces the hips and legs by building the waist and shrinking the glutes)
These regimens also square off the entire torso and you should never do these fitness programs religiously if you want an hourglass shape. These regimens sculpt men nicely but not women who want hourglass curves. If you want washboard abs then by all means do them as they are very effective at squaring off the waist.
Weight lifting is crucial to a small waist...really.
As for strength training, this is crucial for all women who want to maintain bone density, muscle mass, low body fat and stamina regardless of what body type they want. 2 to 5 hours a week depending on how much weight one wants to drop, broken up ideally into 4 sessions a week is the average amount of time recommended by many trainers for women with excess body fat. Unlike Pilates where the abs are accessed in virtually every single exercise, strength training can isolate areas without using or building the abs and waist. Avoid side tick-tocks with weights, medicine ball crunches and most weighted abs machines. Limit but don't avoid ab rockers, Roman chair work and lower back machines.
Clothing: A CRUCIAL part of having a tiny waist
Clothing is a very crucial part of accentuating an hourglass figure. Finding vintage clothes from the waist conscious 1940's, 1950's, 1960's, 1970's , 1980's and early to mid 1990's can be very complimentary to an hourglass figure as are all skirts, pants and dresses that belt or hit at the real waist not at the hip. Those with an hourglass figure should also avoid low rise jeans with a long baby doll top or trapeze dresses with cap sleeves that give a long shapeless (and waist-less) silhouette and was created for very linear, thin women. Always nip in and/or belt at the waist with skirts and dresses.
Low rise jeans can give you "perma- muffin" so keep them high waisted
As for jeans, avoid ALL low rise jeans. You will not get a smaller waist if you wear ANYTHING low rise ESPECIALLY jeans. Very few high waisted jeans look good unless they are boot cut, flared, corset or sailor style, in a darker wash and have very long inseams NEVER tapered as high waisted skinny jeans will usually not flatter the backside and give the dreaded "mom jeans" effect. Throughout her career Sophia Loren has almost never worn jeans.
Hourglass figures should ideally be wearing medium-low rise (about 8 to 10) inches with a boot cut. The best jeans for an Hourglass figure are made by Bernie Dexter or vintage. Avoid any denim (even high rise) cut mid calf unless you are very tiny framed lean legged hourglass with perfect proportions like Bardot or Kelly Brook. A higher heel shoe (3 inches or higher) invariably compliments an hourglass figure because it tilts the backsides, compliments the hips and behind and gives one an 'hourglass walk."
Media Hype and Celebrity Body Lies regarding The Hourglass Figure "stats"
Celebrities known for their figures like like Diora Baird, Elizabeth Hurley, Mel B, The Pussycat Dolls, Cindy Crawford , Katy Perry, Eva Mendez, kate Upton and Nicola Mclean are not hourglasses as they have only very slight hip to waist ratios and are usually photo shopped, padded or promoted via PR as more "curvy" than they actually are. Ignore their PR machines and don't fooled or intimidated by the media when you read the hourglass stats of many famous woman as it's usually 100% fiction. Also ignore the media when they call women like Paris Hilton, Kate Hudson and Kate Moss "curvy" as this is also incorrect.
I cannot stress this enough: the "measurements" issued by PR people are almost always fake Look carefully at any famous star or model and you'll see that even if they have virtually no curves they still lie and claim a tiny waist and hips ten inches bigger.
Ultimate Hourglass Figures
Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, Nigella Lawson, Meg Myles, Diana Dors, Lisa Marie Smith, Raquel Welch, Gina Lollobrigida, Lynda Carter, Brigitte Bardot, Kim Kardashian, Jayne Mansfield, Salma Hayek, Jane Russell, a young Anita Ekberg and Elizabeth Taylor, Rita Hayworth, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Christina Hendricks, Uschi Digard, Kate Winslet, Helen Mirren, Betty Brosmer, Mamie VanDoren, Raven Delacroix, Jessica Simpson, June Wilkinson, Keeley Hazel, Kelly Brook, Somaya Reece and Scarlett Johansson are some examples of truly symmetrical hourglass figures. They range from fuller figures, to average sized, to tiny framed, to toned dancers, to short waisted to long torsos and also to very busty and voluptuous but all have hips and busts that are about ten inches or more larger than their waist lines.
Corset Training and shapewear for an hourglass figure
Many women find that once they cease the low rise jeans and low rise yoga pants and start wearing waist accentuating clothing that their waists pull in naturally without body modification like corset training. I have changed my view on corsets in the past few months after buying my first real corset and waist cincher (shorter version of corset). The corset I wear in all my videos is a mall bought version with plastic stays but now I've graduated to steelbone, European construction etc which looks magificent under vintage reproduction dresses. I still don't think corset training hours a day is realistic mainly because, as with wearing extreme shape wear, if you cut off your circulation it can lead to poor muscle tone, digestion and cellulite. One need only look at some of the nude portraits from the Victorian era to get an idea of what extreme corset training can do to muscle tone. I do think if one wants to wear a corset for back support and shape a few hours a day then they are a nice edition to their Hourglass or other fitness programme.
The above original work is subject to copyright and cannot be reprinted without permission from SuperAmandaProductions.
Copyright 2004,2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012.
Labels: answers com, Gyrotonics, hip to waist ratio, Hourglass figure, How to get an Hourglass Figure?, super amanda
posted by Amanda and SuperAmanda™ at
Sunday, June 03, 2012
73 Comments:
agreed Amanda.
There IS no one body type better than the other, otherwise we would all be "barbie dolls". Another stereotype thrust upon us as young girls.
We are what we are, not cookie cutters. The hourglass.
There is an awful lot of work involved in creating the "perfect" shape. My feeling is, work with what we have, right? I guess I would be the "rocket" figure.
Good posting, as always.
Good evnin ,London ! And here are da Swede jury´s votes for different female body types:
Guitar=YUM !
Rocket=YUM !
Column=YUM !
Diamond=YUM !
And dat concludes da votin of da Swede jury.
Would I still be considered an hourglass even tho I am so slim? My measurements were 34-22-36. Now they are 33-22-35. I lost 15 lbs many yrs ago by accident & cannot seem to gain it back.
@Grace: So true. Girls/woman have enough to deal with!
@Par: Swedes seem to know these things intrinsicly!
@DON: Absolutely! Sounds like you are really healthy.
Amanda,
I think your article is great. I don't think I fit your definition of an hourglass figure,43-37-43. But since I got into taking my measurements I've thought of myself as one cause my hips and chest are the same and my waist is smaller.
I've been wondering about exercises that would help trim my waist but not give me the "six pack". I'm a girl I don't find that look particularly feminine. I've been fallowing the workouts that my boyfriend does, problem with that being I don't want the same physique that he does.
After reading your article I feel better prepared/armed to hit the gym, or what classes to take to get the body I want.
Thank you!
Hello Amanda, my name is Jessica. I was curious if you could maybe help me draw up a work out schedule? I've scoured the internet and, while finding helpful tips, I really have been needing someone to step-by-step help me make a specific work out catered to my body. If you could help that would be so so appreciated! (and I'll post my body details etc later- no need posting them now, I don't want to just throw everything out there for no reason yet, you know?) But I understand you might be too busy for that sort of thing. Either way, thank you for your time and patience :)
~Jessica
you didnt right any of that except for those lame euphemisms
Are bicycle crunches an acceptable exercise to tone up an hourglass figure?
what do you think of ab exercises such as the "vacuum" and "elevators?"
Hi. I'm short and trying to lose weight but still keep my hourglass shape. I find that hula hooping gives me a good workout and is a lot of fun but I was wondering if its good for keeping my waist trim. Also, I'm so glad you said Gyrotonics is good because I do it and I love it. :)
Hi Amanda!
I love your article very much! This is a wonderful blog post! This blog has entirely changed my paradigm about hourglasses! Highly informative! I' ve always googled up to find out what is meant by an hourglass figure. This article has cleared all of my doubts! I am happy to note that I am a small busted hourglass figure :). Amanda, do you think Shakira also falls under the "smaller busted hourglass figure category"????
So does that mean i should avoid simple Situps and crunches too?..correct me if im wrong but the basic idea i get from your article is to lose the weight and fat off the waist by any means ( dancing , cycling,hiking etc) but not anything specific for the Core / Waist cause it just hyper-trophies it over time..
i always used to wonder..why fitness trainers are so wide..why not have slender tiny waists if they do this all time..
This is fantastic! But I was wondering if hula hoooping would trim one's waist or enlarge it...
In addition, there is a workout called the Brazilian Butt Lift, and I was wondering if it would be appropriate for the maintenance of an hourglass figure, as it focuses chiefly on the gluteus muscles...
Hi Super Amanda! I love your article very much!! Could you please tell me if this Indian actress has a hourglass body or a pear shaped body? She looks like a pear to me. What do you think? Please answer mine. Thank you very much!
http://www.ragalahari.com/actress/2830/cute-pics-of-tamanna-bhatia-tamil-telugu-actress.aspx
Hi, I have the measurements of 39 31 39 but according to body shape calculators I am a column, just wondering what your opinion on that was? I am short only 5"1 and therefore have a short torso making it harder to define my waist. Am I an hourglass? What work outs are best for a shortie who wants to reduce her waist?
Hello! I'm a 30C-22-32
Sometimes during my period my waist goes up to 25 inches though. I was wondering if you knew any natural ways to gain weight in the bust? I know Buffie the Body gained weight in her booty using a certain regimen, and I was hoping I could do something similar with my bust. I am a C, but I would love to go up a cup size or two without losing my tiny waist. Do you think eating a high calorie diet but working out my waist would work? I have a slight hourglass shape but I'd like a va-voom figure, naturally because currently I'm enhancing my figure using corsets and push up bras!
Anon 30C-22-32: I would need to see a photo and know your age but usually if you are a teen light/medium level bust exercises can increase size and change the position of your bust to higher (and therefore fuller looking) but once you are reaching 18 or so any alteration in this manner is not possible because your're done with most of the actual overall growing. Later growth spurts can occur though (I grew an entire inch of height and 2 cup sizes from 19 to 24) but apart from actual size naturally that's the only way I know of.
I simply cannot recommend the pill, herbs, weight gain etc despite the fact that they will increase bust size. Hormones and oestrogen are not things to play around with and not safe to toy with due to their connection with certain cancers. The pill is fine to take if you need it and it WILL make your bust bigger but only take it for birth control not bust enhancement.
I would be happy with what you have. Bettie Page was a very small B/C cup and means more to millions today than dozens of her contemporaries who had much larger busts. It's in the way that you use it and how you dress. If you decide to have children you experience a dramatic change as well if you breast feed.
Anon 39-31-39 I would need to see a photo to understand better but generally your best bet being shorter with a short waist is aiming to do a lot of strength based cardio and a waist sculpting dvd like Calanectics or Gyrokenisis. If you can afford to see if you can take some Gyrotonics classes on the machines. Bikram Yoga is also great.
So that would be dance (the more freestyle and random the better), tennis, lateral slide work, walking on varying terrain and/or hiking. Get out of ALL lowrise clothing ALL the time!
Sridevi: Hi, I can't tell if Tammana is an Hourglass but what a beauty!! I need to add some Bollywood actresses to the Ultima Hourglass Figure list when I have a chance!!
Vee: I would not recommend BB Lift because they do too many kick boxing style exercises. What a recommend for dvds are Calanetics , The Firm (for overall weight loss and /or cardio) and Gyrokeneis.
Doctor H: NO you should still do front ab work but only a third to half as much as you do oblique work. ALL athletes are going to get wider waisted even if they are slim. With that much exercise (sometimes up to 20-30 hours a week) and forward/linear motion it is almost impossible not to. I had the ONE trainer/pro-athlete with a tiny waist but it was genetics and not an example to follow because it is almost impossible to attain outside of genetics. My programme is not for athletes though they certainly can use some of my work to gain hyper mobility if they choose.
Anon: regarding hula Hooping: yes! I do thing it is great for the entire midsection!
Fitness and Paz: all ab exercises are fine as long as you are not in the PLANK position, Side plank, Down dog/up dog sequence. Make sure you are doing twice to two thirds more oblique work. You'll still be accessing your abs just not making them the central focus.
MIZWONDERLAND: Wrong. All the above is found nowhere else.
Yup, you are correct...You must definitely see all the bollywood beauties...and make a list separately created for them ;). By the way, I must say I really adore both your cute and lovely face and your superb and sexiest figure. I honestly wish I had your boobs..I've always been self conscious of my small chest.
I would like to know why you are insisting that "upward dog pose" (not down ward dog pose) in Ashtanga vinyasa yoga should completely be avoided for getting an hourglass figure. I was thinking if upward dog pose would help enlarge my boobs as it works mainly on chest, thereby improving my boobs.
Also, pls see this link: http://www.proliberty.com/pranayoga/ChandraNamaskar.html and tell me if this yoga exercise will make me look horglassy.
Amanda,
which The Firm workouts do you recommend?
thanks, in advance
@ebonyRose: All of The Classic Firm Workouts are ideal for fat burning and sculpting without bulk. :)
@Sridevi: Do NOT be envious of me! I'm fortunate in some ways but in others like shoe size I'm cursed. I'm tall and my feet are fairly big with a wide bridge and ankle so i can NEVER find shoes! Grass is ALWAYS greener ;)
The reason I'm not a fan of down dog/up dog/Vinyasa Flow is because it puts the body in a plank pose endlessly. A FEW planks are fine but doing the cobra, the Bow, the locust and The camel will tone the chest and open up that whole area without causing the abs to hyper trophy. The yoga I think works best for a tiny waist is:
Bikram
Iyengar (with minimal vinyasa flow)
Kundalini
Svaroopa
Gyrokenesis (THEE BEST!)
The Barkan method which has a small amount of Vinyasa flow combined with Bikram style poses is also good.
SO does that mean i am hourglas?? 38-27-38 YAY! marilyn monroe is my idol, an i would really like to have a defined waist like her. is there any way i could do something to emphasise it more? also does anyone know of star with simielar body measurements to me?
I'm a runner (i'm also a bellydancer) so I'm always told to do those exercises for the front abs. I'm trying to limit to 1-2 hours a week though. I'm also ruler shaped :( I'm at a loss so I was thinking of just undergoing a serious corset training program thinking that was my only hope. But now I'll try gyro tonics and gyrokinesis as well as continuing with dance. If that doesn't nip in my waist enough, I might start corseting.
hmmm
thanks for this article I keep referring to it.
One question: how much gyro tonic or gyrokinesis per week do you think should be done to see results? Also what do you think of the elliptical trainer for cardio?
Thank you in advance
what do you think the best way is for a ruler to achieve an hourglass shape?
can i do it with targeted exercise or do I need to corset train?
Amazingly informative article! :)
How about jump ropes? Should I avoid them or are they just fine?
Amazingly informative! I admire you.
How about jump ropes? Should I avoid them or are the just fine?
Hi Amanda. Are you familiar with the Essentrics/Classical Stretch TV and DVD program? If so, would you consider these good for an hourglass figure or not? Thanks. :) Marie
Amanda, you're amazing, so helpful, always an encouragement, and a fountain of insight. Thank you for your invaluable work! Two things: Doesn't the ravishing Madeleine Stowe get hourglass accolades? Fifty-something and she'll be elegantly hot for decades. Secondly...many of us will GLADLY pay money for your training, advice, and guidance in an ebook, video, etc. Heck, put a PayPal button on your page and I'll send you cash...only fair payment for your research and work. You're one of the few people on the Web whom I WISH were selling me something. Please?
Best to you in all your endeavors, and let's continue to celebrate really curvy women!
Hi I was wondering what do you mean by doing two thrids of front abs as to side abs or something like that. I'm kind of confused by what you mean. Can you give me some exercise examples so I can get an understanding of what youu mean?
Thanks!!!
Happy diamond jubilee!! I'm in the process of answering the most recent questions.
Miss Monroe: I will be covering specific exercises on my website due to launch very soon. Until then I'd follow the above list.
Hi Katherine: running and propelling yourself forward demands that you have some squaring off at the waist for balance and speed. Rather then quit running (which I'd never advise, it is a great way to stay fit if you are good at it) or start corset training I'd start looking at some 1930's and 40's/50's style wardrobe pieces which will create a small waist visually. As for a Gyro programme, it is pricer and it takes time to master the method before you can utilize cost effect classes like duos and triples (sharing the machines with one or two people). The Mat work of Gyrotonics (Gyrokensis) only requires a DVD and you'll see results almost immediately once you get the hang of it. Remember, wear NO LOW RISE CLOTHING. Nothing. Not yoga pants, skirts and especially jeans. Remember, in the 1950's and before you had many column shaped women who looked very shapely because they were in the right clothes.
Chunky Monkey, Jump rope as a cross training form of cardio for getting a smaller waist is great. I will have to add it to the list. Thanks for the reminder.
ANON: I love Madeline Stowe too!! Like Diane Lane, she's a great actress and insanely beautiful. I'm not able to classify her in any body type, she's just flawless. Thanks o much for your PayPal suggestion, I'm going to be set up for donations very shortly and will have many products to sell you when my website launches soon!
Akina: Not exactly sure what you mean, can you please copy and paste my advice so I can get a better of what you mean? THANKS!
There is now a payPal button on my links if anyone desires to make any donation. Simply click on the KRAS heading to get to the front page of the blog and THANKS!
Huh...I´m hip to yer waist ,Amanda .
What do you think of Jennifer Lawrence? In some photos she seems very shapely and like an hourglass but in other photos not as much. Either way I think she has a great body.
hi amanda love ur article..plz tell me if im an hourglass or not.im 36 27 39..i look a pear shaped..also tell me if i stop performing cobra pose and camel pose if i want to get hourglass figure.also suggest me any natural way to increase my bust size.:(im 34c at a height of 5'8..i ll b deadly grateful to u..
im 34c at a height of 5'8..im 36 27 39..what figure im i?please tell me.i find ur article so helpful:(
Hi Anon: about Jennifer Lawrence, not sure who she is, I'm sure she's in great shape if she's famous!
Anon#2, I'm unable to give you any advice without getting more information and asking you some extensive questions. I can answer dozens of your concerns and give you loads of advice, special guidelines etc if you want to become a formal client for a donation of 25.00. Hope that helps! Amanda
Hi, and thank you for this post. I'm 23 now and my metablosim is starting to slow down. I've always been about 100 pounds.
I want to start working out now to maintain the body I already have but I want my body to be feminine. No bulging muscles.
My friend recently gave me the workout dvd called "Insanity" or "Beach body.. something or other" It's the hot new thing now that the fame of P90x has died down.
Have you heard of Insanity? And if so would you recommend it for someone interested in having am hourglass figure.
Also, I see that you recommend Bikram Yoga and Gyrokenesis! I will definitely check those out!
Hi Amanada. I am an african American woman who is working toward the true hourglass or ultimate hour glass shape. I know it takes some tim ebut I was wanted to do a combo of callenetics, hul ahooping, belly daning, plyometrics, cardio x, and kenpo x. What are your veiws on p90x and do you think I could have an hourglass figure with 41-32-41 1/2 measurements?
Hi Amanda,
When you say limit swimming, how much do you recommend (say per month)? Will my waist size increase 2-4 sessions of about 45 minutes er month?
Thanks!
It seems strange: why are so many posters so anxious for confirmation that their measurements "qualify" them as hourglasses?? Or so relieved to realize they are hourglasses?? It's like they didn't particularly like their body before but now that it can be called an "hourglass", they're ecstatic. It's still the same body. Is it being able to say you have something in common with Monroe or Loren, even if you're 50 pounds overweight with a face like a potato?? Very strange. I'm an inverted triangle with a six pack and hips only 2 inches larger than my waist - but I don't want to claim anything in common with Swartzenager or Stallone ;)
Hi Amanda! What are some sports that can help tone my hourglass figure? Im 5'4, 150lbs. I've been eating cleaner and exercising HIT to lose excessive weight. I'm the endomorph body type, 38-28-38. I've lost 5 lbs so far! :) I love volleyball, would it help shred/tone or bulk me up in the wrong places? I'm trying not to lose my boobs.. But I know they will def. go down in size if I lose weight. I would love any suggestions/recommendations you have for me. Btw, your figure is absolutely stunning! :)
i was just wondering are there a ny celebrities about this size and can you send me a link to a pic if so thanks
37-30-36 (bust-waist-Hips)
Hi! I was on holiday. will get around to answering your questions shortly. Cheers!
@Pansy: Hi, yes at about 23 or 24 there is a bit of a change in weight distribution mainly because growing is ending. That's going to involve more of a nutritional change, zero alcohol and if you are on the pill checking out the dosage of oestrogen. You should not have to be attempting crazy, involved work outs like Insanity. You asked my opinion and honestly, I can't think of a worse workout for the hourglass figure than a masculine created, boot camp based, un-fun looking hardcore regime like that. Remember, this method is not about washboard abs and cut guns for arms, this is about firm and trim, with definition.
@anon:
"What are your veiws on p90x and do you think I could have an hourglass figure with 41-32-41 1/2 measurements?"
p90x is the heir apparent to the awful Peak10 which was a ten week programme that had women doing far too much cardio and not enough toning and elongation. I will at least give p90x props for being based around cross training and it's a big improvement over Insanity and most bootcamp workouts. I think as long as you OMIT the heavy core work 9all the core work actually), do loads of stretching afterwords along with daily waist/hourglass figure exercises then it's fine to do that 2 to 4 times a week.
As for your measurements, I'd have to work with you to get an idea.
"Hi Amanda,
When you say limit swimming, how much do you recommend (say per month)? Will my waist size increase 2-4 sessions of about 45 minutes er month?
Thanks!"
Hi Holly, no that's an optimal amount of time to swim monthly for all body types.
"Anonymous said...
It seems strange: why are so many posters so anxious for confirmation that their measurements "qualify" them as hourglasses??"
That's kind of a catty comment so I'm assuming you are a bloke who does not get out much? We are women, we have goals, we want to look a certain way...accept it.
Anon wrote:"Hi Amanda! What are some sports that can help tone my hourglass figure? Im 5'4, 150lbs. I've been eating cleaner and exercising HIT to lose excessive weight. I'm the endomorph body type, 38-28-38. I've lost 5 lbs so far! :) I love volleyball, would it help shred/tone or bulk me up in the wrong places? I'm trying not to lose my boobs.. But I know they will def. go down in size if I lose weight. I would love any suggestions/recommendations you have for me. Btw, your figure is absolutely stunning! :)"
Thank you so much! You are so kind. I'd need to work with you indepth as you have too many concerns to cover here. For a 25.00 donation I'm at your disposal for all your questions and you'll get access to my special waist sculpting exercises. thanks for stopping by.
"i was just wondering are there any celebrities about this size and can you send me a link to a pic if so thanks
37-30-36 (bust-waist-Hips)"
1. I can't send a link to anonymous!
2. I have no idea what your height, frame and bone size is. I'd check out the Ultimate Hourglass List.
Hi again Amanda, im the one who wrote this: "What are some sports that can help tone my hourglass figure? Im 5'4, 150lbs. I've been eating cleaner and exercising HIT to lose excessive weight. I'm the endomorph body type, 38-28-38. I've lost 5 lbs so far! :) I love volleyball, would it help shred/tone or bulk me up in the wrong places? I'm trying not to lose my boobs.. But I know they will def. go down in size if I lose weight. I would love any suggestions/recommendations you have for me. Btw, your figure is absolutely stunning! :)"
you said For a $25.00 donation your at my disposal for all questions i have and access to special waist sculpting exercises. Can you explain to me how to proceed with this process? Do i pay and then email you? How does this work? I'm interested :)
thank you!
Hi, yes, just go to the pay pal donation button above right and then I'll get your email automatically and contact you forthwith. send me your goals, fitness background, current programme and then you'll be asked to answer a personalized questionnaire, E-sign a standard fitness liability waiver and then have me at your disposal for all your hourglass fitness questions and concerns. As with any exercise programme you should consult your doctor before starting. Looking forward to working with you!
I workout at the gym but i seem to be having trouble with losing waist/stomach fat. Can you please tell me what machines/weights you would recommend using in order to slim my waistline & get a more toned body? and what you would avoid using.thank you!
Hello, I'm Elena! What do you think of stomach vacuums (the exercise! :D). I read it mainly hits the transverse abdominus, but is it a good alternative to regular crunches and a good waist exercise? Thank you in advance and keep up the great work!
Hi Super Amanda!
I just sent you a payment, do I wait for your confirmation email or should I send through an email with my goals?
Thanks!
Great article!
What do you recommend for those women who have hourglass measurements (ie 41-27-41) but are long legged/ short waisted. Do I have any options besides belted sweater dresses lol. Seriously, I find I have a hard time dressing my shape. If I go with a belted waist to emphasize my small waist, it also emphasizes how short my waist is. I have a small waist proportionately, but there is not that long nice flare to my hips that women with longer waists have. I especially need some good pants looks. Would appreciate any fashion advice you can give!
Hi Amanda,
I'm sorry I can't find your PayPal link. Could you please assist? I'm interested in talking to you about the best excercises for me. I started doing some Pop Physique exercises and they have flattened my butt! :( I need my round butt back otherwise I look incredibly top heavy from the side.
Thank you very much.
:)
Hi:
Go here
http://superamanda.blogspot.com/
or
Click on the header title "Amanda and SuperAmanda" and that will take you to my most recent posts and the front of the blog. To your right is a donation button if you scroll down. Thanks!
Hey do you think Tai Chi is a good exercise? And does it count as strength training? Thanks :)
Hey Amanda, How about 5 tibetan rites? Is it ok for getting an hourglass figure? Pls see the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJElLrpBetc
Thanks in advance! :)
Hi amanda, what you say about pilates is interesting. I have been doing it for around 8 years, and without fail my instructors are straight columns with little waist definition. Having said that though, I do two studio and one mat class a week, and am 37" 27" 39". Still quite hourglass. You can't ignore that the hourglass shape is predominantly genetic, and while you can certainly lose your waist through fat and muscle build up, you can't really create a narrow waist other than with corsetry. Add to that the fact that women's bodies are generationally becoming more androgynous, that is, losing waist definition, and women have never on the whole been as curvy as people think in general. A lot of the curvy impression has been created through fashions like corsets - look around at most women you know - not hourglass. Try and buy clothes in a normal shop - not designed for hourglass.
Tai Chai and all martial arts are great for waist sculpting. If you go for it with martial arts and train daily then you may square off somewhat as all athletes drop to very low body fat and tend to build the obliques. Martial Arts women have some of the smallest waists of all athletes though.
Hi Anon, I made it clear in the essay that a natural and slim hourglass like yourself will not be effected by a few hours of pilates a week-especially if they are training properly. What I'm addressing is women who want a more pulled in WTHR and hourglsses who are slimming down or who are bouncing back after having a baby-all should avoid ANY pilates core work and get OUT of all low rise clothing especially jeans.
While an hourglass may be genetic, a pulled in waist to hip ratio set off by toned shoulders for symmetry is not. Most women can attain a smaller waist and a balanced body if they desire and are will put in the time and patience. I also 100% disagree about a small waist can only be created with corestry.
Women's bodies are becoming more androgynous because of low rise clothing first and foremost then incorrect core training and too much a lower body fat/high muscle obsession which is unnecessary to be healthy and have a smaller. Too many woman have been duped into believing that unless they are athletes with wash board/six pack ripped abs and cut guns that they are not healthy when countless mid century photos of women of all shapes, bust lines and sizes shows overall smaller waists and an over all more aesthetically pleasing body (in my opinion) alongside average to even higher than today's average body fat percentages.
The one point where I do agree is that via Pin ups and movie stars from the Mid Century, people have the impression that all women in the 1950s were 38DD-24-38. The women celebrated for their hourglass figures in the 1950s were mostly dancers or women who were naturally and spectacularly endowed.
One SHOULD not wear modern clothing if they want a tiny waist. It is like reverse corset training to where low rise clothing.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home