How to Get Hourglass Body Shape with Workout? (With Pictures)

A few people have a natural hourglass body shape but it can also be achieved through workouts. In an hourglass body shape, the person has a smaller waist with curvy hips and larger busts. Therefore, you need to work on your whole body muscles to attain the perfect model-like body. Various exercises can help you with it. These exercises not only help you attain the required shape but also help your muscles become stronger and healthier. Let’s see what exercises can help you in achieving your dream body shape.

Arm and Shoulder Exercises

Dumbell Raises

Dumbell raises, or arm raises can help shape your shoulders and strengthen rear deltoid muscles. You can do two different types of raises which include Lateral arm raises and seated arm raises.

Steps for Lateral Arm Raises

Stand straight with your feet width apart from each other
Hold 2.3 kg dumbbells each in both your hands
With these dumbbells in the hand, raise your arms to the lateral sides such that it forms a T-shape
Then, lower them back so that the arms touch your sides
Do 3 cycles with 12 repetitions in each cycle to tone your muscles

Steps for Seated Arm Raises

Sit on the edge of a bench with your hip slightly bent while the spine needs to be straight
The feet lie flat on the ground and your chest needs to be almost parallel to the knees
Take two 2.3 kg dumbbells and hold them in your hands.
Then raise your arms to the sides
Lastly, lower the arms back such that they align with your shins
3 cycles with 12 repetitions in enough

Wall Presses

Wall presses can help tone your shoulders and the burst thus providing you with the curves necessary for achieving an hourglass body shape. These wall pushups work on the pectoral muscles.

Steps for Wall Presses:

Stand in a slightly leaning position against the with your face towards it
Keep the arms straight and place your hand on the wall with shoulder width apart
The shoulders and lower body also need to be straight
Now, slightly bend your elbows such that your upper body moves toward the wall
Then, push yourself back
2-3 sets of wall pushups with 15 pushups in each cycle can help you achieve the required results

Pushups

Pushups are a great way to activate the pectoral muscles. These muscles play a vital role in toning the shoulders and strengthening them without bulking up.

Steps for Pushups:

Get down on your hands and feet such that you are facing the ground
The hands should expand a little wider than the shoulders
Straighten your back and legs such that your whole body forms a straight line
Lower your body and bend the elbows at 90 degrees while keeping the legs and back straight
Push yourself back up so that the body comes back to the primary position
2-3 sets of 20 repetitions are good to go

Waist Exercises

Planks

Planks is a stability exercise that can help activate the inner core, reduce your waist size, and improve posture.

Steps to Perform Planks:

Lie down on the floor such that you are facing the ground
Straighten your feet in a vertical position
Push yourself off the ground until your arms straighten and you come in a push-up position
The distance between hands should be a little more than the shoulder width
Lock your neck by focusing on a single point on the floor
Stay in this position for 20-30 seconds
Release your body and then perform the plank again

Plie Squats

Plie squats mainly work on your leg-pulling and inner thigh muscles. Other than trimming down your waist, they strengthen the gluten muscles and give the buttocks a fuller look.

Steps to Perform Plie Squats

To perform plie squats, you need to be in a mid-air sitting position
Stand with your feet slightly more than shoulder-width apart
Your feet should point away from each other
Now start bending down in a sitting position until the knees align with the feet while the thighs are parallel to the ground
While doing so, hold your stomach in and keep your back straight
Stay in this position for a few seconds and then repeat

Bear Crawl

The bear crawl is a slightly intense exercise that includes all your muscles. It is suitable for intermediate to advanced workouts.

Steps to Perform Bear Crawl

Bend your body in a pushup position in a way that your hands align with the shoulders, straight back, tightened stomach, and feet vertically straight with the heels up
Start crawling by moving your right hand with the left foot. While doing so, the knees should not touch the ground
Advance with your right foot and left hand
Go 3 steps forward and then move back 3 steps in the same position
Do this for about 20 seconds and then rest for 10 seconds
Perform 3-4 sets at a time. Then, you can adjust the time according to your needs

Core Strengthening Exercises

Mason Twist

Mason twists work for your entire core extending from the front to back. This can help gain core strength while giving you the perfect hourglass body shape

Steps to Perform Mason Twists

Sit on the ground with your knees bent slightly
Hold an 8-10 pounds ball in your hands while keeping it slightly above the ground
Lift your feet off the ground and lean slightly back
Twist your upper body as far as you can towards the right and then do the same for the left side. The feet need to be in the air while performing these steps
You need to perform 5 cycles every time with 12 repetitions in one cycle

Bridges

The Bridges mainly focuses on the gluteus maximus, core muscles, and the hamstrings. Hamstrings are the posterior thigh muscles located between your knees and the hips.

Steps to Perform Bridges:

Lie straight on the floor such that your feet remain hip-width apart from each other
Raise your body above the ground. During this, the head and arms should be in contact with the ground
Keep raising your body slowly up until the knees, hip, and ribs align with each other (Your body comes in a diagnosis position)
Hold this position for 2 seconds and then release your body slowly
5 sets with 12 repetitions in each step are necessary for effective results

Upper Ab Crunches

Lastly, the upper ab pulse crunches can help in tightening and strengthening your core. The crunches mainly cover the abdominis and the oblique muscles.

Steps to Perform Upper Ab Crunches:

Lie on your back with your face towards the roof or the sky
The feet should touch the ground and need to be hip-width apart from each other
Bend your knees and keep your arms behind your head
Lift yourself off the ground such that when your chest and shoulders move, your arms also move with them
Come back to the previous position and then perform the upper ab crunch again
You need to perform 2-3 cycles of 15 repetitions such that your body moves slightly higher with each repetition

Hip and Thigh Exercises

Lateral Lunges

Working on your glutes and thighs is as important as working on the upper body muscles. Lateral lunges can prove effective for this purpose

Steps to Perform Lateral Lunges

Stand straight with 2-3 kg dumbell in each hand. The hands should be parallel to your side
Extend your left leg outwards as much as possible
Then lower your body slightly and bend the left knee to 90 degree
Come back to the primary position and do 10 repetitions for one side and then 10 for the other
When you are bending the knee, you also need to raise your arms above your head while bending the elbows
Do 2-3 sets for each side

Hip Thrust

Hip thrusts are useful for toning the glutes.

Steps to Perform Hip Thrust

Lie on a stable bench with your back touching the bench and feet in contact with the ground
Put some weight above your waist
Squeeze your glutes and then move your hip up from the bench such that your body is in a straight line from knees to the spine
Come back to the primary position and repeat it
You can hold the weight with your hands to prevent it from falling
Perform 5 sets with 8-12 repetitions in each step

Conclusion

We all dream of having the ideal hourglass body shape. But, if you do not have it naturally, you can achieve it through a little hard work. For this purpose, your main focus should be on the bust, hips, and waist.

Other than exercise, some changes in your diet can also help. You can plan your meals and decide to work on the hips, waist, and upper body on alternative days. Just be consistent with your plan and nothing will be impossible for you!