Muscle Toning Exercises For Your Body Type

Building muscle is not as easy as most of us think it is. To stimulate muscle growth, it takes hard training and excessive muscle building exercises.

Related: 8 Muscle Building Tips for Beginners

Strength training is the key workout to tone up muscles. The stronger and harder muscles create a dense and solid look. Moreover, the more muscle mass you have, less would be the body fats.

Related: 5 Strength Building Exercises You Must Do

Have you ever thought about your particular body shape and size? Probably never! There are dozens of muscle toning exercises available out there. But how can you design a workout according to your body type?

The following toning tips will help you to make a fitness program as per your specific body shape. From apple to an hourglass shape, we have the best exercises to suit your body shape. Straight from the experts at Timed-Fitness London, a bespoke personal training and nutritional service, here are your muscle toning tips.

Muscle Toning Exercises For ‘Apple’ Shape

Pair up the low-impact cardio with waist and belly toning exercises.

Try to go for a hill walk at medium speed or a reclining gym bike. It will fix your cardio workout. Don’t make it intense and hard, keep the cardio workouts light on your body.

Go for some yoga-inspired smooth moves to tone your belly. Oblique curls and planks are the best exercises to tone mid-section.

Workout:

Torch fat and develop tight muscles all around the waistline.

1. Weighted Bird Dog: 3 Sets, 10 Reps
2. Rear Lounge Chop: 3 Sets, 20 Reps
3. Pulldown Extension: 3 Sets, 12 Reps
4. Pushup Climbers: 3 Sets, 10 Reps
5. Windmill Split Squat: 3 Sets, 12 Reps
6. Weighted Walk Up: : 3 Sets, 5 Reps

Muscle Toning Exercises For ‘Boyish’ Shape

Want to tone that lean physique? Go for weight exercises such as squats and leg presses with sandbags (link) and dumbbells.

Stick to medium weights but at least 10-12 reps. Break up the repetition by laying out a small cardio workout for your body.

Workout:

Burn calories and improve stamina and endurance.

1. Deadlift Overhead Press: 3 Sets, 12 Reps
2. 5 Lunges: 3 Sets, 10 Reps
3. V-Raise: 3 Sets, 12 Reps
4. Fencer’s Lunge Extension: 4 Sets, 8 Reps
5. Side-to-side Plank Pushups: 3 Sets, 10 Reps
6. Diagonal Lunge and Curl: 4 Sets, 8 Reps

Muscle Toning Exercises For ‘Hourglass’ Shape

If you have an Hourglass shape, focus on the high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts. These workouts have a positive effect on health and body shape.

The intensive 25-30 minute cardio sessions like indoor cycling classes are go-to for your body.

Workout:

This workout will flatten your belly and tone the entire core, butt, and thighs. Work out your muscles from top to bottom along with a twisting action to shape your waist.

1. Side Plank Lift: 3 Sets, 15 Reps
2. Plank with Hip Drop: 2 Sets, 15 Reps
3. Twisting V-Up: 3 Sets, 15 Reps
4. Side Plank with Leg Lift: 3 Sets, 30 Seconds Each Side
5. Plank with Leg Kick: 3 Sets, 15 Reps

Muscle Toning Exercises For ‘Pear’ Shape

Try walking lunges and single-leg squats if you have a pear-shaped body. Use light hand weights but keep on repeating the circuit, 15-20 reps.

For an upper body workout, try the indoor rowing. Rowing is an excellent cardio and resistance exercise to shape the body. Build bulky muscle and toned upper body.

Workout:

Tone and build the upper body muscles but slim the lower body.

1. Knee Lift and Bicep Curl: 15 Reps
2. Pushup with Leg Lift: 12 Reps
3. Donkey Kick: 5 Reps
4. Mountain Climber: 10 Reps
5. Jumping Jacks: 2-3 Sets, 10 Reps
6. Donkey Kick: 5 Reps

Choose a training regime that suits your body shape. You cannot change the shape of your body. However, you can tone it up and balance your curves.