Advice for getting some curves..?

[Dreamergirl3]

I'm a slim, small person naturally (5'1", normally 105ish but now 97lbs). I went through a stressful time and dropped a lot of weight for my size...it's been months but I'm still on the road to getting back to a healthy normal weight. I'll hopefully be reaching my goal soon, but after that I would like to start working out.

My question is, what are some good exercises for women who want a curvier look?

My upper body is fine by me, it's my lower half that's my concern. In proportion to the top, I'm very skinny-slim on the hips, butt and legs. Not to mention, I'm very weak in those areas. Anyone see this past cycle of ANTM? Remember the girls being taught 'sexy moves' by Tyra?
ex:YouTube - ANTM Cycle9 Episode8 Part1
fast foward to 8:10, and I'm pretty much as weak as Lisa down there and I hate it.

I'd love it if I could achieve a curvier bottom section. My butt is cute when I'm a normal weight so I think I will have a decent foundation to build upon, lol...ideally, I'd like my butt/hips/thighs to be bigger, defined calves and a sexier lower back. Are my aspirations impossible, or are there exercises that would help?

The closest thing I can relate my body type and goals to are Jessica Simpson (minus the big breastesses) before/during shooting Dukes of Hazzard. Before her legs and rear were not nearly as curvy, whereas in the film and now they are way more defined.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! I also did a search and came up with a great article posted by Shimmer on T-Nation so will try some of those moves minus the delts. ANY extra help or info would be greatly appreciated!

ps. I'm currently doing yoga to get limber and prepare myself to exercise more intensely, as I've been pretty sedentary for the past year and am very tightly wound, is that a good idea?

 

[lilMAClady]

I'd say to go to the gym and go to the weight room. Also use the little dumbbells and things. I do a zillion excercises for my legs/calves and butt that work wonders. I'm 5'2 and curves aren't what I'm working toward but I'm getting all the things you want

I'll send you a private msg since its kinda lengthy.

 

[Shimmer]

Lunges.
Weighted lunges.
Good mornings.
Squats.
Sissy Squats.

Rinse, lather, repeat.

 

[lilMAClady]

What are good mornings?

 

[Shimmer]

Good Mornings.
You can also do them holding two dumbbells in front of your thighs and leaning forward in the same motion.

 

[lainz]

as weird as this may sound...you can go on birth control to get some meat in those areas, then work out to make them firm.......

 

[*KT*]

Not everyone gains with the Pill... and not likely the kind of weight she's looking to gain anyway. I've been on it for 11 years and literally weighed +/- 3 pounds away from my starting weight for 7 years straight. I've had more issues the last few years, but that's more to do with change in lifestyle and aging (ie taking a desk job where I sit for 40+ hours a week and my metabolism taking a swan dive). Now I have to work out or pay the consequenses of eating the food I love to cook.

Either way, there's no turning fat into muscle. You burn fat and build muscle with exercise.

 

[lainz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by *KT* Not everyone gains with the Pill... and not likely the kind of weight she's looking to gain anyway. I've been on it for 11 years and literally weighed +/- 3 pounds away from my starting weight for 7 years straight. I've had more issues the last few years, but that's more to do with change in lifestyle and aging (ie taking a desk job where I sit for 40+ hours a week and my metabolism taking a swan dive). Now I have to work out or pay the consequenses of eating the food I love to cook. Either way, there's no turning fat into muscle. You burn fat and build muscle with exercise.

i suggested the pill based on my own experience from it. i barely weight 100lbs before i went on it, and gained about 15lbs. she mentioned she would like her lower half to be bigger, which is what happened to me. i realize everyone is different, also that fat doesnt turn into muscle, but again in my experience, my body is finally the way i want it. i am curvier than i have ever been, and i owe a lot of it to the pill and yoga.

 

[yur_babeydoll]

The pill does help in those areas, but I wouldn't recommend anyone going on it. It's a lot less safe then we're led to believe. It has a lot of negative side effects like:depression, dry skin, severe mood swings, hair loss, fatigue, headaches, heart attacks, high blood pressure, stroke, rosacea, lupuslike symptoms, deep vein blood clots, pulmonary embolism (blood clot to the lungs), yeast infections, loss of sex drive, high blood sugars, etc). Birth control pills are also not hormones; they are drugs that disrupt a woman's sex hormone balance. I was on it for years and was depressed, bad mood swings, tired, had headaches all the time, was losing lots of hair, and was getting a ton of yeast infections. I stopped it a few months ago and have found those problems all going away.

Anyways lol, on to good exercises for adding curves.

Of course as you probably know curves are mostly genetic so you'll never be as curvy as some girls, but there are some things you can do to enhance what you have.

1st) If your doing a lot of oblique exercises stop. Oblique exercises will tend to make your stomach more "thick". A great example would be Brittany Spears when she was in her peak. The more she began exercising the thicker her middle became...sorry I wish I had pics to explain. So as far as ab workouts go, work on your obliques minimally. I personally work my abs 3 times a week and each time I only do 1 exercise for my obliques (bicycle crunches), then I do about 3-4 more exercises that are for my upper and lower abs.

2st) You really want to be working mainly your glutes, hamstrings, and quads.

Some great exercises are...

Hamstrings:
Romanian Deadlift
Any type of lunge (weighted or not)
Lying Leg Curls (again if you have access to a gym)

Quads:
Any type of squat (weighted or not)
Sumo Squats (work your butt more then more other squats)
Leg Extensions (if you have access to a gym)

Glutes:
Glute Kickback
Butt Lift/Bridge
Hydrant Kicks (On your hand and knees lift one leg out to the side sort of like what a dog does to pee lol and then kick your leg outward slowly so that your leg makes a straight horizontal line)

*If you don't know what some of them are they can all easily be found on a google search or you can PM me.

3rd) Work calves minimally.

4th) You say your upper body is pretty good, but if you do choose to work your upper body really focus on upper back, shoulder, and chest exercises. Those will be the most helpful upper body for your goals and getting more of an hourglass shape.

Hope this helps! And if you have any other questions feel free to PM me.

 

[Dreamergirl3]

@yur_babeydoll: cool, I think we might have got our information from the same site (testosterone nation)

they use the same britney spears example, and rec'd the same exercises...they also recommended doing some upper body workouts to become broader, therefore making your waist appear smaller and like you said, obtaining the hourglass shape. I'm not doing my upper body because my shoulders are already a bit wide and (though I am exaggerating) give me a 'Y' shape. thanks for the advice!

 

[purrtykitty]

If you like cardio, the elliptical machine is great on that lower area. It works your bum out really well!

 

[yur_babeydoll]

I love the elliptical myself. Definitely my favorite cardio, other than boxing. And, you can get cheap machines if you get the ones that are basic. There still great...I like my really basic machine. I tried the fancy ones at a gym I went to and was not impressed.

 

[Honey B. Fly]

ive read glute kickbacks are the #1 butt builder, and thats straight from some big booty video models website lol so shes probaly right haha

 

[kimmy]

i have a friend with a magnificent backside, he says he achieved it through sprints. i took that into consideration and worked them into my workout, they do definately help.