The trend ofhaving aslim and fit body led tothe creation ofdozens ofmyths about diets and workout. Nowadays, personal trainers use their knowledge ofphysiology and the human anatomy todistinguish the best types ofworkouts for men and for women. The exercises that help men look terrific can actually have acompletely opposite effect onwomen soit’s important toknow which exercises are good for your body type.
Bright Side put together a“blacklist” ofexercises that women should avoid ifthey want toget abeautiful body.
1. Exercises that enlarge the side abs
Side abs are connected tothe lower ribs and godown tothe pubic bone. They create the shape ofour body. When working this group ofmuscles, you make them grow which means that you can forget about having athinner waist.
Here are 3exercises that are not recommended for women:
Bends with dumbbells
Lena Boone, abodybuilder and anNPC Sunshine Classic winner, says that one ofthe most frequent mistakes women make iswhen they dodifferent bends inthe hopes ofgetting athinner waist. She calls it“abs abuse.” When bending from side toside with dumbbells, you make your side abs grow. Try toavoid this exercise when working out.
Replace itwith the “vacuum” exercise.
Suck inyour stomach asmuch asyou can. Hold this pose for afew seconds and then relax. Inthe beginning, itwill bequite hard todothis exercise but when you learn todoitcorrectly and start doing itregularly, you will notice the results shortly.
Side extensions
Anextension isanexercise where you bend your body onaspecial sloped bench. When doing this exercise, you cause your side abs togrow and your waistline will only get bigger.
Replace itwith the plank.
The best alternative toget aflat tummy isthe plank. This isavery simple exercise that you can easily doatthe gym and athome. Stretch your body above the floor standing onyour elbows and toes and hold itfor aminute.
Squats with heavy weights
Apopular channel offitness for women, Workout, claims that when you dosquats with heavy weights, you tone not only your glutes but also your abs and spine muscles which inevitably leads tothe growth ofyour muscle mass around your waist.
Replace itwith straight crunches.
Tokeep your body toned, dostraight crunches. When lying onthe floor, raise your upper body upslowly. Repeat afew times until you feel your muscles “burn.”
2. Exercises that enlarge the neck and shoulders
The trapezius muscle isaflat, wide muscle that islocated inthe back ofyour neck and the upper part ofyour back. When working this group ofmuscles, you risk losing your thin neck and gaining awide back. Somaybe you should avoid exercises that can enlarge the delicate female shoulders and hide the neck.
Here are 3exercises that experts recommend you exclude from your workout routine:
Shrugs with dumbbells orabarbell
Ashrug isanexercise where you raise your shoulders with weights. This exercise iscalled isolated because anathlete can enlarge the trapezius muscle without involving other muscles. Itsounds nice, but becareful since wide shoulders look good onmen, not onwomen.
Replace itwith wide push-ups.
It’s worth focusing onexercises that can accentuate your femininity. Wide push-ups, for example, are excellent for your pectoral muscles.
Tugging barbells ordumbbells tothe chin
These types ofexercises enlarge your trapezius muscle.
Replace itwith arm lifts with dumbbells.
Itisbetter todoarm lifts with dumbbells totone your arm muscles. Choose weights that are comfortable for you, press your arms toyour body, and lift them slowly toyour shoulders.
Lifting dumbbells and barbells infront ofyou
When doing this exercise, follow this simple principle: don’t raise the weights higher than the level ofyour shoulders. The wrong positioning ofyour arms will inevitably involve the trapezius muscle.
Replace itwith arms bends.
Acommon problem area for many women isthe inner part ofthe arms called the tricep. Place your arms behind your head, put the palm ofone arm tothe elbow ofthe other and bend itslowly.
3. Exercises that make your legs bigger
The body curves similar tothose ofKim Kardashian changed the standards offemale beauty. Rounded glutes became trendy. This led tothe rising popularity ofmany different types ofsquats and exercises with weights inthe hopes that our muscles would grow bigger.
However, you should remember that there are noisolated exercises for glutes. When working out the lower part ofyour body, your legs are also involved, especially your quads.
Quads consist of4muscles. This isavery strong group ofmuscles which isinclined toward rapid growth insize.
Ifyou want tohave slim legs, you should exclude the following exercises:
Squats with heavy weights
Wementioned above that squats with heavy weights can ruin your waist. But it’s not only about your waist— it’s also about your legs. First, intensive exercises can make your hips look less feminine and bulky. Second, heavy weights can ruin not only your figure, but can also doharm toyour knees and lower back, aswell.
Replace them with squats without weights.
Dosquats without weights orwith small weights. Make sure that your feet are placed inthe right position. Your knees should not gobeyond your toes toinvolve your glutes inthe workout.
Unbending legs onthe exercise machine
There are dozens ofways how todothis exercise. However, itwon’t help you slim your hips. The muscles ofyour legs will just get bigger.
Replace itwith lunges.
Lunges are agreat exercise for your lower body. Follow this technique: take ashort, but deep step forward.
Pulling legs together onthe exercise machine
Another common problem area for women isthe inner thigh area. Toget rid offat onthe inner thighs, women often pull their legs together onthe exercise machine. Jamie Eason Middleton believes that this unnatural position ofthe body involves not only targeted muscles but also the joints that support them. Itmay not bring the expected results and can also beharmful.
Replace itwith side lunges.
Side lunges are agreat alternative asthey’ll help you tone your adductor muscles.
Please note: This article was updated in April 2022 to correct source material and factual inaccuracies.