feminine body type

[kariev34]

Ok, I don't really know how to put this in words. First, I think Cathe and other fitness instructors who have athletic bodies are beautiful! I appreciate their hard work and dedication. At one point in time, I strived for this look and accomplished it. But as I have gotten older, I no longer strive for this "athletic" look. I like the softer more feminine look(not sure feminine is the word as many athletic fitness models/instructors are feminine) but I still want to have some "tone" again, i know not the best word Think Keri Underwood, Jennifer Aniston, Holly Madison, etc. I think these women look healthy and beautiful. I'm so confused on what types of workouts to do to achieve this look. I know genetics play some part in this. I'm trying to figure out what goal i want to achieve for my body.

[glamgal]

I would say barre, yoga, Tracy Anderson, pilates...Those might be what you are looking for. However, you would need to decide which one(s) are most appealing to you. Maybe look for clips on YouTube and follow along to give you an idea if any of those routines seem like you would enjoy doing them.

ETA: Also look into the Cindy Crawford workouts. Her first one, Shape Your Body, is a good one to start with.

[susan p]

I'm not sure you can really "create" a body type. . . You can make the body type you have as fit as possible, but a curvy girl will never be a hipless wonder like Cathe, and a thin ecto type will never be all that curvy. I guess I will be reading this thread to see if maybe I am wrong. I just know that I have never found a way to change my basic body shape.

(of course, I have to admit, I have never tried that hard.)

[PeakFitness]

barre, yoga, or even light weights, so the muscles are not as developed/large as Cathe's. Something like Ellen Barrett maybe?

[marmalade]

How about "a body with less muscle mass and a higher percentage of body fat than instructors like Cathe typically have."

I think that's a pretty objective, straightforward way to put it. That way you don't apply value-laden terms like "feminine" or "athletic" to any body or person -- it's very clear you'd rather avoid doing that.

Talking about it objective, specific terms of the amount of muscle tissue and the percentage of body fat will probably also help you think more clearly about how any given program or type of exercise will affect you.

For instance,"tone" is nothing more than having at least a little muscle (probably not much if "tone" makes you picture starlets), combined with low enough body fat % so that your subcutaneous fat layer doesn't hide that muscle.

It's not so magical or tied to any specific method if you that think of it that way.

[marmalade]

Originally Posted by susan p

a curvy girl will never be a hipless wonder like Cathe, and a thin ecto type will never be all that curvy.

Us ectos can be curvy too!

I'm thin, but with an unusually wide pelvis, I am plenty curvy. Men and women have always commented on how tiny my waist is and how curvy my hips are. And it's all due to my skeleton.

But yeah, you're right. The basic shape of your muscles, like your skeleton and body fat distribution, isn't going to change. You can have more or less body fat, but you can't choose where it goes. And you can make muscles bigger or smaller, but you can't change their shape.

[suegy3]

Check out the hundreds of Tracy Anderson threads that are currently active on the board now. Even Jennifer Lopez is now doing Tracy Anderson. Physique 57 are really good too.

There are tons of Tracy workouts in this link- you'll have to download them from youtube. Look for the link that reads All things Tracy

http://forum.videofitness.com/showth...ight=rebounder

Also check out Core Fusion workouts. I took classes at that gym (Exhale) and those women are in good shape! Very strong with nice muscle definition.

[brownie123]

More body fat, let muscle.
When I stop working out, I eat less, lose my muscles and look really skinny. So, maybe you should slow down your workouts and eat less. More cardio, less weights. FWIW

[macska]

I think if you want to achieve a look that you are not programmed genetically you are sentencing yourself for constant frustration. Every body type can be healthy, strong and aesthetic. Good thing that we all have different taste as well, some finds curvy, others find muscular to be nice looking.

[Loretta S.]

I just want to be able to get on & off the toilet, in & out of bed and chairs without help when I'm 85 and beyond (if I should be so lucky to get there). I'll take whatever body type gets me that.