6 Best Exercises to Get an Hourglass Body

The hourglass body is one of the most coveted shapes among celebrities, fashion magazines, and influencers. Women with this famous body shape, such as Marilyn Monroe, show cinched waists, shapely curves, and sculpted shoulders.

There are healthy ways to achieve an hourglass body that involves tweaking your diet along with incorporating exercises that are effective for your body. There are essentially three target areas for the hourglass body: upper body, waist, and hips. Doing exercises that target these three areas will help in attaining your dream body.

Here are the six best exercises that will effectively engage the hip muscles, waist, and upper body.

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Best and Effective Exercises for an Hourglass Body

1. Fire Hydrants

Fire hydrants will effectively tone your glutes and thighs, which will help you in achieving the hourglass body.

How should you do it?

Get on all fours with your knees just beneath your hips and your palms just beneath your shoulders. With squeezed core and glutes, raise one leg up and toward the side until it is at the same level as your hips while keeping your knees bent. Bring the said leg to the starting position before repeating and doing the desired number of reps. Swap legs and repeat.

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2. Face Pulls

Face pulls will effectively target your chest and shoulders, which will enable you to get an hourglass body.

How should you do it?

Clutch the handle of the cable machine with the overhand grip with the arms completely extended in front of you. Now slowly bring the handles toward you while keeping the upper arms in a parallel position to the floor. It will ensure that the handles of the cable machine will go to the sides of your face. With controlled movement, return back to the initial position before starting the repeat.

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3. Toe Touches

Toe touches tend to be a great exercise that will help you get an hourglass body by torching fat from your stomach region.

How should you do it?

Start by lying comfortably on the floor with your back upright and palms flat by your side. Now bend your knees and bring them toward your body before straightening them in the air with your feet angled toward the ceiling. Slowly raise both your arms while rolling your shoulders upward to touch your feet. Lower your hands and legs back down to the original position. Repeat.

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4. Push-Ups

Push-ups are great options to get an hourglass body as they effectively engage your muscles, including your chest, back, and shoulders. They also help in strengthening and toning the upper body.

How should you do it?

Assume a high plank position with shoulders just above the palms and your body creating a straight line. While maintaining core engagement, bring your chest toward the ground by bending your elbows without flaring them out. Now raise your body back upward until your arms are completely extended. Repeat.

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5. Dumbbell Side Bend

Dumbbell side bends are one of the great exercises that will help you get an hourglass body by cinching your waist along with targeting the obliques.

How should you do it?

Start by standing with a straight back and feet shoulder-width apart. Grab one dumbbell from your palm and place it on the side of your thigh with your palm angled inward. Slowly stretch your upper body toward the side with a straight back so that the dumbbell will be about in line with the knees. Bring your body back to the center position before stretching your upper body toward the other side. Repeat. You can also switch the dumbbell toward the other side and repeat the same body movements to avoid muscle imbalance.

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6. Hip Thrusts

Hip thrusts will help you get an hourglass body by effectively targeting your glutes, hip muscles, and butt. This will give a toned and taut look to your rear side.

How should you do it?

Start off in the sitting position on the floor with a bench just behind your back. Keep your knees bent with your feet pressed on the floor and a barbell positioned below your hips. Now lean your shoulders on the bench and push your hips upward to lift the bar. In this position, your knees should be angled at 90 degrees and your shoulders should be near the surface of the bench. Now lower your hips slowly with a controlled movement to return to the center position.

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Bottom Line

The aforementioned exercises will help you get closer to your dream hourglass body. However, it is recommended to pair these exercises with cardio moves to burn enough calories and eating a balanced diet.