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WOMEN’S FITNESS
Hate
Thighs? By Caroline Sandry
Wish you had a nice pair of legs, instead of pear
shaped legs? Unfortunately women are predisposed
to storing fat around the hips and thighs, giving the
classic ‘pear shape’ silhouette.
Some things just don’t seem fair!
While the men in your life may be able to
eat pies and remain snake – hipped, you
only have to sniff the pastry and your hips
get wider! This is because (very basically)
women are genetically programmed to lay
down fat in order to produce and care for
their young. Nowadays, thankfully, we have
a wide variety of readily available foods and
no danger of famine, so we no longer need
to keep those fat stores around our hips!
One of the main complaints I hear from
pear shaped clients is that they look out of
proportion, and many of you will have
already found that dieting alone is not a
solution, because more often than not, a
typical pear shape will lose fat from her
shoulders and upper body first,
accentuating the imbalance in proportions.
Pear shapes often have very delicate upper
bodies, with narrow shoulders, a small bust
and slender arms. The waist can be slim and
curvy, and a lot of pear shapes have great flat
abdominals. So, in order to balance out your
proportions, we need to use a balanced
approach, and tackle the body as a whole.
Step one - Cutting to the fat
Essentially we need to lose body fat and
tone up the lower body. In order to lose fat -
calories taken in must be lower than
calories burnt off, so diet is an important
part of your regime. However, I suggest you
focus on eating pure, wholegrain, quality
foods instead of counting calories. Cellulite
is often a real problem for pear shapes, and I
have seen amazing results from women
who have taken up a reasonably intense
training regime, coupled with a diet void of
artificial, processed junk food, and drinks as
well as sugar. Ready meals should be
avoided as they often contain high levels of
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your
Photography: Neil Francombe/Ultra-Fit Images
salt and fat and all soft drinks should be
replaced with water. It is important to
mention fats here, as many women aim for a
fat free diet, but this is not healthy – in fact I
recommend supplementing your diet with
fish oil or evening primrose oil, as these can
improve the quality of your skin which can
help to improve the appearance of cellulite.
To burn fat through exercise – forget about
the fabled ‘fat burning zone’. Many people
mistakenly believe that working out at a
lower intensity in the ‘fat burning zone’ will
maximize fat loss but actually the higher the
training intensity – the higher the fat burn
will be. Your body uses different energy
sources (ie – fat, protein or carbohydrate) as
In order to balance out your proportions,
we need to use a balanced approach, and
tackle the body as a whole
fuel during your workout, and it has been
shown that during moderate intensity
exercise, fat is the main fuel used which is
why many people train in this zone. However
it is the total calories burnt that will create a
fat loss in the body, and a 30 minute
moderate intensity training session will have
a lower total calorie burn than in an intense
(or interval) session of the same duration.
The amount of fat lost during an
exercise session is determined by
the total kcal expenditure and not
by the fuel source.
Running is probably the best and fastest way
to lose lower body fat, but if you are new to
exercise or have a lot of weight to lose then
start out with fast walking as running could
put too much stress on your joints. If you are
training in the gym, the treadmill or elliptical
machine are good choices. Once you have a
good base level of fitness, then start to
incorporate interval training and training at
higher intensities, but build up gradually.
Whether you run, walk, swim or cycle, focus
on good quality movements at an intensity
that will produce results. Sitting on the
exercise bike reading, or watching TV as you
amble along on the treadmill is a waste of
time. The more you put in to your exercise,
the more you will get out of it!
Aim to perform at least three
cardiovascular training session per
week, between 30 and 45 minutes.
Shaping your shape
As previously mentioned – your proportions
may well be out of balance, so I recommend
an all round resistance programme to build
some shape and definition to the shoulders
(wider shoulders will make the hips look
slimmer). For the upper body add tricep
dips, upright rows, bicep curls and press
ups (most of which can be found in the last
issue of Ultra fit) with a weight sufficiently
heavy enough to fatigue the muscle in
order to build lean muscle mass. For the
lower body - exercises such as lunges,
squats, plies and pilates leg exercises. I
have given you six great exercises
combining upper and lower body for
maximum shaping. These compound
exercises will lift and tone your bottom,
shape your thighs, build definition into the
upper body and increase lean muscle tissue
to boost your metabolism and burn fat.
Aim to perform these or similar exercises
three times a week, never on consecutive
days. You can combine your CV and
resistance training to save time.
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WOMEN’S FITNESS

The Walking Lunge

■ Stand up tall, feet hip width, keeping navel drawn in
■ Take a large step forward and bend knees until front thigh is parallel to the
floor and hold for 1 second
■ Raise your body up, lifting your back leg forwards to repeat the lunge with this leg
■ Continue lunging forward alternating legs.
■ Take 10 – 15 steps on each side and build up to two sets
Training tips – Keep abdominals engaged, and ensure front knee stays in line
with second toe of the front foot. Dumbbells can be hand held for added resistance.

Side Lunge with wood chop

■ Stand with feet shoulder width apart, holding a weight (medicine ball is ideal) in both
hands, up above your left shoulder, as if holding an axe in preparation to chop some wood
■ Step out to the right and bend your right leg into a half squat, as you simultaneously
swing your weight (axe) diagonally down past your right knee
■ Step back up to the start position and repeat in both directions
■ Perform 8 -12 on each leg

Training tips – Beginners start with no weight, and progress. Stop briefly at
beginning and end position rather than swinging back and forth. Keep abs tight
throughout and aim to bend the traveling knee to a right angle.

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WOMEN’S FITNESS

Plie Squat with lateral raise

■ Stand with feet wide, toes turned out, holding dumbbells by
your side, palms inwards
■ Tighten your buttocks and abdominals as you bend your
knees out to the side, whilst simultaneously lifting your arms
out to the sides up to shoulder height (pic 2)
■ Straighten legs back to start position as you control the
weights back down by your side
■ Exhale arms up, inhale down
Training tips – keep buttocks squeezed throughout, and
keep back straight. To progress, add an extra rep (no arms) and
hold at bottom position then squeeze bottom to pulse half way
up and down 15 times. Build up to 3 sets of 10 – 12

Pilates side
lying legs
■ Lie on your side, head on
outstretched arm, waist
long and hips stacked
■ Place your top hand on
your top hip, and laterally
rotate your thigh (point
your toe up towards the
ceiling – engaging the
buttocks)
■ Exhale to lift your top leg
up as far as you can keep
your hip still, and your
lower waist lengthened,
maintaining lateral rotation
(‘turn- out’)
■ Lift and lower 10 times
■ Release your ‘turn- out’
and circle the leg 8 times in
each direction, keeping the
hip still and waist long
■ Repeat on both legs

Training tips – keep

tummy button drawn in
throughout, and spine long.
Add ankle weights for extra
resistance

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WOMEN’S FITNESS

Advanced

Shoulder Bridge Squat with shoulder press

■ Lie on your back, knees bent, feet hip width apart. ■ Stand with feet hip to shoulder width
■ Exhale, contract abs and squeeze buttocks pushing hips upwards apart, bend elbow to bring weights up
■ Inhale, keeping knees hips & shoulders in a line to shoulders, palms forward
■ Exhale and lift one leg off the floor keeping hips level ■ Inhale to bend knees bringing hips
■ Inhale to return foot to the floor towards the floor
■ Repeat on both legs, before returning hips to the floor. ■ Exhale and push body back up, as
■ Repeat all you begin pressing dumbbells
overhead until arms are almost straight
Training tips – keep squeezing glutes throughout. Beginners - keep both feet on ■ Return weights to shoulders and
the floor and lift and lower hips. Advanced - lift and lower hips 8 times with one foot begin second squat
in the air on both sides see inset picture ■ Repeat 10 to 12 times

ALWAYS REMEMBER TO WARM UP AND COOL DOWN AT THE Training tips – keep knees in line
BEGINNING AND END OF EACH SESSION, AND STRETCH OUT with second toes, be careful knees do
THE MUSCLES YOU HAVE WORKED. not roll in. It may be worth asking a
trainer to check your technique. Keep
abdominals drawn in throughout, and
Coming up next issue – Are round shoulders adding kilos and years to
be careful not to arch your back.
the way you look? We show you how to lose the hunch!

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