Anita Fitness

Like a tailor-made suit, a particular set of exercise should be done that which is fitted for your body. The better the fit, the more flattering the results will be. How do you decide what exercises will do the most for your particular physique? First consider your body type. Long, thin ectomorphs must work a little harder to keep muscle. Mesomorphs, whose bodies tend toward the classic inverted V, develop more quickly. Plump endomorphs have naturally rounded contours.

Pure types do not exist. But they make it clear that our potentials do differ. A half-inch variation in the position where a tendon attaches to a bone can account for a 33% strength advantage, for example. The point is to compare yourself with yourself, not with other people, as you progress. Within the range of your potential, your results will depend on your motivation and performance, factors that you can control.

How does your body fare?

Now it is time to take the next step: an objective look at yourself standing nude before a full-length mirror. Without posing pulling in your stomach or straightening up consider your posture. Does your abdomen jut out? Does your lower back sway forward? Are your shoulders rounded? Is your upper chest sunken? Do you carry your head toward the front of your body?

Any YES answers are signs of bad posture. Though you may be able to hold yourself correctly for a minute or two, if you lack good muscle tone, you will inevitably sink back into the slump responsible for many lower back, neck and shoulder problems, as well as an unattractive appearance. But exercises for your abdominals, back and upper body, particularly the shoulder muscles, will tighten the loose connections that cause your sag. Rather than hanging limply, your skeleton will receive the muscular support it needs.

Now look for specific body areas with which you are dissatisfied. Though spot reducing is impossible - and the places where you lose fat first are genetically programmed, you can firm specific areas, improving their appearance by toning underlying muscle. One should be able to find the right exercise regimen that can give you a broader looking shoulders, a firmer chest, tighter, more shapely inner and outer thighs; higher, firmer buttocks and flattering definition in your abdominals and elsewhere.

It is also best that you keep a notebook handy as you survey yourself. Record what you see, along with the date. This will be a motivational tool as well as a help in selecting the right exercise for you.