A Guide: Workout Clothing for Your Body Type

By Nicki Andrews

Women have all different body shapes and sizes, but generally our body types can be narrowed down into four categories: Apple, Hourglass, Pear and Rectangle. While you might be a mix, knowing your general body type will help make finding the perfect workout clothing easier – let’s save the sweat for the gym.

Pear Shapes

Pear Shaped Celebrities: J-Lo, Rihanna, and Alicia Keys

If you are a bottom-heavy beauty and are bigger around the hips, bottom or thighs than you are up top, then like the majority of women, you are pear-shaped! You’ve probably also got a fairly flat stomach, you lucky thing. Work that womanly figure by adding more shape and structure above the waist.

DO wear light colors on top to draw eyes up and away from your thighs. Choose flared pants to balance and lengthen your shape.

DON’T wear bottoms with stripes down the sides of the legs. They’ll make your hips seem fuller.

Rectangle Shapes

Rectangle Shaped Celebrities: Zoe Saldana, Eva Longoria and Keke Palmer

Your body is fairly straight up and down, though you don’t always have the boyish chest to match. Many women would kill for your shape; there’s no main area you want to minimize so you can get away with more things than most. However you may crave more curves – an illusion easily created with the right clothing.

DO create the illusion of curves with tops that have ruching along the sides and pants that have a pop of color at the hips. A sports bra with a little padding and a tank with a low neckline will play up your assets.

DON’T sport one color from head to toe. It will make you look blocky.

Apple Shapes

Apple Shaped Celebrities: Queen Latifah, Oprah Winfrey and Chandra Wilson

You have a proportional figure but you tend to carry your weight around your midsection without a well-defined waist. You probably have fabulous legs and/or boobs so dressing is all about showing off those best bits while avoiding adding volume around your middle.

DO opt for a loose top that ties or cinches, which will define your middle and conceal your tummy. Fitted capris or tights flatter your toned legs.

DON’T wear flared bottoms. They’ll throw off your proportions by adding bulk.

Hourglass Shapes

Hourglass Shaped Celebrities: Halle Berry, Beyonce Knowles, and Kim Kardashian

Does your figure go in at the middle, often with a fuller bust and bottom to contrast with the smaller waist? You’re blessed with a very sexy shape so you need to learn not to drown it in too-baggy clothes but also not go to look overtly sexy either – unless that’s the look you’re going for!

DO pick tops with a V or scoop neck and detailing near your midsection to show off your trim waist. You can strut your fit quads in a skort instead of running shorts for a different look.

DON’T hide behind high necks and loose clothes. You’ll only look larger if you cover up.

Best of luck ladies, tell me all about your great finds!

Fit­ness Expert and Sil­ver Model Man­age­ment Fit­ness model Nicki Andrews  lives by the motto:“Imag­ine, Dream, Inspire.” Nicki has edu­cated women, on the impor­tance of fit­ness and pro­vid­ing the nec­es­sary resources for her clients to change their bod­ies and their lives. Nicki has appeared on The Today Show, The Morn­ing Show, and Good Day New York. Nicki is a UFX trainer and the Fit­ness Direc­tor of VIVA for the Mount Sinai Dia­betes Cen­ter at the Mount Sinai Hos­pi­tal of New York.  Visit her site at: www.nickiandrews.com and fol­low her on Twit­ter @Nickifitness

© Nicki Andrews,  All Rights Reserved