There’s a misconception that if you exercise, you’re only in it to lose weight or get swole. For you, you adore your curves and you’d like to maintain them through physical fitness, no weight loss necessary. What kind of exercises can you do at home or the gym for a game-changing curvy body workout?
10 exercises that comprise a perfect curvy body workout:
- Side planks with moving knees
- Crossover lunges
- Lateral step-ups
- Sumo squats
- Glute bridges with tricep extensions
- Wide push-ups
- Tai Chi lunges
- Jumping oblique twists
- Lift-off lunges
- Windshield wipers
If you’re not familiar with some of these exercises, don’t worry, as we’ll teach you how to do them all. We’ll even suggest the number of reps to do, discuss the equipment you need, and delve into which parts of your body you’re working. Curvier body, here you come!
10 Great Exercises That Accentuate and Build on Your Curvy Physique
Side Planks with Moving Knees
The first exercise we recommend for a curvier you is the slide plank accompanied by a moving knee. This exercise will tone up your butt and your core, including the obliques, which include your external and internal obliques. The obliques are the area of your six-pack from your ribcage to your hips.
Even though you might not necessarily have poppin’ abs as a plus-size woman, strengthening your abs is always a good idea, so let’s look into this exercise and how it’s done.
We recommend you have a yoga mat handy. Place it on the floor and then lie down on the mat. Turn your body so your face is near the floor. Then, lift up your forearms and brace yourself on them, positioning your elbows so they’re under your shoulders (as that’s proper form).
Next, begin to raise your body, keeping your legs together as you do. You should be balanced on your toes and your forearms. Once you’re positioned like that, in a standard plank, lift your body so you’re now doing a plank from the side. You’ll support yourself with one elbow and the side of your foot that’s nearest the ground.
Check your positioning before you continue. Your feet should be stacked and the elbow that you’re propping on should be under your forearm and shoulder. That elbow should be perpendicular to the rest of you. The other arm that you’re not bracing on goes on your hip with the elbow upward.
Now that you’re all set, take the leg that’s free and lift it as high as the elbow that’s positioned on your hip. Do 8 to 10 reps for that side, then switch sides and repeat.
Crossover Lunges
One of three lunges we recommend for your curvy body, the crossover lunge can be done in the comfort of your living room or at the gym. You only need a solid base beneath you, so use a yoga mat if necessary.
Stand up straight, then take one leg, crossing it over the other leg. Make sure that as your foot makes its landing, you’re on your heel, not any other part of your foot. Aim your foot at a 45-degree angle as well, otherwise the knee you’re lunging with can get pretty painful after a few reps.
After stretching the lunging leg as far as you can take it, pull it back, return to a starting position, and repeat the same with your other leg. For each leg, you want to aim for 12 reps. Make sure you take a break for at least 90 seconds after each set.
You’ll strengthen your hamstrings and your quads through doing crossover lunges, not to mention your glutes (aka your butt) will look great. Even better is your balance and coordination will improve, which makes it easier to continue improving your workout game.
If you want, you can start your exercises with crossover lunges, especially if you’re working on your legs, as this move will get you all stretched out and ready to go.
Lateral Step-Ups
The third exercise we recommend for a curvier body is the lateral step-up. You will need some exercise equipment for this, ideally a bench. If you can’t find an exercise bench, then a set of steps works just as well.
Through doing lateral step-ups, you’ll shape your thighs and your butt, keeping both voluptuous. You’ll also increase your heart rate, which makes it easier to burn calories so your workouts are more rewarding.
So how do you get started? First, put your bench or stairs on the floor, then stand beside them so the steps or bench are to your right. Take your left foot and put it on the top step or the top of the bench. Your hands should both be squarely on your hips.
Keeping your left foot firm, use your right leg to propel yourself onto the top step or the top of the bench. Your right foot should be on the step and your left leg should extend out for a side lunge.
When you come down, do the move again, stepping up with the opposite leg. For each side, aim for 10 to 12 reps. If you want to challenge yourself, holding a medicine ball makes the lateral step-ups more difficult but burns more calories.
Sumo Squats
Squatting is key to keeping that derriere looking shapely, and sumo squats will give you big gains. This is another handy exercise you can do at home or the gym using either a medicine ball or a dumbbell.
If you know how to do a standard squat, the sumo squat is a bit different, as it’s all about altering your position. Don’t worry, as you’re still toning multiple areas of your body, including your calves, hamstrings, quads, hip flexors, inner thighs, and your glutes.
To begin, stand on a yoga mat or on firm ground. Move your feet so they’re further out than your hips. Angle your feet so they’re facing outward, which will turn your hips. Next, raise your hands to chest height. To start, you can just clasp your hands and do sumo squats that way.
Squat using your hips, which you’re aiming downward. Your back should not bend, and your upper body should stay where it is. Work your inner thighs and heels as you go down, and then stand back up. Do 4 sets with 8 to 15 reps in all. As you adjust to the basic sumo squat, hold a medicine ball or dumbbells as we suggested before.
Glute Bridges with Tricep Extensions
A wonderful exercise for your lower and upper half is the glute bridge with added tricep extensions. This exercise calls for some dumbbells, so have two dumbbells handy at a weight that you’re comfortable lifting with. You might also want a yoga mat, as you have to lie down to do this exercise.
Roll out your yoga mat (if you’re using one) and lie down completely flat. Bend your knees and grab your dumbbells, holding one in each hand. Put your hands with the dumbbells on either side of your head so the point of your elbows is straight up to the sky.
Next, squeeze your glutes, lifting them and your hips as you do so. At the same time, raise your arms up from either side of your head. Your arms should be straight and the dumbbells should be near your chest. Then, lower your body and put your arms back in the starting position. Repeat this for 10 to 12 reps.
Glute bridges with tricep extensions keep your triceps, core, and butt looking awesome.
Wide Push-Ups
Like the sumo squat, doing something you’re used to but widening your stance can be quite rewarding for your curvy physique. Wide push-ups work your triceps, anterior deltoids (your shoulder muscles), and your chest muscles, especially the pecs.
You can skip the dumbbells and medicine balls for this simple but effective workout. Instead, you might want to use a yoga mat, so roll that out now. Then, position yourself into the standard plank, with your arms at shoulder level and your hands flat on the mat and out further than your shoulders. Your legs should be angled so you’re balanced on your toes, like how you started when doing side lunges.
Space your arms wider apart than usual, then begin going down. Your elbows should bend naturally as you lower. When your chest is slightly under where your elbows are, stop going down and begin lifting your body up into the starting position.
Each set should include between 8 and 15 reps, and you want to aim for 3 sets. It’s okay if you only do a single set of wide push-ups to start. You’ll work your way up to more!
Tai Chi Lunges
The Tai Chi lunge is the second of three lunges for curvy gals that we recommend. This exercise will boost your core, thighs, and your rear. Like the wide push-ups, you don’t need any gear or equipment to do this lunge, so feel free to try some Tai Chi lunges during your lunch break at work, in your living room, or at the gym.
To get into position, stand straight but space your feet so they’re in line with the width of your hips. Next, lift your arms so they’re straight and right in front of your body. Turn your palms downward.
With your right foot, step it out, keeping the rest of your body in the same position. Your knee should be over your toes and bent at an angle between 45 and 90 degrees. Stay like this for a moment, twisting your upper half so your arms face left. Then, after another moment, twist your body back, pull your leg to your side, and then do it all again but on your left side.
For each side of your body, complete 10 to 12 reps. Using a medicine ball will add more weight to your arms, making your muscles work harder.
Jumping Oblique Twists
A jumping oblique twist activates several muscle groups across the body: your calves, your lower back muscles, your abs, and your obliques. Your heart rate will definitely go up with all the jumping around. Also, to further incentivize you to add some jumping oblique twists to your curvy girl workout routine, you need no exercise equipment, just some space on the gym floor.
Like you did with the Tai Chi lunges, begin by standing straight, keeping your feet close together. Raise your arms until they’re as high as your shoulders, putting your fingers together at about chest height.
Keeping your upper half straight, jump up, aiming for a height of 4 inches if possible. Your feet should rotate towards the right. Then, jump again, aiming your feet leftward this time. Continue jumping at least 10 to 15 times or however many reps you can do.
Lift-Off Lunges
Our last lunge is the lift-off lunge, which works a whole host of muscle groups, among them your core, triceps, shoulders, thighs, and butt. It’s a great one to add to your workout routine, and if you only want one lunge to do, we’d say this should be it.
You should have some dumbbells and maybe a yoga mat since you’re going down to one knee. Then you’re ready to get started.
Begin by standing straight, widening your feet to your hips. Then, holding a dumbbell in either hand, raise the dumbbells to your shoulders. Your elbows should be bent at a 90-degree angle and your palms should be out.
Using your right leg, step ahead of you. Sink that knee to a 90-degree angle, your body lowering with you. After a moment, raise your right leg, stand, and then lift your left leg so you’re balancing on the right, pushing the dumbbells up above your head. Put both feet on the floor, lower your arms, and repeat on the left side.
For each leg, do between 10 and 12 reps.
Windshield Wipers
Our last exercise for a curvy body is known as the windshield wiper. This will work your abs primarily as well as your lower back and your obliques, and all without any gym equipment needed except maybe a yoga mat for comfort.
Lie down flat on the ground, positioning your arms in a T-pose. Then, put your legs up so your knees are bent at 90 degrees. Let your hips lower, gravity taking over, but your legs should not drop to the ground.
Return to your original position and then let your legs twist to the other side. Do 6 to 8 reps each in a single set and increase the sets and the reps as you do more windshield wipers.
Conclusion
To maintain your curves and make your body even sexier, you might seek to incorporate certain exercises into your routine. The 10 moves we recommended are all about working areas like your abs, glutes, legs, arms, core, and back. Most of these exercises are pretty simple, especially once you get the hang of them, and you can do a lot of them at home. If you ever thought about incorporating some Yoga, check out this article. Have fun!
