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Please read this article and tell me if the info here is true. They are saying to avoid all the muscle building lower body exercises to avoid this body shape. My girlfriend is afraid of squats with moderate weight now because of this. Should she avoid the exercises at the bottom of this article at all costs. What are your opinions??
Thanks
Exercises for Spoons
This fitness program was excerpted from the book Escape Your Shape by Edward Jackowski, Ph.D.
Spoons tend to put on weight or mass in their hips and thighs and behind the knees. Those who are very overweight may even carry extra weight in their calves and ankles. Their upper bodies are not necessarily small, but considerably smaller than their lower bodies.
Typically, if a Spoon is not overweight, the lower part of the leg, from the knee down is her best asset. Although it is rare, there are some male Spoons. Another distinctive feature of Spoons is that, unlike Hourglasses, they look heavier than their actual scale weight. Because most of their weight is concentrated in their lower half, others' eyes focus and fix primarily on this part of their bodies. It is important to note that as a Spoon, you bulk the fastest of all the body types from the hips down, so it's vital that each and every time you exercise you do so with absolutely no resistance or weights. I have seen thousands of women increase the size of their hips and thighs considerably by performing the wrong type of exercises. It's a horrible thought, but it's possible to bulk up from a size 10 to a 14 with the wrong exercises!
A typical Spoon's measurements are 34-30-42. As I often tell Spoon women I work with, my goal is to take you from a ladle to a teaspoon. Your measurements should be 34-29-36. And you can do it! By exercising right for your body type. I have also found that generally sedentary Spoons who sit a lot can increase the size of their hips and thighs simply with the pressure and weight that they put on that region of the body. If they're not overweight, Spoons usually have very nice upper bodies and great upper abdominal muscles.
Problem Areas and Characteristics
Spoons typically have sleek upper bodies and have the best-looking arms of any of the body types. But because their upper bodies are considerably weaker and smaller in girth than other body types they're at greater risk for osteoporosis there, too. The flip side is that most Spoons, because of their muscle mass and weight below, are less likely to develop osteoporosis in their hips and lower limbs. Spoons typically have excellent lower flexibility and are good with sports or movements that require lower-body strength and coordination. Ballet dancers, tap dancers, and ballroom dancers are good examples of in-shape Spoons. They also typically shy away from sports that require upper-body strength because of their weaker upper bodies.
Spoons usually have shortish legs and a long torso, thus making their legs appear larger than they actually are. If they lack good hamstring (back-of-the-legs) flexibility, they have a propensity for lower back pain. Overall, though, most Spoons do have great hamstring flexibility because of a higher fat content in that region. Their good flexibility means Spoons can work out vigorously with little risk of injury. They tend to carry the most mass on the saddlebag region (just below the hips and on the outside of the thigh), and some carry a lot of weight or mass in their hips. The good news for Spoons is that it is relatively easy to reduce these problem areas. Because of the disparity between their lower and upper bodies, once they start to slim down, the change for the better is hard to miss. The key is to perform a lot of light-resistance aerobic exercise combined with loads of lower-body calisthenics. With time and perseverance, Spoons can completely alter their shape fo! r the better, but most likely will forever need to stay away from lower-body exercises with any resistance or weights.
Best Exercises for Escaping Your Spoon Shape
Jumping rope with a speed rope
Stationary biking with light resistance only and high RPMs (90 to 120)
Jumping jacks
Ski machines with light resistance for lower body and high resistance for upper body
Standing knee to opposite chest, L-kicks, leg-outs, one-legged leg lifts, and vertical scissors
Side leg lifts
Marching in place on toes
All variations of push-ups
Chin-ups, pull-ups
Dips
If overweight, fast walking or slow jogging with no incline or hills
If not overweight, all or any upper-body exercises with moderate to heavy weights and dead lifts with no weight
Exercises to Avoid if You Want to Escape Your Spoon Shape
Squats
Lunges
Leg presses
Leg extensions and leg curls
Ankle weights
All stair climbers/steppers
All step classes
Versa climbers
Long-distance running at high speeds
Sprinting
Roller blading
Sliding
Skating
Swimming
Kick-boxing
Spinning
All high-impact aerobic and exercise classes
All lower-body exercises with moderate to high resistance or weights
Walking or jogging on any sort of incline
Rowing with lower-body resistance
Jumping rope with a weighted rope
Inner-outer leg machines
Cross-country ski machine with lower-body resistance
Summary
As a Spoon, the rule of thumb is high reps and low resistance for all lower-body exercises, and moderate to high resistance for all upper-body exercises. If you're overweight, the resistance should not be too high for the upper body. You don't want to push out the fat as you build muscle underneath. Until you are at a weight and size you're happy with, do not increase the resistance or weight on any exercise, but rather increase the frequency and number of repetitions to continue to burn off fat and inches.
Thanks
Exercises for Spoons
This fitness program was excerpted from the book Escape Your Shape by Edward Jackowski, Ph.D.
Spoons tend to put on weight or mass in their hips and thighs and behind the knees. Those who are very overweight may even carry extra weight in their calves and ankles. Their upper bodies are not necessarily small, but considerably smaller than their lower bodies.
Typically, if a Spoon is not overweight, the lower part of the leg, from the knee down is her best asset. Although it is rare, there are some male Spoons. Another distinctive feature of Spoons is that, unlike Hourglasses, they look heavier than their actual scale weight. Because most of their weight is concentrated in their lower half, others' eyes focus and fix primarily on this part of their bodies. It is important to note that as a Spoon, you bulk the fastest of all the body types from the hips down, so it's vital that each and every time you exercise you do so with absolutely no resistance or weights. I have seen thousands of women increase the size of their hips and thighs considerably by performing the wrong type of exercises. It's a horrible thought, but it's possible to bulk up from a size 10 to a 14 with the wrong exercises!
A typical Spoon's measurements are 34-30-42. As I often tell Spoon women I work with, my goal is to take you from a ladle to a teaspoon. Your measurements should be 34-29-36. And you can do it! By exercising right for your body type. I have also found that generally sedentary Spoons who sit a lot can increase the size of their hips and thighs simply with the pressure and weight that they put on that region of the body. If they're not overweight, Spoons usually have very nice upper bodies and great upper abdominal muscles.
Problem Areas and Characteristics
Spoons typically have sleek upper bodies and have the best-looking arms of any of the body types. But because their upper bodies are considerably weaker and smaller in girth than other body types they're at greater risk for osteoporosis there, too. The flip side is that most Spoons, because of their muscle mass and weight below, are less likely to develop osteoporosis in their hips and lower limbs. Spoons typically have excellent lower flexibility and are good with sports or movements that require lower-body strength and coordination. Ballet dancers, tap dancers, and ballroom dancers are good examples of in-shape Spoons. They also typically shy away from sports that require upper-body strength because of their weaker upper bodies.
Spoons usually have shortish legs and a long torso, thus making their legs appear larger than they actually are. If they lack good hamstring (back-of-the-legs) flexibility, they have a propensity for lower back pain. Overall, though, most Spoons do have great hamstring flexibility because of a higher fat content in that region. Their good flexibility means Spoons can work out vigorously with little risk of injury. They tend to carry the most mass on the saddlebag region (just below the hips and on the outside of the thigh), and some carry a lot of weight or mass in their hips. The good news for Spoons is that it is relatively easy to reduce these problem areas. Because of the disparity between their lower and upper bodies, once they start to slim down, the change for the better is hard to miss. The key is to perform a lot of light-resistance aerobic exercise combined with loads of lower-body calisthenics. With time and perseverance, Spoons can completely alter their shape fo! r the better, but most likely will forever need to stay away from lower-body exercises with any resistance or weights.
Best Exercises for Escaping Your Spoon Shape
Jumping rope with a speed rope
Stationary biking with light resistance only and high RPMs (90 to 120)
Jumping jacks
Ski machines with light resistance for lower body and high resistance for upper body
Standing knee to opposite chest, L-kicks, leg-outs, one-legged leg lifts, and vertical scissors
Side leg lifts
Marching in place on toes
All variations of push-ups
Chin-ups, pull-ups
Dips
If overweight, fast walking or slow jogging with no incline or hills
If not overweight, all or any upper-body exercises with moderate to heavy weights and dead lifts with no weight
Exercises to Avoid if You Want to Escape Your Spoon Shape
Squats
Lunges
Leg presses
Leg extensions and leg curls
Ankle weights
All stair climbers/steppers
All step classes
Versa climbers
Long-distance running at high speeds
Sprinting
Roller blading
Sliding
Skating
Swimming
Kick-boxing
Spinning
All high-impact aerobic and exercise classes
All lower-body exercises with moderate to high resistance or weights
Walking or jogging on any sort of incline
Rowing with lower-body resistance
Jumping rope with a weighted rope
Inner-outer leg machines
Cross-country ski machine with lower-body resistance
Summary
As a Spoon, the rule of thumb is high reps and low resistance for all lower-body exercises, and moderate to high resistance for all upper-body exercises. If you're overweight, the resistance should not be too high for the upper body. You don't want to push out the fat as you build muscle underneath. Until you are at a weight and size you're happy with, do not increase the resistance or weight on any exercise, but rather increase the frequency and number of repetitions to continue to burn off fat and inches.
