Singaporebrides | Beauty

January 2016

Best Toning Exercises for Your Wedding Gown Silhouette

By Tara Molloy

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The best exercises for your wedding gown silhouette. Tailored to different wedding dress types, whether you’re after a strapless ballgown or a long-sleeved trumpet gown, these easy exercises will give you the toned arms and flat belly that make you look your best in your dress!

You’ve chosen the venue, the guest list is set, and now you’re on the hunt for the perfect dress. Having so many options can be overwhelming, but it’s nice knowing that there’s a flattering silhouette for every body type. Even so, you want to feel as confident as possible on your wedding day, and getting into shape is the perfect way to achieve that. The best part? Toning up doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming either. Most of these exercises require little or no equipment (with the exception of a chair and set of dumbbells), and can be completed in less than 30 minutes.

These sets of exercises are also tailored to different dress types—find your dress shape below, and you’ll know exactly which muscles to work. Before you begin your routine, be sure to warm-up for 10 minutes by jump roping, jogging in place, or doing jumping jacks. When you’re finished, spend at least five minutes stretching to cool down. For the best results, perform each set of exercises four times per week.

Toning Exercises for A-line Wedding Gowns

Dress Type: Ball gown, A-Line

Best For: Any body type, though ball gowns have a lot of volume and very petite women might want to avoid this style

Target Areas: Abs, arms

Ball gowns and A-Line gowns are characterised by a fitted bodice that flares out above the hips—the only real difference is that the skirt of a ball gown is much fuller than an A-Line. It’s a flattering shape for any body type, but these exercises below will help you to achieve a more defined waist by working the abs and obliques. You’re also likely to be showing off your arms with these dress styles, and the tricep dips and concentration curls will help tone both the front and back of your arms.

Work-Out

• 25 Reverse Crunches (lower abs)
• 20 Bicycle Crunches (abs, obliques)
• 45-second Side Plank (abs, obliques)
• 15 Tricep Dips (triceps)
• 15 Concentration Curls per side (biceps)
• Repeat x4

Toning Exercises for Trumpet Wedding Gowns

Dress Type: Modified A-Line, Trumpet/Fit & Flare

Best For: Hourglass shapes

Target Areas: Abs, obliques, glutes

Modified A-Line, Trumpet, and Fit & Flare dresses are similar to the Mermaid, but less fitted through the whole body. A Modified A-Line will be fitted through the bodice until just under the hip, and the Trumpet, or Fit & Flare will be fitted through the hips as well. Focus on working your abs, obliques, and glutes to feel your most confident in these types of dresses.

Work-Out

• 25 Russian Twists (abs, obliques)
• 45-second Spiderman Plank (abs, obliques, back)
• 1-minute Bridge (abs, glutes)
• 20 Basic Squats (quadriceps, inner thighs, glutes)
• 20 Lunges (quadriceps, inner thighs, glutes)
• Repeat x3

Toning Exercises for Mermaid Wedding Gowns

Dress Type: Mermaid and Sheath

Best For: Hourglass shapes

Target Areas: Total body

Mermaid gowns, which hug each and every curve on your body, work best on hourglass shapes. A sheath dress, while not quite as formfitting as the mermaid style, also tends to work best on an hourglass shape (and looks especially great on tall women). The exercises for this dress type involve a total body work-out that will tone your upper body, core, and lower body.

Work-Out

• 25 Sumo Squats (quadriceps, inner thighs, glutes)
• 25 Side Squats (quadriceps, inner thighs, glutes)
• 45-second Forearm Plank (abs, glutes, quadriceps)
• 20 Straight Arm Lat Pulldowns (back)
• 20 Bent Over Rows (lower abs, biceps, back)
• Repeat x3

Toning Exercises for Short Wedding Dresses

Dress Type: Tea length, Mini

Best For: Tea length dresses work best on tall women, while mini dresses can be flattering for petite women.

Target Areas: Legs, lower body

A tea length dress (which hits just below the knee) or a mini dress (which hits above the knee) both call for showing off your legs. If you’re not a fan of traditional floor-length wedding gowns, then one of these could be a great option. Try these exercises, which work your lower body, focusing on the legs.

Work-Out

• 1-minute Wall Sit (quadriceps, inner thighs, glutes)
• 25 Reverse Lunges (quadriceps, inner thighs, glutes)
• 25 Butt Lifts (glutes, thighs)
• 1-minute Mountain Climber (thighs, calves, triceps)
• 25 Reverse Leg Lifts (glutes, hamstrings, lower back)
• Repeat x4

Toning Exercises for Strapless Wedding Gowns

Dress Type: Strapless

Best For: Any body type

Target Areas: Chest, back, shoulders, arms

Strapless and sleeveless wedding dresses are incredibly popular—in fact, you’ll probably find that most gowns don’t have sleeves. This set of exercises works your chest, back, shoulders, and arms for a toned, sculpted upper body.

Work-Out

• 10 Push-ups (chest, back)
• 20 Dumbbell Chest Presses (chest)
• 20 Dumbbell Flys (chest)
• 20 Dumbbell Shoulder Presses (shoulders)
• 25 Hammer Curls (bicep)
• Repeat x3

Credits: Feature image of One Big Family, captured by 9 Frames Photography.

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