HERS
SHOULDERS FOR SHAPE
WITH IFBB BIKINI PRO AND AESTHETIC PHARMACIST RUTH DALES
Ask people what they think of when they picture a bikini body , and I imagine most people will say toned , fit , confident and healthy looking . Break it down a bit more and many women will likely tell you they aspire to having a small waist and peachy butt . Seeing as how a small waist to hip ratio is associated with health , I say why not ?
But whilst wearing a squeezingly tight ‘ waist trainer ’ might be one currently fashionable way to a smaller waist , I believe there are more satisfying ways to get there : Unless you ’ ve been living under a rock I ’ m sure you will have cottoned on to the fact that increasing the size of your glutes is a great way to make your waist appear smaller and I imagine you ’ ve been glute bridging and sumo squatting your way to a peachy beach butt for a little while now . However , whilst checking out your hard earned glute gains this Wednesday ( I see you and I salute you !) you might want to take a minute to allow your eye to travel north , that ’ s right , up to where your rear delts are , or at least where they SHOULD be ... IF you were training them in any meaningful way .
A key factor in attaining a visibly small waist is having width across the upper lats and shoulders , thus creating the classic v-taper which , in women , balances out the hips leading to the coveted hour-glass physique . This also supports a strong , confident posture .
In this article I run through my essential guide to building balanced shoulders , with emphasis on the often
/// PHOTOGRAPHS BY SHANE WATKINS
neglected rear deltoids . I show you how you too can do what top athletes and bodybuilders do ; combine training shoulders with training back for maximum results .
For a lot of women , building the upper body is relegated to secondary importance behind glute development . This is often because women fear training their upper body , ironically
78 MUSCLE & FITNESS / APRIL 2018