What Exercises Give You V-Shaped Hips?

To gain the coveted V-shape, you need to broaden your shoulders and upper back while slimming down around the waist and hips. This goal calls for a combination of strength-training exercises -- to increase the muscle mass at the top of your torso and to firm up your abs -- plus cardio work to reduce fat. You can’t spot-reduce fat from around your midsection, but a total-body fat-reduction plan will eventually trim unwanted inches from your abs and hips.

  1. Upper-Torso Strength Exercises

    • Begin your quest for the V-shape by targeting muscles such as the deltoids in your shoulders, plus the latissimus dorsi and upper trapezius muscles in your back. The lat pulldown is a particularly good exercise to hit your targets because it emphasizes the lats but also works your rear shoulder and middle trapezius muscles. Sit in front of a high cable machine with a lat bar attached, assume a wide, overhand grip, then pull the bar to your upper chest. Return under control to the starting position. Other beneficial exercises include barbell or dumbbell shrugs to target your upper trapezius muscles, plus dumbbell lateral raises and barbell upright rows to focus on your shoulders and traps.

    Abdominal Exercises

    • When it’s time to firm up your abs, look for exercises that target the rectus abdominis in front of your lower torso, plus the obliques to either side. The best rectus abdominis exercise is the bicycle maneuver, according to a 2001 study by the American Council on Exercise. Lie on your back with your legs extended and just above the floor, and place your hands behind your head, as you would for a standard crunch. Raise your right knee to your chest and try to touch it with your left elbow, then bring your left knee up, twist your torso and attempt to touch your knee with your right elbow. Perform a captain’s chair exercise to target your obliques. Grab the chair’s handles, set your forearms on its horizontal bars and position your legs and torso perpendicular to the floor. Lift your legs until the thighs are horizontal and your knees are bent at right angles, then drop your legs slowly until you’re straight again.

    Hip Exercises

    • The hip area contains your body’s largest muscle, the gluteus maximus in your butt, plus numerous small muscles that surround your pelvis. The standard deadlift is one of the best all-around exercises you can perform to attain the V-shape, because it targets your gluteus maximus but also works your abs and several upper-back muscles. Place a barbell on the floor in front of you, bend your knees, lean forward from the waist and grasp the bar with an overhand grip. Stand up, keeping your arms extended and your back straight, then return slowly to the starting position. Sit in an abduction machine to target the abductors on the outside of each hip. Do leg raises to work your hip flexors.

    Cardio Exercises

    • To trim fat, perform moderate cardio exercises daily, or do several higher-intensity workouts each week. Exercises can include running, brisk walking, bike riding, swimming or using a cardio machine in your gym. Try interval training to achieve the maximum calorie burn. If you’re working on a treadmill, for example, warm up at moderate intensity for about five minutes, then do your first interval by running for one minute, then walking for two or three minutes. Continue the pattern for at least 20 minutes.