THE PINUPS WORKOUT, HOW TO LOOK GREAT IN THAT BIKINI PICTURE

Although the pinup girl loves her curves and has no need for rock hard abbs (infact they are considered generally undesireable in a pinup girl) The area we do want to focus on is the waist. The aim here is to get that perfect hourglass figure like Betty Page or if we are really lucky the magnificent Tempest Storm who still has a body to envy.


First the "cover my backside, common sense statement" I am not a doctor or a personal trainer, and it is recommended to consult both before embarking on a new exercise regime. The exercises and tips below are what have worked for me, but everyone is different and results will vary. If you try them out and find something else works better for you then please let me know and share your experiences with us all.

Two important things to remember when working with your abbs is that

1. they need constant work for best results, so watch your posture. All the situps and trunk twists you can do wont ever give you the results you want if you spend all day slouching. Perfect posture is not too hard, all you have to do is keep your shoulders back, spine straight, pelvis tucked in and feet facing forward. any time you catch yourself slipping just correct it. No one can be perfect all the time, even ballet dancers slouch sometimes. A usefull trick is to wear a belt, or even a ribbon tied round your middle and if you are aware of it pulling then you are slouching. Good posture will also make you look taller, more elegant and more confident.

2. When doing abdominal exercises you will need to tuck your lower abdominal muscles under if you want them to be flat. If you let them pop outwards when doing situps for example you will find that they build outwards. Which is fine for a body builder but if you are aiming for a more feminine look then try to keep them tucked in. Visualize pulling the lowest muscles under your ribcage and up rather than just in, and keep your torso long where possible.

Ok so now to the pinups workout proper.

The first exercise is deceptively easy. You will read this and think "that's easy, that cant possibly help" but you would be surprised. In Fact this exercise has done more to shrink my waist than any other, and if you only have time in your day to add one then this is the one I would recommend.

I found this one through bodybuilders of the past (I don't mean I channeled them, just read about it). Remember those old images of circus strong men with huge shoulders and tiny waists?. That style is not seen down the gym these days, and the exercise those guys did to get that shape is almost forgotten. But here it is, and remember its deceptive, so don't dismiss it:

*First stand with your feet pointing forward at shoulder width apart.

*Take in a deep breath through your nose filling your lungs from the bottom to the top, being aware of your diaphragm (the muscle under your lungs that singers use to control their voice) This way the air you take in is not all tight up in your chest area but low in your belly. Just visualizing this, will make it happen so relax and breathe in.

*Now, using the diaphragm, expel the air sharply through your mouth, while pivoting your upper body forward on your pelvis. Once your upper body is about parallel to the floor, and all the air is expelled, you should find that your tummy is now a concave shape.

*Holding your breath pull your lower abdominal muscles in and up, under the ribcage. Visualize yourself touching your spine with your belly button. When you do this you will feel it most in your outer or 'oblique' abdominals.

*Hold for as long as you can, a count of five will be fine to start.

*Then breathe in again as you return to the start position.

15 reps is a good number but 5 will still be fine to start with, especially if you can do it every day. But do remember to breathe between reps or you might feel faint. If you do feel faint stop immediately.

Those of you familiar with pilates might recognise a version of this exercise. Pilates is said to be the favourite pinup workout of modern queen of the pinups, Dita Von Teese so it cant hurt.


The second exercise in the pinups workout is equaly usefull for any male wanting to get rid of lovehandles.
It is a variation on the classic trunk twist that teaches your oblique muscles to go tighter and stay tighter, so reducing the size of your waist.

*With feet shoulder width appart and everything lined up in correct posture as described above. Put a bar or stick (like a floor broom or similar) across your shoulders with your arms stretched out to the sides and hands over the top. I like to use a silver topped cane like an extra from Chicago, but it's up to you.

*Next you twist your upper body to the side. Now this part is important ok so I'm caps-ing it - DO NOT TURN YOUR HEAD, KEEP YOUR EYES FRONT AND CENTRE. This is the big mistake people make when doing twists, doesn't seem like much but it makes all the difference, so pick a spot on the wall and fix your eyes on it as you turn so your head does not move.

*Keep looking forward as you twist just your torso and try to squeeze the oblique (side) muscle area as much as possible at the farthest point of the twist. Contract hard and hold it for a count of 3. This will encourage the muscle to build inwards rather than outward, like I was saying at the top of the page, so reducing your waist size.

Some tips for this part of the pinups workout are. Don't go too fast, go slowly and really feel the contraction or it wont work.
Really squeeze as hard as you can without doing yourself a mischief, and remember to suck in the lower belly at the same time.
Another helpful trick once you get good at this is to use the broom handle, or whatever you are using, and push with one hand while pulling with the other. You will feel the tension increase straight away.
Also similar breathing to the first exercise will help with this one too. When you are holding the position at the end of the twist try breathing in and out in the same way as above (just without bending over).


Doing these targeted waist reducing exercises as part of my regular work out has really helped me, where normal exercises failed.
I also really rate the Slendertone system abb belt. You probably know what it is so I wont go into it, but if you thought it was some kind of con you would be wrong. Don't buy one of the cheap imitations though, I've tried afew brands and only slendertone actually delivered. Though like all toning exercises it will not help you loose fat, it is for tightening and strengthening muscle only. And contrary to the popular myth fat cannot be turned into muscle, they are totally different.

So to get the full benefit of these exercisers they must be used either by those who have little or no weight to lose and are only looking to sculpt what they already have and for the best results combine with cardio.

But cardio does not have to boring. If you like running then fine, run and have fun. But personally I find most workouts dull. Dance is the best way for any self respecting pinups to burn calories. Whether you choose belly dance, salsa, or go for the ultimate pinups workout pole dancing, you will enjoy yourself and never notice the time pass. An added benefit of dance as your main cardio exercise is that it puts you in touch with your body, and makes you feel sexy and confident in a way that a treadmill never can. And isn't that what being a pinup girl is all about?

When it comes to exercise and weightloss regiments there is one thing that tends to concern pinups..."if I lose inches on my waist will I also lose inches from my breasts?" The answer is "probably, maybe" Your breasts are made up of both breast tissue and stored fat. And if overall weight gain has made them bigger than they were naturally meant to be then they will get smaller when you lose weight unfortunately and there is nothing you can do about it. However if they are about the right size i.e., mostly breast tissue, then they shouldn't change too much. I lost an entire cup size and mourned it for ages (still do a bit).

If you don't want to shrink your assets, then you will have to be careful not to over do diet or cardio workouts. And you could try doing light upper body weight training. This will build up not the breasts, but the muscle under them, and make them appear fuller and perkier. And there is always the good old wonderbra.

To illustrate my point before about good posture being impotant to looking good...and also just because its darling!... is a video from the 1940s on the importance of posture:



.For more tips,info and ideas for pinups style, check out the Retro Glamour main page.

.Ever wondered how to get those amazing pinups hairstyles from the 1940s and 50s? click HERE to find out. .To explore pinups art and kulture further return from pinups workout guide to the HOME PAGE

Now you have a body like bettie page, get the hair and makeup too