The Spoon Profile

Escape Your Shape : How to Work Out Smarter, Not Harder (2 Fitness Favorites from Exercise Guru)
by Edward Jackowski, Ph.D.

(Page 3 of 5)

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. If not vastly overweight, Spoons make good joggers, but unfortunately, jogging will not alter their bodies for the better. Nevertheless, it's a wonderful way for Spoons to lose and maintain weight loss.

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 for 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 ellipitical machines
• 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.

Copyright © 2001 by Edward J. Jackowski, Ph.D.

About the Author

Edward J. Jackowski, Ph.D., is the CEO and founder of Exude Inc. (www.exude.com), based in New York City. It is the nation's largest motivational and one-on-one fitness company.