Sculpt your body type: Athletic

Fitness for the athletic body type

Look strong and svelte

Lucky for you, muscles are "in" and will be for the foreseeable future! Your body may naturally look trim and toned, but if you're a little narrow through the waist and hips, you can sculpt your way to an even sexier physique.

Stars like Hayden Pantierre, Jessica Biel and Eliza Dushku demonstrate just how possible it is to focus on fanny-toning exercises to give a little extra shape to an athletic lower-half. Supplement these booty-blasting moves with a few waist-nipping oblique exercises and you'll be flaunting an almost hourglass figure in no time!

Concentrated cardio

Ahtletically-shaped women can choose almost any form of cardio they like, but options like stair stepping, running hills and sports like basketball and volleyball will all help build muscle in the butt, hips and thighs. Take your pick of your favorite and be sure to add it to your routine at least three times a week.

Add this custom circuit routine at least three times a week. Perform each exercise in the following order for a minute before moving on to the next exercise:

1. Downward dog to pushup
2. Skaters
3. Wide-legged BOSU squat with twist, left leg balanced on BOSU
4. Skaters
5. Wide-legged BOSU squat with twist, right leg balanced on BOSU
6. Skaters
7. Woodchop with medicine ball, left side
8. Skaters
9. Woodchop with medicine ball, right side
10. Skaters
11. Side plank with hip raise, left side
12. Skaters
13. Side plank with hip raise, right side
14. Skaters
15. Hamstring curl and bridge on ball

Rest for two to three minutes, then repeat the circuit a second time.

The downward dog to push-up exercise will challenge your upper body and core, acting as a great balance to all of the lower body exercises you'll be performing.

The skaters exercise works your lower body and obliques while also acting as a burst of cardio between strength-training moves. Perform the skaters as quickly as you can with good form, moving as though you were a speed skater in the Winter Games.

By changing the angle of a traditional squat and performing it on a BOSU Balance Trainer, you'll work your core and target your outer thighs throughout this exercise. Plus, when you use a medicine ball to add a twist, you'll engage your obliques as well!

The woodchop exercise targets your core, hips and shoulders, making it a great exercise for athletic ladies. Just be sure to keep your arms straight and your hips square throughout the movement — the movement of the medicine ball from the outside of your knee to the outside of your opposite shoulder should be initiated by your lower body and hips, not your upper body, back and waist.

The side plank will challenge your core, hips and shoulders unilaterally, enabling you to strengthen and tone each side of your body.

Finish up your circuit with a booty-blasting exercise that will give you the rounded behind you've always dreamed of. If you're struggling to maintain your balance on the stability ball, place your arms on the floor next to your sides.

More body-sculpting workouts

Sculpt your body type: Pear-shape
Sculpt your body type: Rectangle
Sculpt your body type: Curvy

Photo credit: PNP/WENN.com (Hayden Panettiere), Lance Williams/Girls Gone Sporty (all others)