Hello ShapeFit.com Readers!

Our September 2004 newsletter focuses on how you men out there can better build your bodies to please those special women in your lives. For those of you who don't have a special someone just yet, these tips may very well have her knocking on your door in no time!

We all know that women have a fondness for a tight mid-section. They peek at your abs when you reach up high for something, they look right at them when you peel off your shirt at the beach, they feel them when you give them a hug.

But you knew this already- it's why you did crunches today and ate that apple instead of the candy bar! But there's more to lust than just a washboard stomach.

You sweat to build a body that'll make women sweat you. The strange thing we're finding is why most men focus on working the muscles that impress other guys. "Men want big biceps because they can see their big biceps and because other men can see their big biceps," says Pega Ren, Ed.D., who's a woman and a clinical sexologist in Vancouver, British Columbia. "People get fit not only to attract others sexually but also to stand tall among our peers."

That's cool and all, but don't forget about what truly counts- it's all about what the women want!. When you walk past a woman, she's checking out her favorite body parts. Big guns are fine, but they're pretty far down the list of favorites on most women's checklists. Let them tell you what those favorites are, why they love them, and the exercises you need to do to build them.

A Wide Back
Why she likes it: A wide back is essential for a V-shaped torso, and women's attraction to it is an innate trait passed down through history. "When it was important that our mates protect us from woolly mammoths on the plains, we looked for a gene pool that could provide us with protection," says Ren.

A broad back hints at security and survival. "It's a domination and protection thing," says Kyra, 26. "Like he's going to take care of you."

How to build it: Stretching the muscles to the maximum is a key to developing a big back. "A maximum stretch means working the muscle in a full range of motion," says Carter Hays, C.S.C.S., a performance-enhancement specialist in Houston. The straight-arm alternating pullover develops the muscles best.

The Exercise: Lie faceup on a bench with your right leg straight, the thigh flat on the bench. Keep your left foot on the floor. Hold a dumbbell in your right hand above your thigh, palm facing in. Keeping your arm straight, lift it up and back so it makes a 180-degree arc. Pause, then return to the starting position. Switch legs and hands after each set. Do three sets of 12 repetitions with each arm.

Broad Shoulders
Why she likes them: "The shoulder muscles are really the muscles of love and war," says Nancy Etcoff, Ph.D., a psychologist and author of Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty. They also enhance the whole 'V-taper' look when combined with a broad back. "Strong shoulders literally sweep women off their feet," says Laura, 24. "That's where we can wrap our arms around and snuggle up."

How to build them: "Strong lateral deltoids add width to your shoulders," says Mike Gough, C.S.C.S., owner of an athletic training facility. Try the Swiss-ball (med ball) leaning lateral raise. "Because of the angle of your torso when leaning against the ball," he says, "the weight has to travel through a greater range of motion."

The Exercise: Lean your right shoulder against a Swiss ball that's placed against a wall. Keeping your body straight, place your feet less than shoulder-width apart and far enough from the wall so that your body is at a 30-degree angle from the floor. Hold a dumbbell in your left hand and let the hand hang down below your right leg, palm facing the wall. Lift your arm up and out to your left until it forms a straight line with your shoulders. Pause, then slowly lower the weight back down. Do three sets of 12 repetitions with each arm.

Nice Buns
Why she likes them: They are something to grab on to. "During sex she can reach around, grab them, and literally pull you toward her," says Timothy Perper, Ph.D., a biologist and author of Sex Signals: The Biology of Love. It's a subconscious thing, he theorizes, but Jane, 36, says she's fully conscious: "A great butt is one that looks like you can grab on and maneuver. That's what it's there for."

How to build them: The one-legged squat isolates the smaller gluteal muscles better than other squats. "You work the gluteus minimus and the tiny muscles that stabilize the hip joint," says Frederick Carl Hatfield, Ph.D., who holds the International Powerlifting Federation record for his (two-legged) squat of 1,014 pounds.

The Exercise: Stand on one leg with the other leg out in front of your body so your heel is just off the floor. Extend your arms out to your sides for balance or hold on to a doorway. Bend the supporting leg to lower yourself as far as you can. Pause, then return to the starting position, and finish the set with that leg before repeating with the other. As this gets easier, try holding a 5- or 10-pound dumbbell in each hand while you squat. Do three sets of 10 repetitions on each leg.

Jacked Calves
Why she likes them: "Women want an overall sense of strength and fitness," says Etcoff. "If a man looks as if he can lift something but can't run, it looks disproportionate." Dawn, 25, says, "They don't have to be enormous. But muscular calves are a very masculine trait--and that's sexy."

How to build them: Train your anterior tibialis--the muscle opposite the calf. "Most people are unaware that the calves have an opposite muscle group," says Scott Rankin, C.S.C.S., a strength coach in Toronto. Train it and you'll be able to lift more weight during calf exercises and other lower-body moves.

The Exercise: Try the tibialis curl. Sit on a bench with your feet together and flat on the floor. Place a light dumbbell across your toes. Lift your toes off the floor as high as possible without raising your heels, then return to the starting position. Do three sets of 10 to 15 repetitions whenever you work your calves.

For your calves, balance on one foot on a step and hold a dumbbell in the hand opposite the leg on the step. Keeping the knee bent, rise onto the ball of your foot, then ease back down. Do three sets of calf raises. Work up to 25 repetitions per set.

DID YOU KNOW...

"U.S. researchers have found exercise is as effective as some medications in preventing high blood pressure."

Source: United Press International, June 29, 2004

The Washington University School of Medicine team discovered walking, jogging and cycling, at mild to moderate intensity levels, can help reduce an enlarged heart and lower blood pressure.

The results of exercise were equal to the effects of treatment with the drug thiazide diuretic, used to help lower blood pressure. Reducing blood pressure is key to lowering the risk of stroke and heart failure in hypertensive patients.