Elite trainers gave us a cool anatomy lesson: To sculpt the sexiest cuts, contours and lines, you need to zero in on some surprising muscles. Here's how.
1. Whatever you think of John Mayer, he was right about one thing: Your body is a wonderland ... and you're about to look wonderful.
Illustration: Christy Krames
2. You Want: A Perky Butt
Target: The latissimus dorsi
Why it works: The lats are big back muscles. They're attached to your glutes (aka butt muscles) by deep tissue—right lat to left cheek and vice versa, in a crisscross. "They're connected, so making your lats stronger will help your glutes engage more effectively," says Abbie Appel, a master trainer in Boca Raton, Florida.
Why you care: Because engaged glutes mean you'll turbocharge the tush-tightening powers of every lower-body exercise you do.
Arthur Belebeau
3. How to Get It
Target: The latissimus dorsi
The move: Plow
Sit on a chair with legs extended, feet flexed, heels on floor; loop a resistance band around soles of feet and hold a handle in each hand at sides, palms up. With torso tall and shoulders down, draw arms as far as you can behind you, squeezing shoulder blades together (as shown). Return to start. Do 3 sets of 12 reps. Focus on keeping arms straight, to work your lats, not your biceps.
Illustration: Christy Krames
4. You Want: Amazing Abs
Target: The serratus anterior
Why it works: Put your hands on the sides of your rib cage at your bra strap. You're feeling these small, hardworkin' muscles. When they're strong, they act like little arrows pointing to defined abs. "The serratus highlights or accents the ribs, making the whole torso appear more defined," says trainer James Bowman, owner of Northwest Strength Lab on Bainbridge Island, Washington.
Arthur Belebeau
5. How to Get Them
Target: The serratus anterior
The move: Floor Press
Lie faceup holding a weight in left hand, arm extended over shoulder. Keeping right arm at side, lift left arm until shoulder blade and head are off floor (as shown); hold for 3 beats. Return to start. Do 5 reps. Switch sides; repeat. "Lying down helps you stay more stable than standing, and it allows you to lift heavier, so you'll see results faster," Bowman says. Use the heaviest weight you can, then work up to a 20-pounder.
Illustration: Christy Krames
6. You Want: Gorgeous Legs
Target: The anterior tibialis
Why it works: That, folks, is geekspeak for shin, a body part you probably haven't given a whole lot of thought to. But strengthen these suckers and you'll create that sexy line of definition in your lower legs, says Wayne Westcott, Ph.D., an exercise physiologist at Quincy College. And, if you care, being strong is also pretty great for injury prevention—no shin splints or ankle rolling for you.
Arthur Belebeau
7. How to Get Them
Target: The anterior tibialis
The move: Reverse Toe Tap
Sit on a chair with left thigh crossed over right and tie a string around a 3-pound dumbbell, creating a loop; hang it on left shoe. Keeping leg still, flex left foot toward shin (as shown); release. Then flex left foot toward shin and to left; release; repeat to right for 1 rep. Do 15 reps. Switch legs; repeat. If all the movement seems a little dizzying, know that it's the key to hitting the anterior tibialis muscles from every angle.
Arthur Belebeau
8.Here's some easy math: Take these 6 moves, add 20 minutes of cardio, repeat 3 times a week, and earn 1 smokin' bod.
Illustration: Christy Krames
9.You Want: Show-Off Shoulders
Target: The Rotator Cuff Muscles
Why it works: This group of four muscles encircles the top of your shoulder and keeps it stable. Typical front and side dumbbell raises hit a couple of the rotators, but to create the pulled-back, stand-out shoulders hot girls have, you need to activate all four.
How? It's easier than you might think: Go in circles. "They're called rotator muscles, so it's not surprising that you need rotational movements to fire them," says Paul Frediani, owner of Elysium Fitness in New York City.
Arthur Belebeau
10. How to Get Them
Target: The Rotator Cuff Muscles
The move: Wax on, wax off
Stand with right arm extended at shoulder height, palm pressing a ball against the wall (as shown). Slowly move ball in a small clockwise circle for 20 reps, then counterclockwise for 20. Switch arms to complete 1 set; do 2 sets. We used a rubber ball; as Frediani says, go light—it takes only rotation, not weight, to work the quartet.
Illustration: Christy Krames
11. You Want: A Butt Dimple
Target: The gluteus medius
Why it works: You may think you're defining your booty doing routine squats and lunges, but stronger muscles, like hamstrings, tend to take over.
Which stinks, because the medius—the fan-shaped muscle that creates the booty divot—gets no love, explains Brent Brookbush, a trainer in NYC and the author of Fitness or Fiction. Pay that medius attention: Toners that have you balance on one leg will zero in on the muscle and give it one big honing hug.
Arthur Belebeau
12. How to Get It
Target: The gluteus medius
The move: Knee Side Plank
Lie on right side, propped on right forearm, elbow under shoulder, knees bent and stacked. Raise hips and extend left leg so toes hover about 12 inches off floor (as shown). Hold for 30 seconds. Switch sides; repeat. "Picture squeezing a dollar bill between your butt cheeks for ultimate medius activation," Brookbush suggests.
Illustration: Christy Krames
13.You Want: Wowza Arms
Target: The posterior deltoid
Why it works: Meatheads refer to this muscle as the rear delt. You can call it the back of your shoulder. It sits right above your triceps—the muscle to blame for bat wings. If you have side-by-side muscles like these that are untoned, you can't tell where one starts, the other begins ... or whether or not that arm belongs to Gumby.
"Strengthen the rear delts and you highlight the separation between the triceps, making both look more sculpted," says Yumi Lee Matthews, a trainer in Los Angeles. That's two-for-one toning, ladies!
Arthur Belebeau
14. How to Get Them
Target: The posterior deltoid
The move: Rainbow raise
Hold a resistance band in front of hips, hands slightly wider than shoulders, palms facing thighs. Raise arms overhead as you pull hands away from each other, keeping arms straight and creating tension in the band (as shown). Lower arms behind you, turning thumbs toward floor. Reverse movement to return to start. Do 3 sets of 12 reps.