Can't see the images at work, so - here's what I can suggest.
1. Workout like a woman. Especially if you're not on HRT or PM yet. (Anti-Androgens are essential, actually.)
2. Lighter weights. The heavier weights will build more size. Also, it seems more reps. So, as a guy, you might do a 200# squat for 5 sets of 5 reps? Yeah, NO! Do like 50 pounds, slow and controlled (NOT explosive) for one or two sets of 20 or so. (Presuming same person; E.G., a pro bodybuilder like Kroc who went from Matt to Janae is no longer pushing up a 600+# squat. )
3. Jogging. Think Long, Slow, Distance. (My hated enemy, BTW.) It burns through your lean body mass, so make sure you have diet and body fat sorted first, but you actually want to look more like a marathoner than a Mr. Universe or fitness mag guy.
4. If you're bulky like me? FOAM ROLL, FOAM ROLL, FOAM ROLL, FOAM ROLL, and FOAM ROLL some more. Stretch a LOT, as well. Women are more flexible and build less muscle. (We also believe they use different energy paths, and it's documented women recover differently, too. "We" is this board; the documentation is over at T-nation, and is reflected in several training plans for women / female body builders.)
Yoga is an excellent approach. So is martial arts, actually. Thinking kung fu, kick boxing, maybe jiu jitsu. Avoid hard styles; good for training (torch body fat), bad for the muscles they'll build. Tai Chi is actually lousy for fitness purposes, though great for active meditation - similar in that way to yoga.
For the rest, body weight calisthenics seem the way to go, except for specific body parts. Butt, for example, you'd WANT to train for hypertrophy (muscle growth), using the heavier weights, and sets of 8-10. Heavier, too, not Max weights. Hip thrusts, bridging, you can do kettlebell swings, too.
But stretch the muscles right after you work out, except maybe the butt. And if you sit all day like I do, find a way to specifically NAIL your butt, and move as much as possible. ;-) Sitting = flat butt. Sprints help, hip thrust, running in general (see jogging above; for fat loss, say, do about 20 minutes of intervals with a sprint, HARD, for 10-20 seconds, then recover for 20-40 seconds; more shorter intervals is better for this part. Then, go to jogging. The intervals will make the body mobilize fat; then, you go for a slow distance run, and you're building your butt while burning off excess fat. It's a protocol I'm integrating into my workouts shortly. So far, the LSD is NOT wanted, but I have to lose almost 80 pounds of fat. :-( I've figured our from the last weeks' ketogenic diet, the problem isn't the food we eat - but the amount. Yes, I get fat from eating chicken and steak with veggies. Eating half a chicken is just too much food for one person's meal.)
This is VERY different from previous exercise posts, though. I still believe in some strength training, but I think for US? I've been looking in the wrong direction. Long, lean muscle is best, hence yoga, calisthenics. Also swimming. Dance.
But pumping iron, I might need to drop completely. Aside from necessary movements (Squats, deadlifts; especially Sumo Squats, Hack Squats, Bulgarian Split squats, Front Squats or Goblet Squats; Deadlifts, especially Romanian Deadlift), most of the weightlifting isn't likely to help us (enough in the ways we want, I.E. hips and butt building.)
And most of the ones I've listed? Need lighter weight and change the mechanics. I can squat 240, plus the lard on my belly. I cannot do a BODY WEIGHT STEP-UP without wiggling, and usually setting down the foot at the top. That's PAINFUL to my ego....
But when I was squatting daily, doing 50#, and swimming every day? I looked decent (not quite androgynous, but more on the male side of female, as opposed to Hulk) - lots of strong, flexible muscle. No issue bounding up the stairs. No charley horse in every muscle in my body...
And now, I'm inflexible and weak. And it's getting worse, I'm not 18 any more. ;-)
Go with "girly weights," select some of the exercises mentioned to build your butt; you want to build the vastus medialis, the gluteus medius, and of course, the gluteus maximus. So, squats, squats, squats; I've noticed the most activation in the necessary muscles from the variations I mentioned, and using "heavy" weights at sets of 10 is supposedly the best way to build mass. "Heavy" is meaningless; use weights that challenge you. And do the hip thrusts and/or kettlebell swings, they'll be both metabolic conditioning, and gluteal builders. Deadlift ensures a strong back.
Now, other things: Abs. Planks. Solved. (See the link below.) Side planks, RKD planks (I think that's the name), some pushups, too. But planks and anti-rotation is better to build a controlled tummy. Tons of crunches or situps, bad for belly. (Build strength, sure, but not hundreds or thousands of crunches!) And they'll get hit from a few angles with the lifts.
https://www.t-nation.com/training/sexy-female-training
Lastly, I'd suggest a trainer at first. The objective is to get a session or three to ensure good form with your selected exercises. Also, you want to learn how to feel the muscles you're working. It's no good to do a squat so it emphasizes the quads down by the knee; that emphasizes the wrong part of the muscle. Do one that emphasizes the butt muscles, and you're set - but you need to FEEL those gluteals (Hack squat), instead of the quads (how I do a normal back squat).
Check yourself once a month, and decide what you want to refine. You might also want to look at "Neanderthal no more" if you sit too much, like me. You'll want to cure the imbalances we create. I'm curved forwards, hunched over, most of the day. Building strength in the back (counter tension on the too-tight front body) is essential BEFORE I move to the sexy female routine. Losing fat, too, which is 80% diet, more true than I realized...
And of course, you need to record each step. measurements and photos. E.G., thigh measurement, how much you lift, how fast you can lift, ho many sets, how many reps, and body fat %. The combination of the numbers and what you look like will tell yo if you're on the right path. :-)
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-Dianna
