By Tara Patriquin / Personal Fitness for The Chronicle Herald

We all have problem spots that we just can’t get to measure up in proportion to the rest of our body — no matter what measures we take. This is when illusionary tactics can come in handy.

Unless you have ever trained for a bodybuilding competition, where proportion is critical, you might not know that it is possible to achieve a symmetrical body shape, with some hard work and a little ingenuity. You just need to know where you’re lacking and what complementary body part you can work to create balance.

We know that we can’t spot-train for weight loss, but we certainly can for muscle gain. For example, perhaps you’ve got a bit o’ booty and hips. This isn’t a bad thing, by the way, but I recognize that not everyone who has it is happy about it. Whether genetics or your sport has made it impossible for you to reduce your fanny, you can help create the illusion of proportion by training around the midsection and shoulders.

It seems obvious, but increasing your width across the body — facing front on rather than from the side — makes you look bigger overall. This is the classic V shape that is so desired by bodybuilders. Whether you are bodybuilding or looking for symmetry, the same principles apply.

If you broaden up through the shoulders it will create balance between the shoulders and hips so that your hips aren’t appearing so wide. Do some overhead shoulder presses and, most importantly, some lateral side raises to build up through the side of the deltoids (shoulders) for more width.

You can enhance through your back to help show off the shoulders; more specifically, through the upper back: the traps and the lats. Do so with pull-ups of all angles. Use the Gravitron machine (assisted pull-ups) if you need to.

Do three types of pulls: one with hands wide and palms away from you; another with a narrow grip, palms facing each other; and one more with palms towards you, hands held shoulder width apart. Challenging the lift from all three angles will force the back to recruit different fibres, helping you increase strength and size faster.

You can enhance this look even further by narrowing down through the waist to create the illusion of even more width through these areas. This requires fat loss, aided by a clean diet. Or you can work out the obliques to get a little bit of width through the midsection so that the waist doesn’t look so narrow against the hips, again helping to create balance. Rule of thumb, though — your waist should never look wider than your hips, or you become too boxy.

It’s also important not to neglect calves, because little chicken legs will destroy any balance that you achieved in your upper body.

If you have larger hips, you might want to avoid exercising the outermost part of your butt (gluteus medius). Stay away from the abductor (outer thigh) machine or side lunges, as they target this area. Squats, while being an ultimate exercise for lower body mass, can also increase the size of your gluteus medius, so limit them if this is a concern for you.

Or you can do either of these exercises with high-rep, low-weight for toning and burning rather than for building. Alternatively, you can pre-fatigue the glutes with another exercise before hitting these routines, encouraging the surrounding muscles to take on the load.

Maybe your hips aren’t your problem, but instead you are sporting a bit of a muffin top. Is that offensive? I just heard that term a few weeks ago and think that it is the funniest thing I’ve heard in a long time: muffin top. No disrespect.

Let’s just say that you are carrying a little extra weight around your midsection so that it spills out over the top of your pants. Couple this with long and lean limbs and you might feel like your small amount of weight around the waist appears worse than it really is.

Never fear. The same above principles can work for you to create a more symmetrical body, if not at least the illusion of one. Building up your lower body helps create balance. Do squats and leg presses to build up your glutes and thighs to balance out the extra weight around your waist. And while training the shoulders, don’t neglect some bicep curls and triceps kickbacks to put some muscle on those lanky arms.

And who knew that having a little fashion sense could help you shed or gain a few extra pounds? Well, if you have ever watched TLC’s What Not to Wear (my guilty pleasure), you may have noticed that they are the masters of illusion. They can take an otherwise short and frumpy woman, and with the right fit, colours or prints of her clothing can make her look two inches taller and 10 pounds lighter.

I am no fashion expert; in fact, I could probably stand to be on that show myself, but I have picked up a few tips along the way. The best advice they give people is to avoid pleated waistlines. People think that pleats hide any unsightly areas, but really they draw attention to the area. You want to draw attention away from your problem areas.

If you have a larger tummy, wear a V-neck top and accessorize to draw the eye up and away from your tummy. Women should be choosing jackets or tops that are cut in a silhouette shape as this helps create a clean line through the torso.

And please, if you can’t build up the shoulders in the gym, don’t resort to shoulder pads. They look so unnatural. Instead, choose the right bottoms, like straight-leg pants or A-line skirts to create the illusion of a smaller lower body.

So my friends, you can go to all these measures, if you must. But in the end, regardless of whether your hips are bigger than your shoulders, isn’t the important thing your health and wellness? Just a thought!

Stay Healthy! Stay Happy!

Tara Patriquin is a certified personal trainer and a registered holistic nutritional consultant living and working in Halifax. Her freelance column appears every Wednesday.