The “bodybuilder physique” has been defined as a very specific thing. Comments are often made about the physiques of boxers, wrestlers, sprinters and all sorts of other athletes to the effect of “he looks like a bodybuilder.”
What does this mean?
There have been big and muscular men throughout history. We see this with statues from ancient Greece and the sculptures of Michelangelo. But beginning in the mid-20th century, and becoming more pronounced over time, there has been a certain kind of blend of muscularity, shape, symmetry, proportion, definition and other visual qualities modern culture has come to recognize as “the bodybuilder physique” — which results from a particular type of program of physical training and diet.
There are many weightlifters and other strength and power athletes who develop really big, powerful muscles. But there is an aesthetic associated with the bodybuilding physique – size, shape, symmetry, proportion, conditioning, definition and balance combine all of these into one human body and you get amazing aesthetics. Building a great physique doesn’t have to be as complicated as lifters make it out to be.
Over the years, the top rated body builders have established that one of the most fundamental aspects of a training program is sets and reps. How many reps should you do of how many sets and how much weight should be involved. In this regard, a majority of the most experienced bodybuilders know that the following approach has worked successfully for them :
- 4 to 5 sets of 4 to 5 exercises
- Split-system training.
- Using about 75% of your one-rep maximum resistance.
- Combining compound (multi-joint) exercise with isolation (single-joint) movements.
- Relying on free weights for growth and strength, cables and machines for detail
- Not training too often or too long.
- Giving yourself enough time between workouts to rest and recuperate.
- Maximizing the nutrition in your diet and minimize the calories to achieve the necessary definition and muscularity.
But if you’re one of the thousands of people who crave the body of a Greek God over anything else, you need to train especially for aesthetics. Get it right, and one day you could find yourself on stage with a trophy in your hands. Here’s your guide that you should do to build a body- Michelangelo could have carved!
1. Your Sets and Reps
If you always perform the same weights and reps during your workouts, your body will have no reason to change for the better. It needs a reason to improve. To make your body change, decrease the weight and increase the reps. Start by performing two warm-up sets to prevent any injuries. After warm-up, start with a set of 6-8 reps at about 70 -80 percent pf your maximum effort. As you progress through the sets of each exercidse, decrease the weight and increase the repitions. The first heavy sets will shock your muscles and increase your strength, while the lighter sets with higher reps will help you build bigger muscles. It is a perfect combination.
2. Train Unilaterally for Proportion and Symmetry
A proportional body has everything in harmony. For example, your legs should not look like tooth picks as compared to your bigger upper body. Symmentry on the other hand refers to the right balance among your muscle groups. Your biceps should be in the right ratio to your tricpes and your left and rights quads should be equally large and conditioned.
Both proportion and symmetry need to exist in unity in order for the body to look its best. One of the best ways to achieve proportion and symmetry is to add unilateral exercises into your daily training routine. Lifting with one arm or leg at a time will ensure that you’re equally strong and proportional on both sides of your body.
“Building a great physique doesn’t have to be as complicated as lifters make it out to be.”
3. Get Conditioned To Look Defined
Truly aesthetic bodies do not have much extra body fat. To stay conditioned, keep your rest intervals short. For larger muscle groups like legs, rest no longer than 50 seconds. For smaller muscle groups like biceps and triceps, rest no longer than 30 -40 seconds. Limiting your rest will make an enormous difference in your cardio vascular fitness. Cardio is a crucial component. Do atleast 4 sessions of cardio between 20 – 40 minutes each week to keep your body fat and cardio vascular health in check.
4. Accentuate Your V- Taper
Nothing makes people stop and stare like an amazing V-Taper. Wide shoulders with a small waist are the epitome of body builder aesthetics. Train your body to have a wider back and broad shoulders that will make your waisyt appear smaller.
5. Sculpt a Six Pack
For an aesthetic physique, great abs are a must. Thet are a sign that you have the perfect balance of size, shape, symentry and conditioning. Train your abs regularly.
1. Must do Exercises for a Stronger, Bigger and an Aesthetic Body Squat
The squat, sometimes deemed, the “king of all exercises”, is one of the most fundamental movements. Most see a squat as an exercise that just hits the quads, but if done correctly, it is hitting the hamstrings and glutes, while also giving an isometric stimulation towards the upper and lower back. Also, the fact that you can work up to such a high amount of weight compared to say a bicep curl, means your body is getting a bigger central nervous system response which can allow for a bigger adaptation towards overall strength.
2. Deadlifts
Deadlifts are one of the oldest documented weight training exercises and for good reason. They have stood the test of time and are still classed as one of the most important exercises to include in any routine. On the surface deadlifts may just appear to involve lifting up a bar and placing it back down again but in reality there is so much more than meets the eye. Deadlifts are actually a powerlifting exercise along with Bench press and Squat and are also classed as a compound movement. These are exercises that utilize several different muscle groups at once, as opposed to isolation exercises such as biceps curl.
The first half of the movement is essentially a squat, except you are holding the bar in front of you rather than keeping it on your shoulders. This difference in load distribution brings your entire back complex into the exercise, all the way from the traps, to the lats, to your spinal erectors. With the deadlift, you can’t really get stronger at it, without having a really strong core, a tight kept upper back, and strong hips.
3. Pull-Ups
Part of the “yoked” or “superhero” look that lifters usually seek out is a nice V tapered back. The pull-up will achieve this. Working on the lats and biceps, this exercise also challenges you to get really good at moving your body weight. You can go on a lat pulldown to get stronger, but I advise learning to get really good at body weight pull-ups first. A lot of gyms have pull-up assistance machines if you find you aren’t able to perform 6-8 reps with good form of just your body weight so give those a try if you are struggling.
4. Bench Press
The classic staple of every bro’s workout routine, the bench press will hit the chest, shoulders and triceps. For how popular it is utilized the one issue I have is it is done with horrible form too often. Elbows should be flared to 45 degrees not 90. Shoulder blades should be pinched back like you are trying to touch them together not laid out flat. The chest should always be leading in front of the shoulders so that the shoulders don’t dominate too much during the lift. Not following these cues causes a lot of shoulder impingement pain for lifters.
5. The Overhead Press
The standing shoulder press is a long forgotten exercise that was used as a measurement of strength in every weightlifting competition until 1972 in the place of the bench press. This bodybuilding exercise is more effective for upper body development than the bench press, exactly because оf the standing position during execution. You see, besides the shoulders,triceps and upper chest all other upper body muscles are involved in the execution of the press for stabilization. This apart, you need to fuel your body with healthy protien rich diets, carbs, minerals, fats, body building supplements and multi vitamin capsules and a good amount of rest and sleep. Remember, consistency is the key.
