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Physique Training: 5 Keys To An Aesthetic Body
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Physique Training: 5 Keys To An Aesthetic Body
Alex Carneiro
March 31, 2016 •
4 min read
Building a proportional, symmetrical body takes a special kind of training. It requires more than just pulling heavy deadlifts—it's an art. Here's a guide to creating your own
statuesque physique!
Size, shape, proportion, conditioning, symmetry, and balance: combine all of these into one human body and
you get amazing aesthetics. Forty years ago, guys like Serge Nubret, Frank Zane, Sergio Oliva, and Arnold
Schwarzenegger were the kings of aesthetics. They built strong, powerful bodies that looked incredible from
every angle. They all had a tiny waist, an insane V-taper, and slabs of quads that made their knees look tiny.
These guys were so great that their legacy is just as inspiring and powerful today as it was in the '70s.
These days, with so much emphasis on muscle size, strength, and power, many of us have forgotten how to
train for anything other than performance. And while performance is important, physique goals such as
building an Adonis-like physique can be just as vital.
First of all, your aesthetics won't come if you don't eat right. Because you're constantly damaging your
muscles, you need to repair them with lots of protein. Eat at least 0.8 grams of protein per pound of
bodyweight each day and you'll see that growth.
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 to building a body Michelangelo could have carved!
KEY 1 DIAL IN YOUR SETS AND REPS
VITAL STATS
Name: Alex Carneiro
Occupation: IFBB Olympia Pro; Optimum-sponsored
athlete; Kinesiologist; Nutritionist; Coach; Pro
Fitness Cover Model
Website: alexcarneiro.com
If you always perform the same weight and reps during your workouts, your body will have no reason to
change for the better. It needs a reason to improve. To make my body change, I like to decrease the weight
and increase the reps as I move through a set. So far, it's served me well.
Start by performing two warm-up sets to prevent any injuries. After your warm-up, start with a set of 6-8 reps at about 70-80 percent of your max effort. As you progress
through the sets of each exercise, you'll decrease the weight and increase the repetitions. 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's the perfect combination.
SAMPLE SET-AND-REP STRUCTURE
Warm-Up: 2 sets
Set 1: 6-8 reps
Set 2: 8-10 reps
Set 3: 8-10 reps
Set 4: 10-12 reps
Although the weight is getting lighter, it doesn't mean it should be easy. On the final set, your last couple of reps should be really difficult.
KEY 2 TRAIN UNILATERALLY FOR PROPORTION AND SYMMETRY
A proportional body has everything in harmony: For example, your legs shouldn't look like toothpicks compared to your gigantic upper body. Symmetry, on the other hand,
refers to the right balance among your muscle groups. Your biceps should be in the right ratio to your triceps, and your left and right 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.
Here are the lifts you'll want to include in a proportion- and symmetry-building arms workout. Remember to increase the reps and decrease the weight for each set.
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Physique Training: 5 Keys To An Aesthetic Body
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EZ-BAR CURL
PROPORTIONAL AND SYMMETRICAL ARMS WORKOUT
1
SMITH MACHINE CLOSE-GRIP BENCH PRESS
2
EZ-BAR SKULLCRUSHER
3
STANDING LOW-PULLEY ONE-ARM TRICEPS EXTENSION
4 sets of 6, 8, 10, 12 reps
4 sets of 6, 8, 10, 12 reps
4 sets of 6, 8, 10, 12 reps
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Physique Training: 5 Keys To An Aesthetic Body
4
TRICEP DUMBBELL KICKBACK
5
EZ-BAR CURL
6
ALTERNATE HAMMER CURL
7
ALTERNATE INCLINE DUMBBELL CURL
8
SPIDER CURL
4 sets of 6, 8, 10, 12 reps
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4 sets of 6, 8, 10, 12 reps
4 sets of 6, 8, 10, 12 reps
4 sets of 6, 8, 10, 12 reps
4 sets of 6, 8, 10, 12 reps
KEY 3 GET CONDITIONED ENOUGH TO LOOK DEFINED
Truly aesthetic bodies don't have much extra body fat. Without a low-enough body
fat percentage, you won't be able to see trim lines or muscle definition. Although it
can be difficult to build muscle without losing your cuts, it's not impossible.
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 cardiovascular fitness. Your increased heart rate will also help you
burn more fat.
Even if you are in your off-season, cardio is a crucial component. Do at least 4
sessions of cardio between 20-40 minutes each week to keep your body fat low and
your cardiovascular health in check.
KEY 4 ACCENTUATE YOUR V-TAPER
Although balance, symmetry, and conditioning are absolutely essential to a godlike
body, nothing makes people stop and stare like an amazing V-taper. Wide shoulders
with a small waist are the epitome of bodybuilder aesthetics.
NOTHING MAKES PEOPLE STOP AND STARE LIKE AN AMAZING V-TAPER.
If you're lean already, your waist size may be as tight as it can become. Unless you
live in a corset, it's difficult to make your rib cage any smaller than it already is. However, a wide back and broad shoulders will make your waist appear smaller. And that's
what these workouts are meant to help you do—get mile wide.
Use the set and rep protocol that we talked about earlier. Remember to decrease the weight and increase the repetitions on each set.
V-TAPER WORKOUT
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Physique Training: 5 Keys To An Aesthetic Body
1
STANDING MILITARY PRESS
2
SIDE LATERAL RAISE
3
FRONT PLATE RAISE
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4 sets of 6, 8, 10, 12 reps
4 sets of 6, 8, 10, 12 reps
4 sets of 6, 8, 10, 12 reps
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4
SEATED BENT-OVER REAR DELT RAISE
5
SMITH MACHINE SHRUG
6
DUMBBELL SHRUG
7
PULLUPS
8
WIDE-GRIP LAT PULLDOWN
9
SEATED CABLE ROWS
4 sets of 6, 8, 10, 12 reps
4 sets of 6, 8, 10, 12 reps
4 sets of 6, 8, 10, 12 reps
4 sets of 6, 8, 10, 12 reps
4 sets of 6, 8, 10, 12 reps
4 sets of 6, 8, 10, 12 reps
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10
BENT OVER BARBELL ROW
4 sets of 6, 8, 10, 12 reps
KEY 5 SCULPT A SIX-PACK
Don't worry; I didn't forget about your six-pack. For an aesthetic physique, great abs are a must. They're a sign that you have the perfect balance of size, shape, symmetry,
and conditioning. Train your abs three times per week with this quick routine at the end of your workouts:
AESTHETIC ABS WORKOUT
1
DECLINE OBLIQUE CRUNCH
2
KNEE/HIP RAISE ON PARALLEL BARS
3
STANDING CABLE WOOD CHOP
4
AB CRUNCH MACHINE
4 sets of 6, 8, 10, 12 reps
4 sets of 6, 8, 10, 12 reps
4 sets of 6, 8, 10, 12 reps
4 sets of 6, 8, 10, 12 reps
GOLD STANDARD STACK
PRE & POST-WORKOUT STACK DESIGNED TO ENHANCE ENDURANCE AND MUSCLE RECOVERY
GO NOW!
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Physique Training: 5 Keys To An Aesthetic Body
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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Alex Carneiro
Alex Carneiro is an NSL pro, kinesiologist, fitness cover model, celebrity coach, and Optimum Nutrition athlete.
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dalegs83 (Joey ledford)
My biceps are fairly equal in size, however, my left tricep and brachialis is slightly thicker than me right. If I'm trying to get the right side to catch up, should I train
the right to failure and not the left until I see results? How would you get one to catch up of you're training both sides to failure?
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