When it comes to working out, most guys have the same goal: they want to look awesome with their shirt off! You have probably heard of the term “aesthetics” on more than one occasion. Aesthetics means that someone has an aesthetically pleasing physique with very good proportions, or in simple terms, a great looking physique.
What does “good proportions” and “aesthetic” mean in terms of bodybuilding? This article is going to be your blueprint on crafting the ultimate fitness model physique with perfect proportions.
We are going to dive into the 5 rules of training that you must emphasize each week if you want to have a fitness model physique and be deemed “king of aesthetics.”
This style of training will help you work towards that incredible fitness model look. While these physiques may take a long time to build, there are no shortcuts to success, and all of the great physiques followed these training principles to sculpt the ultimate fitness model body.
What Makes You Look Like a Fitness Model: 5 Rules of Aesthetic Training
1. 8% body fat or less
The first rule to looking like a fitness model is that you HAVE to have low body fat. Not only do you need proportionate and fully developed muscles (more on this to come), but you also need to be able to see them.
No matter how developed your muscles are, if they are covered with a layer of fat, you will not be able to look aesthetically pleasing.
This means that to see all of the muscles in your body, your goal should be to maintain about 8% body fat. While 10% seems to be the golden rule for seeing some abdominal development, we are talking fitness model physique here! This means that cutting down to 8 percent will give you that shredded fitness model look!
How do we achieve this 8% body fat number? For one, and most importantly, we have to put a huge emphasis on eating correctly. Now, this article isn’t about breaking down the fitness model diet, but rather the ultimate fitness model workout.
This means that if you want to cut down to 8% body fat, you need to perform high-intensity interval training 2-3 times per week as your choice of cardio. Performing HIIT has some incredible anabolic hormone boosting benefits such as boosting your HGH and testosterone to sky-high levels, which will help you sculpt your physique.
Another thing that HIIT accomplishes is that it will increase your metabolism for up to 24 hours following a cardio workout. This means that you are a muscle building and fat burning machine when you combine HIIT with the weight-training regimen we are going to discuss.
2. Emphasis on V-taper
You can’t have the perfect fitness model symmetry without that V-taper. Your V-taper will make or break your physique and requires that you have a small waist, broad and fully developed shoulders, and flaring lat muscles! This is the holy grail of the aesthetic physique.
Now many people argue that developing that perfect V-taper is genetic, but you can certainly give your body the best chance by keeping your body fat down (using a fat burner supplement will help), working your core from a variety of angles, and most importantly performing maximum intensity exercises that build your lats and shoulders.
By building your back and shoulders, you are increasing the ratio of your shoulders and lats to your waist. This is known as the “golden ratio” and is what gives you an attractive and aesthetic physique.
To build the fitness model physique, you need to be performing the following exercises and making sure that you are making small incremental changes each time you perform them.
We recommend that you perform all 6 of these exercises each week for a minimum of 5 sets. Make sure to go heavy, as these are larger muscle groups that respond best to heavy overload.
- Dumbbell Shoulder Press
- Weighted Pull-Ups (Wide Grip and Close Grip)
- Underhand Grip Lat Pull-Down
- One Arm Dumbbell Row
- Dumbbell Side Raises
- Standing Military Press
3. The two x-factor muscles
There are two upper body muscle groups that can really enhance your aesthetics and fitness model physique. These are the upper chest muscle and your traps. These are two muscle groups are really hard to develop for most guys but will give you incredible aesthetics once you build them.
If you even look at elite fitness competitors, it is very rare to see them with fully developed traps and upper chest. The reason that some of them are considered to have “perfect aesthetics” is that they have these muscle groups fully developed in proportion with the rest of their body.
So how do you develop these muscle groups? These exercises are known to help you develop a chiseled upper chest. Make sure you are hitting 6-8 sets of these upper chest-developing exercises each week.
More importantly, you need to track your weights and focus on increasing the amount of overload each week. Your upper chest is a stubborn muscle group, and will only respond to maximum intensity and progressive overload.
- Incline Bench Press
- Incline Dumbbell Press
- Barbell Bench Press
- Weighted Dips
- Weighted Diamond Pushups
Make sure to perform the following exercises for fully developed and thick traps. You want to hit these hard for at least 8 sets per week. Many guys have trouble building thick traps, so focus on increasing the weight each week. Notice the emphasis on progressive overload throughout this article!
- Barbell Shrug
- Dumbbell Shrug
- Upright Row
4. Chiseled abs
You can’t have the ultimate fitness model look without some chiseled abs. This means that you have well defined upper, mid and lower abdominals and those crazy looking oblique’s.
Many guys have upper abdominal definition but have nothing for lower abs and obliques. If you want to look like a fitness model then you need to chisel and define each section of your abdominals.
Make sure to perform all of the following exercises each week to sculpt and define each section of your abdominals. You can work out your abdominal muscles 5-6 times per week, as they require less rest time than other muscles groups.
- Dumbbell Side Hyperextension (Oblique Isolation)
- Bicycle Crunch (Middle and Lower Abs)
- Rope Crunch (Upper and Mid Abs)
- Weighted Cocoons (Full Abdominal Development)
- Hanging Leg Raise with Twist (Oblique)
- Weighted Leg Raise (Lower Abs)
5. Never skip leg day
If you want to develop the perfect physique, you need to make sure that you never skip leg day. The top fitness models in the world can squat and deadlift a lot of weight, and this proves how important it is to develop proper aesthetics.
On top of your quadriceps and hamstrings, you also need to develop your calf muscles. Your calves are what will make you look great in shorts and a tank top. If you have tiny calves and a big upper body it will stick out like a sore thumb.
There is another reason that you don’t want to skip leg day. Your quadriceps and hamstrings are 2 of your body’s largest muscle group, so when you train them and lift with heavy weight, you are eliciting the maximum anabolic hormonal response.
Many fitness models will train a smaller muscle group such as biceps or triceps with their quadriceps since it maximizes your free testosterone output. Even if you aren’t overly concerned with your leg development, you still need to make sure you aren’t skipping leg day, or it will stunt your upper body development since you won’t produce as many anabolic hormones.
The ultimate fitness model workout includes the following leg exercises every single week:
- Stiff Leg Deadlift
- Barbell Squat
- Dumbbell Lunges
- Barbell Deadlift
- Leg Extension
- Hamstring Curl Machine
