The truth which is lost to many bodybuilders today is that the quickest way to look good is not necessarily to increase overall mass as much as possible, or even to increase lean body mass as quickly as possible. The fact is that certain muscles are much more important for a muscular appearance than others, and the development of those muscles must be emphasized in a maximally productive training routine.
Every bodybuilder needs to periodically reevaluate his symmetry and determine which areas need work, and which areas may need to be left alone. For example, the muscles on the upper quadricep on my legs are quite well developed compard to my lower quads. My thighs tend to look pear shaped, and are thin around the knee area. For this reason I dropped leg presses and squats from my regimen, and as a result have made significant improvement in the shape (and therfore, appearance) of my legs.
Trainers with high bodyfat levels may find it difficult to determine their own particular needs. Until fat levels can be reduced they should follow a general mass building program with special emphasis on the muscles which are most important for appearance.
The following muscles must be large, relative to the other muscles, to maximize the aesthetic value of the physique (listed here in order of decreasing importance):
I didn't include abdominals since abdominal definition and appearance is primarily a function of bodyfat reduction, not abdominal training. I put legs lower on the list because most people wear pants most of the time. A big chest and shoulders will make people look better in shirts - big hamstrings are less vital.
Please not that the front delt will receive enough work along with upper pec training, and shouldn't be worked separately. Most people have front delts which overshadow the rest of their physique anyway.
Some muscles are easy to develop, or throw off symmetry when they are developed. If you do train these, do it with lighter weights or less intensity:
Basically, you want the muscles which accentuate the X-frame - wide at top, narrow in middle, wide at bottom (knee level). Anything which thickens the waist is a no-no. Anything which maximizes width at the top and bottom is a plus. This goes for women as well as for men, although the amount of mass in question is different, and many women want to add in glute training.
Each person must find exercises which target the muscles they need to develop, and which fail to target those muscles which they do not want to develop. Which exercises work best should be determined by feel - by what hurts when you do them. Technique is extremely important if you use free weights. Very slight variations in hand position can greatly shift the emphasis of many exercises.
Much of the adaption to resistance training in untrained individuals is neurological. The nervous system has to learn how to perfom the exercises, how to recruit muscle fibers for maximal gain, etc. Beginners can profit from doing multiple sets or exercises for the first few weeks of training. Try to find someone to show you how to train properly. It took me years to learn how to work certain muscles in isolation.
The experienced bodybuilder should be able to exhaust a muscle in one set. For more information on why that is, see my next article, High Intensity Training. Pick an exercise which targets the muscle you want to train, one which gives you the best pump or burn in that muscle, and nowhere else. Do this for every muscle you need to train, then count the sets. If it is too much work to do inone day, split it up however you want to.
Every trainer should probably avoid exercises which involve supporting a lot of weight overhead or on the shoulders (overhead presses, squats, etc.) These may thicken the waist. Avoid explosive movements as well, as they are dangerous. For more detail, see Muscle Growth I. Don't train abs or obliques with heavy resistance, as this will thicken the waist and destroy symmetry. If you want to be a powerlifter, then fine, but if you want to look good train like a bodybuilder.
For more detail on how to make your target muscles grow, read the Muscle Growth articles. For detail on losing fat, read the fat loss articles.
High Intensity Training | Back to Home Page | Back to Introduction