Does size matters? Of course, the answer is yes or no. It depends on who you ask and when. No matter how important the question and the answer are for those who have a zone of the body left behind; this article is not for them, so better save your time. We have a worse problem to solve. Specifically how, putting up the pressure and crazy advices form the others, we can end hurtles from the environment of physical destruction we live today in many gyms.
It is a horrible picture that worsens and, in addition, we are getting used to it. Massmania has been released. There is not a single day in which a bodybuilder refuses going with the fashion of transforming the classical lines for some volume-less and classless lines. Gyms are full of shape-less men and women with muscles of smoke instead of ideals of physical perfection. The reason for this madness for mass is because each time more bodybuilders forget the essence of our sport. There was a time in which bodybuilding was a physical art and not the desire, based on an inferiority complex, of being bigger than anyone no matter where the kilos are placed. Yes, I know that in bodybuilding it is necessary to have a certain body size and no one can deny it, but a disproportionate volume is a blasphemy. Training for gaining size without aesthetic rules, is like painting a landscape with eyes blindfolded and with a single colour. We often see some one-dimensional masses no attractive at all. If you stopped thinking about symmetry in a while, look at the mirror with a critic, artistic eye.
Of course, many people will say not everyone can achieve a body aesthetically pleasing. They will say that, except for a few lucky ones genetically gifted, we all have some weak point. Nonsense! Well, not at all. It is true genetics have a primary role, but most of the defects can be improved or dissimulated without surgery. Being realistic, we can say there is not much to do if you have short legs or a wide waist even without fat; but with the proper tools you can create anatomic illusions to disguise those physical conditions.
The guru of the irons Vince Gironda preached, to even fanatic levels, that you have to sculpt the body, but his experience and result entitled him to say so. He transformed a small body in a piece of art and not in a swollen mass of veins and knots without unity.
Watch the proportioned physiques, as Gironda's, Bob Paris', Dexter Jackson's or Darrem Charles' and notice that the key zones of their structures have an aesthetic development; we are talking about the outer part of thighs (vastus medialis and Sartorius), the outer area of pectorals, lateral deltoids, dorsals, back and triceps. The bodybuilder must establish which of these parts he should workout, or not, to achieve the most aesthetical physique possible. The process of body improvement needs both the previous analysis as the rivers of sweat in the gym.
The curve of the quadriceps
In legs nothing is as important as the curve of the quadriceps, which is the rounded form that muscle adopts. It is not enough to have massive thighs, no matter how cut, big or vascular they are.
There is no doubt free squats build that curve, but many bodybuilders have trouble to focus in one point the effect of that movement. In apparatus, feet are placed in such way that the curve is more increased than in a normal squat.
One of the best machines to workout the outer part of thighs is the Smith. This simple device, in which the bar is inserted in a guide, allows a vertical and continuous movement. Doing squats in that apparatus with the back flat and feet together a little bit ahead, will make your thighs explode as any other example.
This position of the feet, aligned with the knees, will impact on the outer part of the thighs (vastus lateralis), but if you want to workout the frontal outer part (rectus femoris) you should get your heels together and separate the tip of your feet. The actual form of your quadriceps will determine which area needs a more intense training. Choose the accurate style or use both to achieve a global development.
Another perfect exercise to our purpose is the Hack squat. The execution is the same than in the previous movement, but you don not have to worry about the position of your back. That way, you will be able to focus on tension. With no doubts, with this exercise you will achieve a good curve in the quadriceps.
The interior of the thighs
Most bodybuilders never workout this zone directly. The interior of the thighs is trained secondarily with any other leg motion, so it is difficult to get a good development unless we pay more attention to it. To get good thighs it is necessary to enlarge the vastus medialis, which adopts that famous tear shape above the knee, and the Sartorius, which goes transverse from the hip to the knee.
If you do not have an adductor machine standing or sitting, the best exercise for this zone is cable adductors. The editor Bob Kennedy is a strong advocate of this motion.
In order to perform the cable adductor sit on the edge of a bench placed between two pulleys. Attach an ankle support to each pulley and tie it up to your knees. Open the legs with feet together to bring the knees and thighs together then. The resistance of the pulleys will make you work at full blast. Stand up for a moment in the middle point to take advantage from the contraction. If you do not have ankle supports use some conventional handles and place them underneath the knees (as shown on the picture). This exercise is perfect for giving the final touch to developed thighs.
The outer part of the pectorals
Pectorals, and specifically, the outer part of these, are fundamental to make a trunk wide and astonishing. However, if it is easy for you to make this area grow, be careful because you can go too far and off balance your physique. Big breasts are excellent on Miss September, but for the bodybuilder they equal the lost of proportion. The goal is to show high and full pectorals, and not udders.
Bob Kennedy bet for dips, with feet ahead, the chin on the chest and a wide path; but only if you can do it without hurting yourself. They are wonderful if you have the needed flexibility to perform them. Generally, today's one-dimensional bodybuilders have the outer zone of pectorals seemingly built out of brittle pasta. For them, declined bar press is enough, if not better, and dos not tired the shoulders.
Grab the bar with a grip wider than the distance between shoulders and place it on the inferior part of pectorals before moving it up by extending your arms. The bench should be a little bit inclined to avoid frontal deltoids to tense. Remember the elbows have to be separated from the body, the chest up and the pectorals contracted. If you want to fully workout your chest do pulley crossovers on superset with declined press. It is very intense and productive. Moreover, do not forget the upper part of the chest. Inclined movements are indispensable in all pectorals' routine.
Lateral deltoids
The lateral head of deltoids is the most important point of the trunk to achieve a proportioned physique because it creates the illusion of having great shoulder wideness and a wasp waist.
Lateral deltoids are excellent for size, but some athletes have difficulty to perform the exercises and noticing the effort. In that case, it is good to do wide-grip upright rowing. Grab a bar with hands separated and raise it below the neck as you slightly bend front. Despite it is a compound movement (more than one muscular group is involved), it is easy and it shapes the lateral deltoids. If your shoulders are lack of size and shape do supersets of lateral raises and wide-grip upright rowing. Do the rowing with less weight and raise the bar just above your eyebrows. The burning will be tremendous, but you will be able to round the shoulders and set the V body shape.
All aesthetic bodies draw that V, accentuated by more developed dorsals in the upper part than in the lower. When dorsals go straight to the hips they ruin the body because the waist looks wide.
Wide upper dorsals
The dorsals that are inserted (or it seems to be) high in the waist are more pleasing to the eye because the waist gets not widened. The main exercise to develop aesthetic dorsals is the wide-grip chin-up. But does the placing of the hands limit the motion? you may wonder. That's right; the path is concentrated in the upper part of dorsals, which is just what we want. To get better results try lifting the collarbone and look to the ceiling as you arch your back.
In case this performance is too hard for you and you cannot complete eight repetitions, do wide-grip pulls until you get stronger. Try noticing the work of dorsals with a strict execution. Wide-grip chin-ups behind nape are also excellent.
Another exercise which acts on the upper part of the dorsals is the straight-arm pull. Stand up about 30 centimetres away from the machine and grab the bar (which will hand high above your head) with a grip above and amplitude equal to your shoulders. Lean front a little bit and lower the bar to the waist only with the strength of dorsals. Go back to the starting point resisting the weight. Do not lower the bar beyond the waist because the triceps would come into action and you won't be using this exercise in the same way.
Thicker dorsals
The amplitude of shoulders is wonderful when you are being watched front, but you need thickness when you turn and you are seen from the sides. The classical pulley rowing is the most popular exercise to gain mass, but many people do it in a way they seem to be skiing rather than rowing. Cheating is so easy that you have to truly give your best to make the execution strict.
You will perform the motion with an absolute correction if you use the inclined version with dumbbells. Set the bench as inclined as possible. Lay facing down with the head out of the bench and grab a pair of dumbbells. Raise the weight to the shoulders and get the shoulder blades together as much as you can with the elbows away from the body and upwards. This exercise provides mass to the upper part of the back, and to the posterior and medial deltoids. The key is properly squeezing and focusing on what you are doing.
The powerful arm proportion
When we think about huge arms we picture them in a double biceps pose or a lateral triceps pose, and not in the frontal one, because facing them standing away would make them seem thin. To avoid this situation you have to develop the outer head of triceps, which will provide volume to the upper part of the arm. The best movement to achieve this is the narrow-grip declined press bench.
Decline the bench 30º and grab a bar with hands separated about 25cm and elbows pointing out. The combination of elbows separated and hands together allows you to workout the outer head of triceps, and not the medial head and pectorals, but do not slacken the mass that has to be seen from the side.
A developed medial head provides size to the arm when looked from the side, but for that it has to stand out from the posterior deltoid to the elbow. Any way, remember that triceps must be in proportion with biceps.
High pulley pulls behind head are the best movement for triceps (you can use one side of the machine for crossovers). Pass a rope or towel over the cable, grab the ends and place yourself turning you back to the machine. Lean front extending your arms, lower the head and take a step forward with one foot only. You should be in a position similar to a stride with your arms extended aligned with your body.
Let your arms as still as possible, only forearms must move. With this exercise, and the narrow-grip declined bench press, you will make your triceps grow, but do not go too far or they will be out of proportion with the rest of the body.
Always control your partial development so that the global is balanced. Take yourself some pictures of front, side and back so you can compare objectively the progress achieved. Do not forget that it is not the same to be bulky than to be big and wonderful.
A good physique has well located mass with artistic tints. Working out the muscles randomly does not give good results. Think about your development and create a symmetric classy body to attract admiration glances, not of stupor.
