Let’s be honest. Most of us start working out because we want to build a body that looks good. We want big arms, a thick chest, and six-pack abs that make heads turn. We want that enviable v-shape that makes the ladies love us and the guys want to be us. Sure, getting healthy is a nice bonus, but for most of us, exercise is all about aesthetics.
An “aesthetic body type” is one that is built for visual appeal. It’s not about getting big and bulky like the guys you see on stage at a bodybuilding show or building strength and endurance for athletic performance.
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An aesthetic body is a dense, hard, and well-defined natural physique with broad shoulders, a square masculine chest, rock hard arms, a slim waist, and athletic legs with minimal body fat. Easier said than done, right? Here are seven real aesthetic body tips for a visual impact physique.
What Is An Aesthetic Body?
You might already have a good idea of how an aesthetic body looks, but in case you missed it, here’s what makes up an aesthetic physique:
- A lean physique
- A V-taper with a narrower waist
- Thick biceps and triceps
- Wide, capped shoulders
- Muscular legs (including calves)
- A six-pack (duh!)
There should be an emphasis on the “lean physique” because you could pack a ton of muscle but still lack an aesthetic body. The rule of thumb is to “look as physically strong as possible for your frame”. Next in line is the V-taper. No V-taper, no aesthetic body.
How To Build An Aesthetic Body In 7 Steps
1. Let Proportions Lead Your Aesthetic Body Type
Surveys and scientific studies have shown that when it comes to being attractive, proportions are crucial. The actual size of your shoulders, chest, and waist aren’t as important to physical attractiveness as the ratios.
For men, the most important proportions seem to be those between the shoulders and waist. A near-universal sexually attractive feature of a man is a V-shaped torso, a relatively small waist, and broad shoulders.
The Golden Ratio:
- Waist – 43-47% of height
- Shoulders – waist x 1.6
- Chest – 10-12″ greater than waist
- Arms – waist x 0.5
For example, if you are 6’ tall, your ideal measurements would be a 32” waist, 51” shoulders, 42” chest, and 16” arms.
Pro bodybuilders and fitness models like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jeff Seid have followed the theory suggesting the closer you are to the golden ratio, the more attractive you become.
2. You Don’t Have to Live in the Gym
To achieve the golden ratio, you don’t have to live in the gym to make it happen, and it won’t take years and years. More training brings more size, and too much training doesn’t give your muscles a chance to rest and recover. You can build muscle mass and cut body fat with proper diet and weight training just two to three days a week.
3. Drinking Plenty of Water is Important
When you are strength training and building that aesthetic body, don’t underestimate the importance of drinking water. This powerful liquid keeps you hydrated, keeps the nutrients in your body flowing, and helps you digest food. Plus, it’s good for your skin.
When you are building an aesthetic body, your diet is just as important as your workout routine (check out one of these popular fitness apps to get ideas). Drinking plenty of water helps keep you in a caloric deficit because a lot of times when you think you are hungry, you are really thirsty. Drinking water will help you avoid consuming calories when you don’t need to.
4. Progressive Overload
If you are always working out with the same weight and doing the same amount of reps and sets, your body is never going to change. You have to give your body a reason to improve and progress, and that means you have to constantly challenge yourself in your workouts.
Something should improve each week, or else you won’t get the body you want.
5. When it Comes to Body Fat Percentage, the Lower the Better
If you are strength training regularly with a consistent progressive overload, you will see some gains. But, if you want that true aesthetic body with definition, then your body fat percentage has to be low.
Ideally, you should be cutting your body fat percentage down to about eight to ten percent. This shouldn’t be a problem if you’re training as an ectomorph.
Without a low-enough body fat percentage, you won’t be able to see the muscle definition. And to cut fat, you have to create a daily caloric deficit and keep your macros at the right balance. Your diet is more important than your workouts when it comes to your body fat percentage.
6. Train Unilaterally for Symmetry and Proper Proportions
I talked about proportions earlier – the ratio between your height and the size of your shoulders, chest, waist, and arms. Symmetry is all about the balance among your muscle groups. Your biceps should the right ratio to your triceps, and your left and right quads should be the same size and equally conditioned.
Both proportion and symmetry are a must for an aesthetic body. And, one of the best things to do is to add unilateral exercises into your training routine. When you lift with one arm or one leg at a time, you are making sure that both sides of your body are equally strong and proportioned.
Hammer curls, incline dumbbell curls, and triceps dumbbell kickbacks are all examples of exercises to include in your workout to make sure you are training for symmetry.
7. Accentuating Your V-Shape
Six-pack abs are great, and properly-proportioned shoulders and chest look amazing, but nothing turns heads like a V-shape. Wide shoulders and a small waist are the holy grail of bodybuilding, and to make that happen you have to be cutting fat, working your abs regularly, and building your back and shoulders.
The bigger your back and shoulders are, the smaller your waist will appear. Following a workout routine with this aesthetic v-taper in mind is essential. Exercises like lat pull-downs, bent over delt raises, pull-ups, and military presses should be moves that you are doing regularly to accentuate your V-shape.
How Long Will It Take To Get An Aesthetic Body?
Now let’s break down how long it will take you to build an aesthetic body based on several factors.
Consider the following questions:
- What’s your starting point? Are you scrawny or overweight?
- Are you in the bulking or cutting stage?
- Are you somewhat “fit”, but need a little extra work to achieve “aesthetic physique” status?
- Will you need extra cardio (and time) to burn fat?
- How lean is your ideal aesthetic body?
As you can see, these differences determine how long it will eventually take you to achieve your goal. So building an aesthetic body can take you anywhere from 6 months to 3 years depending on your starting point.
Recommended Aesthetic Body Workout Routine Based on Your Personal Stats?
Building the ideal aesthetic body for a visual impact physique can be done with the right strategy. Remember, diet is key, and doing exercises that focus on the right muscle groups will help you build a body with the right proportions.
Ready to take your body to the next level? Check out this Aesthetic Workout Routine and start building impressive muscular proportions that draw attention!
Nutritional Advice For An Aesthetic Body
Need some nutritional advice? Here are some tips to help you achieve and maintain an aesthetic body:
- Cut sugar and processed food. Sugar and fat burning don’t mix, so if you want an aesthetic body, tame your sweet tooth. Also, processed foods are linked to a wide variety of health problems like cancer, obesity, high levels of cholesterol, and high blood pressure.
- Avoid alcohol. Fun times may call for a bottle of booze, but alcohol harms your body. It makes burning fat harder, weakens the immune system, destroys brain cells, and it’s linked to cancer.
- Try intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting aids fat burning in different ways, and thus, this fasting style can help you stay “aesthetic” in the long term because it’s part of your lifestyle, not a diet.
- High protein and relatively low carbs. Protein is crucial to building and maintaining new muscle fibers, and we can’t stress enough why you need a high intake. Meanwhile, keep the carbs to a moderate level that won’t affect fat burning.
- Prioritize rest and recovery. Don’t be one of those people beating already battered muscles. Take enough time to rest or your muscles won’t grow properly, and the injury will prevent you from making any training progress.
- Consider a whey protein supplement. With a protein-filled diet, you won’t necessarily need a protein supplement. However, whey protein supplements can speed up recovery and muscle protein synthesis after training. Also, protein powder guarantees that you’ll always meet your protein intake daily, and your gains won’t suffer due to a protein-deficient diet. A supplement also lets you consume your protein on the go, without any additional nutrients that come with regular food.
- Stay hydrated. You’re more water than you think, literally! Water is essential to your survival and growth, and it’s among your major sources of nutrition. That’s why you’re advised to always stay hydrated.
Aesthetics vs Bodybuilding: What’s The Difference?
If you’re thinking – hey, isn’t this just bodybuilding? Then you’d be right and wrong.
The main difference between aesthetics and bodybuilding is this:
Aesthetic bodybuilding is primarily concerned with how good your muscles look on your body. So while muscle size matters, your symmetry, and proportions matter more.
On the other hand, normal bodybuilding is basically about increasing the size and strength of your muscles.
Aesthetic Body FAQs
How do you get an aesthetic body?
As you build muscle and stay lean for an aesthetic body, you’ll need to emphasize your v-taper. This translates to widening your lats and shoulders, keeping your waist narrow, and strengthening your legs so you don’t look like your walking on twigs.
How long does it take to get an aesthetic body?
The time it takes to develop an aesthetic body depends on how close you are to the symmetry, balance, and definition required to be called “aesthetic”. So it can take you anywhere from 6 months to 2 years depending on how much muscle and fat you currently have.
What’s the difference between aesthetic and bodybuilding?
Aesthetic bodybuilding isn’t focused on size, rather it’s concerned with how good your body looks, hence the term “aesthetic”. Meanwhile, bodybuilding is literally about “building muscle”, often with the aim of gaining as much muscle mass with a little body fat as possible.
What is the ideal weight for an aesthetic body?
The truth is that you can have an aesthetic body within a wide range of body weights (i.e Bob can be aesthetic at 180 pounds, while Steve can be aesthetic at 200 pounds). The trick is to be lean, muscular, and symmetrical at your weight.
What does an aesthetic body look like?
An aesthetic body is symmetrical and balanced with well-defined muscles. Remember that aesthetics is all about looking good, and the closer you are to the golden ratio, the better. The golden ratio measurement is waist (43-47% of your height), shoulders (waist x 1.6), chest (10-12″ greater than the waist), and arms (waist x 0.5.)
Aesthetic Body Final Thoughts
So there you have it – everything you need to know to start building an aesthetic physique. With these seven steps and our recommended aesthetic body workout, you can start achieving your dream body today.
But ensure to follow our nutritional tips and take your recovery seriously to prevent harming your progress and increasing the time it takes you to build your aesthetic body.
Goodbye for now, and may the V-taper be with you.
