Health Aesthetic Fitness Tips

[TheEcho]

Hey all!

Edit: This is not asking for how to get fit in the first place, I'm already at least in the top 5% of physiques, with fat being the main detractor. This is for experienced people to share things that helped patch up holes in their physique.

Figure we could use a collection of everyone's tips for rounding out their physique. Some of my recent changes:

1. Decline bench (dumbbells) almost immediately fixed my lower chest from disappearing into squish. 2 moves in 1 week and my chest looks 5x better thanks to rounding out the bottom.

2. Incline bench is better for chest aesthetics than flat. Flat bench is far harder to do properly than most other exercises. It's very easy to be putting the load on shoulders/triceps. Incline is simple and builds the upper section so it sticks forward.

3. Planks do quite a lot if you hate ab workouts. You also go into a rather intense headspace to keep persevering. (I do 2x 2min planks every other day)

4. Step-ups MURDER glutes and hamstrings, and even hit the inner quad for balance. The trick is to not launch at all with the other foot and try to stay mostly upright. A properly done step up is very difficult at first. You can do these anywhere (mind potential of tripping/falling)

5. Do more arms, sounds dumb but being on a push/pull/legs, my biceps and triceps only ever got the leftovers. My "rest" day is now a second round of arms paired with balance work. Triceps are easier to start from cold than biceps.


That's all for now, pumped to hear tips from others!
Thanks all!

 

[FunGuy]

You are overthinking it, and you never specified what your goal is. "Rounding out your physique" I don't understand what that means. Are you trying to gain muscle, are you trying to drop body fat? Regardless the same rules apply. Just make sure you are hitting every body part at least once a week, make sure ur making gradual progress, and make sure your consuming enough protein each day. If your bulking you have to be at caloric surplus, if ur cutting you have to be at a slight caloric deficit.

Stop mentally masturbating about what exercise is better than another its a waste of time. Your good if your making progress (increasing weight or reps each month) and be patient, the results will come.

 

[TheEcho]

You totally missed the point

 

[Will_V]

I focus on weighted pullups and military presses for aesthetics (shoulder hip ratio is the only common sexual attraction trigger I know of for physique). Other than that I just do a well rounded routine and don't overeat.

 

[POB]

Here's what works:
1) get a target goal weight. No, It's not a good measurement, but it is an easy one and gets the job done. Weight yourself daily, first thing in the morning, after taking a leak.
2) don't focus on reps and sets, focus on execution and effort.
3) get a good program and follow it to a T. People are always looking for the new shinnig object instead of consistency.
Programs I recommend:
- Y3T by Neil Hill - very easy to follow, has a lot of variety, and is a super inteligent approach to gains muscles while avoiding injuries! My favorite by far.
- MI40 by B-Pak - super detailed, but a little complicated for beginners. Only recommended for advanced lifters. Best gains in a short timeframe (40 days).
- LBS by Mike Mathews - this is fitness for dummies...but a challenging program on his own terms. Only downside, if you are a bit inexperienced, is to correctly do all the complicated compound exercises (like deadlifts) using high load and low repetitions.
4) learn about nutrition. It's everywhere these days.
- Precision Nutrition is the best science source IMO. Their "hand portion" method can be followed by a 5 year old (and doesn't need a scale).

 

[ulrich]

Hey @POB, you seem very knowledgeable about this stuff.

Any suggestion to where you can point me for fat loss?
I seem to be stuck at 12-15% no matter what I do.

I go to the gym 2-3 times a week but besides that I like a not very active life and it is not realistic for me at the moment to increase my exercise.

Im starting to think I hit some kind of maintenance ceiling.

 

[HoofHearted]

FWIW i have never looked great and been 'fit' at the same time.

I have experience gaining, and something of a genectic gift toward, physical strength tho. I can only input from that angle.

If you can do it, standard bench press is the superior upper body lift for various reasons. It's also the most dangerous. That's all I have to really contribute.

In terms of aesthetics, today's culture seems to value leanness and upper body mass. If I hated myself, I would restrict calories but keep protein high, would focus on press for anterior/medial deltoids (what will pull your shirt), bench press, lying tricep extensions and chin ups.

In terms of abdominal muscles (for growth), the isometric component of a compound lift strikes me as king, but you will prolly die on low calorie if youre striving for definition.

I can't comment on what a super developed or advanced physique might need. These are just the level 1 broad strokes.

 

[Alpha13SC]

Hey @POB, you seem very knowledgeable about this stuff.

Any suggestion to where you can point me for fat loss?
I seem to be stuck at 12-15% no matter what I do.

I go to the gym 2-3 times a week but besides that I like a not very active life and it is not realistic for me at the moment to increase my exercise.

Im starting to think I hit some kind of maintenance ceiling.

I had great results with CBL diet which let me do a body recomp pretty easily. But the pump was shit(maybe I wasn't loading properly after workout). Right now, the best approach I see it is carb cycling with high/medium/low days, with fats/protein remaining the same, only play with carbs.

I m doing something similar, but with fats, where I m cycling the fats depending on training day.

 

[sunnygirl]

- Precision Nutrition is the best science source IMO. Their "hand portion" method can be followed by a 5 year old (and doesn't need a scale).

Diet is really key above everything else. Even with the best exercise programs what you put in your mouth is 80 percent contributing to the most aesthetic physique possible.

It depends, if you're going for the lowest body fat and trying to become the leanest/most ripped version of yourself, I'd recommend dedicating 70% of your macros to protein because it'll help you recomp and quell the hunger pains. To get visible abs I had to chew food at least 50 times before swallowing and take a couple sips of water between each bite to maximize the fullness, also went to bed hungry every night after intermittent fasting (8 am-2 pm). Fasting works wonders.

 

[POB]

Hey @POB, you seem very knowledgeable about this stuff.

Any suggestion to where you can point me for fat loss?
I seem to be stuck at 12-15% no matter what I do.

I go to the gym 2-3 times a week but besides that I like a not very active life and it is not realistic for me at the moment to increase my exercise.

Im starting to think I hit some kind of maintenance ceiling.

1) are you natural? Sometimes staying natural means not gettin below the 12% threshold to keep looking good.
2) what program are you following? If you are just going through the motions, you will get stuck. We all need a long-term plan to evolve.
3) 4 times/week is the minimum if you wanna progress. 3 times/week to maintain.
4) how long have you been lifting? Have you ever tried to drop weight and shift your focus to execution and breathing? I mean, getting proper execution is HARD, and takes a lot of time and effort.
5) have you ever got yourself on camera while training. You'll be surprised at how much our form can improve once we see that on film.

 

[POB]

Diet is really key above everything else. Even with the best exercise programs what you put in your mouth is 80 percent contributing to the most aesthetic physique possible.

Not enterely true.
Once upon a time I was eating garbage and was stil able to progress.
Regarding diet, what matters is a combination of 6 factors:
- long-term gym consistency...the longer you've been training, the less you have to stress about eating right 100% of the time (meaning you can get away doing shit sometimes);
- how smart you eat...e.g. having a post-workout dessert after a hard day at the gym will probably not make you fat, as all that glucose will be used for glycogen restoration inside your muscles;
- your daily, weekly and monthly calories vs your level of activity (which includes NEAT, and most people have very low NEAT values);
- genetics, meaning how well you are able to process and absorb different types of foods and nutrients;
- overall gut health and level of body inflamation;
- age...the older you are, the less junk you can eat without having consequences;

It depends, if you're going for the lowest body fat and trying to become the leanest/most ripped version of yourself, I'd recommend dedicating 70% of your macros to protein because it'll help you recomp and quell the hunger pains. To get visible abs I had to chew food at least 50 times before swallowing and take a couple sips of water between each bite to maximize the fullness, also went to bed hungry every night after intermittent fasting (8 am-2 pm). Fasting works wonders.

Again, 70% may be too much for most people.
Although there's no evidence that eating a lot of protein could harm your health, eating a more balanced diet is key to geting all the nutrients your body needs. There's also the need for carbs and or fats to absorb that protein, beacuse eating a lot does not mean you are going to absorb it.
Furthermore, you cannot sustain extreme diets like that for a long period of time.

 

[Train]

Again, 70% may be too much for most people.
Although there's no evidence that eating a lot of protein could harm your health, eating a more balanced diet is key to geting all the nutrients your body needs. There's also the need for carbs and or fats to absorb that protein, beacuse eating a lot does not mean you are going to absorb it.
Furthermore, you cannot sustain extreme diets like that for a long period of time.

I've made above average strength and muscle gains from small protein intake (110 grams on average for around 160 lbs of Lean Body Mass) so I can attest to not needing huge loads of protein to succeed. My lifts are intermediate to advanced.

Maybe I'd be stronger/bigger with more protein but I've done well for what's considered paltry protein consumption in fitness circles. Protein has always been the least appealing macronutrient for me.


As far as carbs and fat, these are important and I agree with balance being key as well as what works for a specific person. Maybe they thrive on specific quantities or ratios compared to what fitness circles encourage.

I'd just tell any readers on here to be cautious with drastically lowering carbs and fat and even protein and to be sensible.

I've literally collapsed from too little carbs, risking seizures, coma, or worse. I don't fuck with this and always carry glucose on me just in case.

I also potentially induced surgery from too little fat. Lost months, money, and got permanent minor side effects.

 

[POB]

I've made above average strength and muscle gains from small protein intake (110 grams on average for around 160 lbs of Lean Body Mass) so I can attest to not needing huge loads of protein to succeed. My lifts are intermediate to advanced.

Maybe I'd be stronger/bigger with more protein but I've done well for what's considered paltry protein consumption in fitness circles. Protein has always been the least appealing macronutrient for me.


As far as carbs and fat, these are important and I agree with balance being key as well as what works for a specific person. Maybe they thrive on specific quantities or ratios compared to what fitness circles encourage.

I'd just tell any readers on here to be cautious with drastically lowering carbs and fat and even protein and to be sensible.

I've literally collapsed from too little carbs, risking seizures, coma, or worse. I don't fuck with this and always carry glucose on me just in case.

I also potentially induced surgery from too little fat. Lost months, money, and got permanent minor side effects.

Some cultures eat 10-15% protein and the rest is fat (google: Inuit diet) or carbs (like some Asians).
As long as you are eating a minimum ammount of protein, the right ammount of calories, and some variety, you won't have health issues.

 

[ulrich]

1) are you natural? Sometimes staying natural means not gettin below the 12% threshold to keep looking good.

Yeah, natural.

I tried clen for some time but it didn’t seem to have any significant effect on me.
Never had anything injected.

2) what program are you following? If you are just going through the motions, you will get stuck. We all need a long-term plan to evolve.

I’ve been following Greg O’Gallagher Kinobody courses… for bulking, I’m satisfied with the results.
For shredding, not quite.

It’s basically 3 day routine with two days rest in between (2-3 gym visits per week) focusing on low rep compound movements.

3) 4 times/week is the minimum if you wanna progress. 3 times/week to maintain.

Ok, that might be the start of it.
That means I need to increase exercise volume.

4) how long have you been lifting? Have you ever tried to drop weight and shift your focus to execution and breathing? I mean, getting proper execution is HARD, and takes a lot of time and effort.

No, I have never tried that. Perhaps I should.

Do I focus on time under tension or just perfect movement?

5) have you ever got yourself on camera while training. You'll be surprised at how much our form can improve once we see that on film.

Ok, I’m going to look into that.

Thanks, @POB.

 

[ulrich]

It depends, if you're going for the lowest body fat and trying to become the leanest/most ripped version of yourself, I'd recommend dedicating 70% of your macros to protein because it'll help you recomp and quell the hunger pains. To get visible abs I had to chew food at least 50 times before swallowing and take a couple sips of water between each bite to maximize the fullness, also went to bed hungry every night after intermittent fasting (8 am-2 pm). Fasting works wonders.

Damn!! How long could you go in that regimen?

sounds like torture

 

[TheEcho]

I recently flipped my diet to mostly protein. 175-200g of protein (used to do ~100g). My body has been going through a lean bulk due to this change. I get my fats through 8 eggs, butter, cheese, and chicken thighs. Carbs are coming from 1 cup of white rice, a banana, and sugar in beef jerky. I recently found :ratio: Greek yogurt with 25g of protein and a handful of carbs and fat as my newest addition.

 

[sunnygirl]

Damn!! How long could you go in that regimen?

sounds like torture

Yeah, it was, I got down to 112 lbs (5'7/5'8) at 15 percent body fat because I had a messed-up perception of what healthiness looked like, plus societal/cultural pressures. Anyways, would have 1200-1500 calories of unseasoned chicken breast/tuna (that would make up 600 of my calories) and chew the food at least 50 times to savor the taste, take three sips of water between each bite, then for my other 400 calories those Premier Protein shakes, and for my last couple hundred calories maybe an egg and some kale. Eat between 10 am-2pm and then get super mad when I heard my family eating downstairs while I locked myself in the room trying to convince myself I wasn't hungry. 600mg of caffeine in the morning and cardio for an 1 hr and weight lifting for 30 mins. Constantly felt cold and had to take hot baths every day. Read so many books about dieting and weight loss even when I was dieting, obsessed with cookbooks. Oh, and then binge 5000 calories on the weekends.

Not very healthy or sustainable, lol. I think I had a pretty good foundation but there literally weren't any carbs or fat because I was too scared of them, but now kind of realize they are essential to overall health. Rigid rules aren't helpful cause if I went a couple calories over my "limit" I feel like welp I ruined the day might as well binge, which isn't a good mentality. Also, the funny and ironic thing about this is that the less I thought about food and diet, I am now able to maintain a lean physique (not that extreme, of course) but compromises come with everything.

 

[Warped Mindless]

I was never hungry on the carnivore diet nor did I intentionally fast and I stayed very lean without any trouble at all.

I feel better overall on Saladinos “animal based diet” and is still decently easy to stay lean.

 

[TheEcho]

Carnivore made me feel the best out of everything I've tried. My issue is no one around me gets on board, so I always feel the peer pressure to eat other things. Not sure how you'd do dates on carnivore lol

 

[Warped Mindless]

Carnivore made me feel the best out of everything I've tried. My issue is no one around me gets on board, so I always feel the peer pressure to eat other things. Not sure how you'd do dates on carnivore lol

I still drank coffee when I did carnivore so first dates were usually at a coffee shop not far from my house.