Help! How can I be more aesthetic??

[stianhalla]

I have trained for almost three years, and see that some muscle groups grow faster than others. For example, my arms and back ar bigger then my chest.
What can I do to make the smaller muscles catch up with the rest of the body, without cutting back on training on the bigger muscles.

Hope this makes sense! :P

[TJP33]

Without going crazy and changing everything around- try including push ups in your warm up every training day- day following your actual chest day, reduce the amount you do.
I don't even count anymore, became a feel thing. I go til the muscle starts feeling pumped, and stop when things get shaky and really start to struggle.

I know other guys, who take this a step a further who swear by push ups between sets throughout the week- I never tried this. Some common sense needs to be used, make sure you can still recover- make sure your not hurting performance on chest day by doing too much.

[mtownballer20]

Hit the lagging muscle groups harder and more often. Change up as needed.

[GravityLee]

The reason arms grow faster imo is its a very simplistic movement. The dumbbell/bar goes up. The dumbbell/bar goes down.

The reason chest will lag is because its typically a compound movement. Sometimes in the middle of the lift I will realize I am doing all triceps to pick an example to get that weight up. You can even feel the tightness in them after the lift.

IMO the key is to pick a light/medium weight and pyramid up. The reps should be under control the whole time ("Always under control" - Kai Greene). You know how when you are trying to show off to a girl or a buddy you flex your pecs hard? If your pecs aren't doing that near the middle - top of the range of movement, imo you aren't doing it right.

Theres one more thing I would say about it. A lot of people do not lift with intensity, even big guys. If you could have done more reps then you failed and get an F on the set. Its that simple unless injuries are in the equation. Can't tell you how many people pick a number - 10, 12, 15 whatever it is. You watch them lift. They aren't even struggling on that 10th rep. If you don't have the urge to sit up after your bench and wanna yell "WOOOOO" like Ronnie Coleman even when moving medium weight, you didn't give it any real heart into the set. Every set should be like a challenge that you met and conquered.

[NicktheStick]

Add more volume for the lagging body parts. Personally I love front-loading volume & drop sets.

http://articles.elitefts.com/trainin...crease-volume/


Check out the article above... it may be for powerlifting, but you can apply the principals regardless of your goals.

[Jasonk282]

More volume and frequency for lagging parts

[kanis999]

The reason arms grow faster imo is its a very simplistic movement. The dumbbell/bar goes up. The dumbbell/bar goes down.

You say this as if it apples to everybody. Roughly 50% of lifters are 'arm dominant' and 50% are 'torso dominant'. It's in the individual genetics and technique.

Also OP I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but after 3 years, your physique isn't going to change much more for the rest of your life. The good news is you are indeed pretty aesthetic.

[rodertoro]

Theres one more thing I would say about it. A lot of people do not lift with intensity, even big guys. If you could have done more reps then you failed and get an F on the set. Its that simple unless injuries are in the equation. Can't tell you how many people pick a number - 10, 12, 15 whatever it is. You watch them lift. They aren't even struggling on that 10th rep. If you don't have the urge to sit up after your bench and wanna yell "WOOOOO" like Ronnie Coleman even when moving medium weight, you didn't give it any real heart into the set. Every set should be like a challenge that you met and conquered.

I really like this, +rep. I'm one of those ppl you described, i try to do 10 reps/set and am not struggling with each set bc I have, let's say, 9 more sets for chest (incline, decline, pec flies), -- so maybe im not struggling in the initial sets but by the end i'm really done.

so should i really be doing more weight/reps in each set, and less sets overall?

[Garage Rat]

Genetics are a big factor on the way you grow.
Example look at the former bodybuilder Tom Platz,his legs grew just looking at the squat rack but his upper body was a long ways off for a balanced physique.You know he bombed his upper body and it was good but no where near where his legs were.
What you can do is minimal work for your "good"areas maybe one exercise and hit your weaker areas hard and from many angels.
You may not ever get nowhere you want to be but I'm sure you will certainly bring up some of your lagging areas.

[Jasonk282]

I really like this, +rep. I'm one of those ppl you described, i try to do 10 reps/set and am not struggling with each set bc I have, let's say, 9 more sets for chest (incline, decline, pec flies), -- so maybe im not struggling in the initial sets but by the end i'm really done.

so should i really be doing more weight/reps in each set, and less sets overall?

You could just either add more weight/reps the next time you hit that body part again.

Eith add 5 lbs each time you hit your reps OR add a rep each week till you hit a specific number then add weight and lower your reps again.

[chazzy1864]

The reason arms grow faster imo is its a very simplistic movement. The dumbbell/bar goes up. The dumbbell/bar goes down.

The reason chest will lag is because its typically a compound movement. Sometimes in the middle of the lift I will realize I am doing all triceps to pick an example to get that weight up. You can even feel the tightness in them after the lift.

IMO the key is to pick a light/medium weight and pyramid up. The reps should be under control the whole time ("Always under control" - Kai Greene). You know how when you are trying to show off to a girl or a buddy you flex your pecs hard? If your pecs aren't doing that near the middle - top of the range of movement, imo you aren't doing it right.

Theres one more thing I would say about it. A lot of people do not lift with intensity, even big guys. If you could have done more reps then you failed and get an F on the set. Its that simple unless injuries are in the equation. Can't tell you how many people pick a number - 10, 12, 15 whatever it is. You watch them lift. They aren't even struggling on that 10th rep. If you don't have the urge to sit up after your bench and wanna yell "WOOOOO" like Ronnie Coleman even when moving medium weight, you didn't give it any real heart into the set. Every set should be like a challenge that you met and conquered.

There is so much horsesh*t in this post it is laughable.

[NicktheStick]

If you don't have the urge to sit up after your bench and wanna yell "WOOOOO" like Ronnie Coleman even when moving medium weight, you didn't give it any real heart into the set. Every set should be like a challenge that you met and conquered.

I don't know what qualifies as "medium weight" ... but, the only people I see yelling like Ronnie tend to be the guys that wear medium t-shirts and take natural test-boosters from GNC.

[GravityLee]

There is so much horsesh*t in this post it is laughable.

Please categorically pick it apart and I will respond.

For the record I am speaking from my own experiences. Your experiences may be different for a particular exercise.

Anyone can respond to a long post like mine and say "oh thats horse ****" I mean how long does that take like 7 seconds. If you wanted to have a debate or contribute something then why didn't you type a real response?

I don't know what qualifies as "medium weight" ... but, the only people I see yelling like Ronnie tend to be the guys that wear medium t-shirts and take natural test-boosters from GNC.

Yeah I don't actually do that because I don't want to look like an ******* in the gym but I do get excited about my lifts the way he does

[CawkworkOrange]

Large pecs are not aesthetic.

[GravityLee]

Large pecs are not aesthetic.

well this forum has gone downhill pretty fast

[pyskowanie]

Please categorically pick it apart and I will respond.

For the record I am speaking from my own experiences. Your experiences may be different for a particular exercise.

Anyone can respond to a long post like mine and say "oh thats horse ****" I mean how long does that take like 7 seconds. If you wanted to have a debate or contribute something then why didn't you type a real response?

There's just as many people out there with weak arms & strong torsos as the other way around, maxing out on every single set is terrible advice for most......
Your post didnt say it was for you it used language that was giving advice to people in general, hence horseshit.

[NicktheStick]

well this forum has gone downhill pretty fast

Threads with the term "aesthetic" in the title tend to do that pretty fast.

[GravityLee]

There's just as many people out there with weak arms & strong torsos as the other way around, maxing out on every single set is terrible advice for most......
Your post didnt say it was for you it used language that was giving advice to people in general, hence horseshit.

So you are saying don't go to failure on every set

I disagree. Going to failure will induce muscle growth in most people. The reason you see so many people in the gym that have the same physique year after year is because of two factors. The first imo is they are basically fat for someone interested in bodybuilding. If you can't see the muscle you are going to look the same year after year. The second is they do these ho hum workouts that don't have enough intensity to change their body.

I could post info to support my claims but these little 2 sentence posts are below the effort.

[chazzy1864]

So you are saying don't go to failure on every set

I disagree. Going to failure will induce muscle growth in most people. The reason you see so many people in the gym that have the same physique year after year is because of two factors. The first imo is they are basically fat for someone interested in bodybuilding. If you can't see the muscle you are going to look the same year after year. The second is they do these ho hum workouts that don't have enough intensity to change their body.

I could post info to support my claims but these little 2 sentence posts are below the effort.

Going to failure =/= lacking intensity.

Going to failure does nothing special about inducing muscle growth. The vast majority of lifters, to include the competing pros "leave one in the tank" on their sets. Going to failure every set just prematurely fatigues your system, drastically cutting the amount of volume you could perform.

Feel free to continue to go to failure on every set, but that is not the ideal way to train for the vast majority of people out there. FTR, I used to train to failure on every set, thankfully I wisened up.

+ As psykowanie said, you spewed your drivel as dogmatic lifting standards that seems like it was meant to appeal to all of the overly (wannabe) hardcore lifters, exactly the kind that get off stroking their ego by shouting like Ronnie after a set, hence horseshit.


edit: I'd be humored to read this wealth of information to support your claims. Inb4 it is an article from t-nation or a study that has been vastly misinterpreted by the GL or horribly misrepresented by the author of whatever article.

[Jasonk282]

So you are saying don't go to failure on every set

I disagree. Going to failure will induce muscle growth in most people. .

Lots of people advocate not going to failure...like Jim Wendler, Brandon Lilly, Paul carter, etc...

[ironwill2008]

So you are saying don't go to failure on every set

I disagree. Going to failure will induce muscle growth in most people. The reason you see so many people in the gym that have the same physique year after year is because of two factors. The first imo is they are basically fat for someone interested in bodybuilding. If you can't see the muscle you are going to look the same year after year. The second is they do these ho hum workouts that don't have enough intensity to change their body.

I could post info to support my claims but these little 2 sentence posts are below the effort.

Please do post your information. The only clinical evidence I've ever seen on the topic of 'muscular failure' states that not only is it not a requirement for gains, but it isn't even a desirable practice if used more than infrequently.


If you have clinical evidence stating otherwise, I'd be very interested to read it.

[Yodums]

The reason you see so many people in the gym that have the same physique year after year is because of two factors. The first imo is they are basically fat for someone interested in bodybuilding. If you can't see the muscle you are going to look the same year after year. The second is they do these ho hum workouts that don't have enough intensity to change their body.

You should really re-read your first point. It makes absolutely no sense. There's no requirement to have a base physique to be successful in bodybuilding.

[GravityLee]

Going to failure =/= lacking intensity.

Going to failure does nothing special about inducing muscle growth. The vast majority of lifters, to include the competing pros "leave one in the tank" on their sets. Going to failure every set just prematurely fatigues your system, drastically cutting the amount of volume you could perform.

Feel free to continue to go to failure on every set, but that is not the ideal way to train for the vast majority of people out there. FTR, I used to train to failure on every set, thankfully I wisened up.

+ As psykowanie said, you spewed your drivel as dogmatic lifting standards that seems like it was meant to appeal to all of the overly (wannabe) hardcore lifters, exactly the kind that get off stroking their ego by shouting like Ronnie after a set, hence horseshit.

I think maybe because we're on the internet and its text that maybe the communication isn't as clear but you are implying I need to subtitle every thread with "this is what works for me". People who lift know that there is more than one way to get to the end goal. This is why there are so many books talking about routines, sets and methods out there by various bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts. So I don't know what you are looking for - I stated my opinion on what has gotten me results. I have before / afters on my bodyspace and I actually lost another 7 pounds of fat and look even better.

Honestly when you sit here and adocate don't go to failure I would agree with someone who lifts more like a powerlifter. I don't lift that way its not in line with my goals. My motions are hard controlled movement, squeeze, slow negative. Dorian Yates has a great clip you've probably seen where he is talking about the bench coming down in the negative movement and its like a spring 1..2..3.. then boom fire up and contract. My lifting style is as close to this as I can get it:

edit: I'd be humored to read this wealth of information to support your claims. Inb4 it is an article from t-nation or a study that has been vastly misinterpreted by the GL or horribly misrepresented by the author of whatever article.

Lots of people advocate not going to failure...like Jim Wendler, Brandon Lilly, Paul carter, etc...

I don't really have an opinion on Rich Piana one way or the other but I agree with everything he said here specifically in reference to bodybuilding. Powerlifting is a different beast.

Honestly even if you don't like what i've said in this thread watch this video it really is eye opening.



I don't know if I'll bother responding further in this thread. Feels really negative. If you are like me you go to the gym as your sanctuary its a safe place where you feel good feel happy. If I come in here to talk about exercises or methods it would be great for it to be a positive environment like that instead of guys trying to one up each other on the internet.

[chazzy1864]

I think maybe because we're on the internet and its text that maybe the communication isn't as clear but you are implying I need to subtitle every thread with "this is what works for me". People who lift know that there is more than one way to get to the end goal. This is why there are so many books talking about routines, sets and methods out there by various bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts. So I don't know what you are looking for - I stated my opinion on what has gotten me results. I have before / afters on my bodyspace and I actually lost another 7 pounds of fat and look even better.

I'll watch your videos in a bit. But

\/\/\/\/

Theres one more thing I would say about it. A lot of people do not lift with intensity, even big guys. If you could have done more reps then you failed and get an F on the set. Its that simple unless injuries are in the equation. Can't tell you how many people pick a number - 10, 12, 15 whatever it is. You watch them lift. They aren't even struggling on that 10th rep. If you don't have the urge to sit up after your bench and wanna yell "WOOOOO" like Ronnie Coleman even when moving medium weight, you didn't give it any real heart into the set. Every set should be like a challenge that you met and conquered.

You flat out stated that anybody who doesn't lift to failure is failing and won't make any gains.

Nowhere in that does it state that this is what works for you and people should experiment and try to see what works for them.

[Jasonk282]

I think maybe because we're on the internet and its text that maybe the communication isn't as clear but you are implying I need to subtitle every thread with "this is what works for me". People who lift know that there is more than one way to get to the end goal. This is why there are so many books talking about routines, sets and methods out there by various bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts. So I don't know what you are looking for - I stated my opinion on what has gotten me results. I have before / afters on my bodyspace and I actually lost another 7 pounds of fat and look even better.

Honestly when you sit here and adocate don't go to failure I would agree with someone who lifts more like a powerlifter. I don't lift that way its not in line with my goals. My motions are hard controlled movement, squeeze, slow negative. Dorian Yates has a great clip you've probably seen where he is talking about the bench coming down in the negative movement and its like a spring 1..2..3.. then boom fire up and contract. My lifting style is as close to this as I can get it:







I don't really have an opinion on Rich Piana one way or the other but I agree with everything he said here specifically in reference to bodybuilding. Powerlifting is a different beast.

Honestly even if you don't like what i've said in this thread watch this video it really is eye opening.



I don't know if I'll bother responding further in this thread. Feels really negative. If you are like me you go to the gym as your sanctuary its a safe place where you feel good feel happy. If I come in here to talk about exercises or methods it would be great for it to be a positive environment like that instead of guys trying to one up each other on the internet.

Doing as many reps as possible( AMRAP) and going to failure are two different things...

I lift with the goal of overall reps per lift per muscle group, usually 36 reps for 3 lifts on big muscles groups and 36 reps with 1-2 lifts for smaller groups. Aiming to hit weekely volume. If I hit all the said reps...add weight. For example this week I did 240 working reps on quads with 21 working sets.

progressive overload and volume leads to growth, not failure.

[kanis999]

Take Piana's advice with a grain of tes - I mean salt.