The Best Aesthetic Workout Routine (For The Perfect Physique)

Everyone wants to look good without their shirt on. That’s no secret. In fact, looking better is probably the number one reason people workout. However, it’s easier said than done. Building an aesthetic body requires optimizing several variables including your training program, nutrition, recovery and a bunch of other stuff. This article will tell you how to build the perfect physique including what exercises to do and the perfect workout routine. You'll learn;

• What is aesthetics?
• The Grecian Ideal
• The best aesthetic exercises
• Optimal aesthetic workout equipment
• How to build an aesthetic body
• The best aesthetic workout routine

Sounds good? Now it's time to start building a body of the gods.

What is Aesthetics?

The term "aesthetics" will likely give birth to images of things like;

• Broad shoulders
• Thin waist
• Huge biceps
• Chiseled six-pack

While that's not necessarily wrong, it doesn't present the whole picture of what aesthetics really is. In reality, it has a much deeper meaning.

The term "aesthetics" actually refers to a branch of philosophy (yea, aesthetics is actually a branch of philosophy) that deals with what we find beautiful and why we find it attractive.

In other words, "what makes art good art?"

Examples of aesthetics can be found in an array of fields. For example; 

• The visual aesthetics of a snowflake 
• The universal language of math
• Attractiveness of a person’s face can vary depending on their features

Even obvious things such as a beautiful sunset or a perfect gymnast routine. We know these things are beautiful, but it’s difficult to explain the “why.”

This is what aesthetics attempts to explain.

Leonardo DaVinci’s “The Vitruvian Man”

Out of everything we see in life, the human body is the most beautiful machine ever constructed. This becomes clear the more you learn about the body.

Everyday tasks such as writing and walking are made to look smooth, although they require complicated processes working in unison.vAmid all these moving pieces on the inside, the body is beautiful on the out.

The two most important aspects of an aesthetically pleasing body are symmetry and proper proportions.

1. Symmetry- Symmetry refers to the evenness of two parts of the body. This generally refers to how well the left and right sides of the body match up. 
2. Proper Proportions- Proper proportions refer to how the different body parts sit in relation to each other. This can refer to how either the size or length of a body part relates to another

One of the most popular piece that attempts to explain or show the beauty of man is Leonardo DaVinci's drawing, "The Vitruvian Man.”

This drawing features a man in two positions superimposed on top of each other. 

• One position stands with normal foot placement and his arms spread out to form a 'T". 
• The second has the legs and arms spread to make an "X" position. 

The purpose of the drawing was to illustrate that the ideal body should possess perfect symmetry and correct proportions, as shown with its relation to the geometrical shapes.

This idea came from the Roman architect and engineer Marcus Vitruvius Pollio. When speaking of the perfect proportions of man, he once wrote:

"Just so the parts of Temples should correspond with each other and with the whole. The navel is naturally placed in the centre of the human body, and, if in a man lying with his face upward, and his hands and feet extended, from his navel as the centre, a circle be described, it will touch his fingers and toes. It is not alone by a circle, that the human body is thus circumscribed, as may be seen by placing it within a square"

In summary, Vitruvius believed a man with perfect proportions could be circumscribed by both a square and a circle. As you could have probably guessed, "The Vitruvian Man'' was DaVinci's attempt to satisfy these standards put forth by Vitruvius, which were attempted by many artists and engineers before him.

Today we have Tik Tok "challenges" that include making duck lips. 500 years ago, they had challenges of drawing the perfect man in terms of geometry and math to show his relation to nature.  Different times man.

The Grecian Ideal Vs. The Classic Physique

So, what is the perfect ratio and size?

We can say there's a "perfect”, but the adage "beauty lies in the eye of the beholder" still carries weight. With that in mind, for the majority of people, we can assume that the "perfect ratio" lies somewhere between two ideals; The Grecian Ideal and the modern "Classic Physique."

The Grecian Ideal

The Greeks are pretty well known for their (healthy) infatuation with the male body. They looked at the male physique as the perfect intertwining of nature and functionality. 

This is why one of their most famous masterpieces is their male statues in all their natural glory. With penises intact. Nothing to be ashamed of. 

So, what were the ideals put forth by the Greeks?

They had some basic ideas of what a man should possess such as; 

• Set of broad, defined shoulders
• A trim, tight waist in contrast of the shoulders
• Large, but not too large, upper legs

Below is a more comprehensive list with exact measurements

• Flexed arm: 2.5x larger than non-dominant wrist
• Flexed calves: Same size as flexed arms
• Shoulders: 1.618x larger than waist 
• Chest: 6.5x larger than non-dominant wrist
• Upper leg: 1.75x larger than knee

You notice that many of these measurements are related to your bone size. The Greeks realized the appropriate amount of muscle mass for one individual may not be the same for one with a smaller bone structure.

Regardless, the one measurement that sticks out is the very specific shoulder to waist ratio of 1.618. As you could guess, this ratio produced the coveted V-taper back, one of the most important factors.

It just so happens that the number 1.618 is known as "The Golden Ratio", the most important number in mathematics, space, and life. It’s constantly seen throughout mathematics and nature and is seen as the embodiment of balance.

In terms of musculature development, the Greeks favored strong yet athletic over massive builds. Think of the guys in the movie 300.  They wanted you to look dominant and strong but not weighed down by your muscles.

You should be able to function, not waddle around when you walk.

The Classic Physique

The Classic Physique refers to the physiques seen during the "Golden Age" of bodybuilding and even earlier.

It shares similar ideas to the Grecian ideal in terms of ratios but favors a bit more mass. Think of the bodies of;

• Frank Zane
• Steeve Reeves
• Arnold Schwarzenegger

This does NOT include the bloated bodies seen today in the "Open Bodybuilding" division of physique shows. Actually, this is why a new division labeled "Classic Physique" was introduced in 2016 to encourage the more aesthetic bodies of the past.

In addition to proper proportions and mass, the one key element that defines the classic physique is that every muscle should stand out by itself yet not overshadow any other muscle.

When looked upon, the viewer's eyes shouldn't immediately be drawn to one specific muscle group as every part of the body should garner admiration. In fact, having a body part that steals the spotlight from the others loses the desired balance in an aesthetically pleasing body.

When it comes to determining how big your muscles should be, you should follow the advice put out by Steve Reeves. Not only did Mr. Reeves train vigorously to obtain the most aesthetically pleasing body, but he also kept detailed notes as to what to train for.

His muscle ratios are as follows:

Muscle to bone ratios:

• Thigh size = 175% of knee size
• Arm size = 252% of wrist size
• Calf size = 192% of ankle size
• Chest Size = 148% of pelvis size
• Waist size = 86% of pelvis size
• Neck Size = 79% of head size

To determine how much you should weigh based on height, you can use the following guidelines. 

The starting height and weight are 5'6 @ 165lbs. From there;

• Add 5lbs per inch up to 5'11". 
• At 6'0", you should be 200lbs
• Every inch taller than 6’0”, add 10lbs

Some of these weights may seem lower than expected as our idea of a male body has been skewed by today's mass monsters and Instagram. 

The numbers here are attainable by any natural lifter who puts in the effort.  Plus, with the proper proportions, you’re going to look much larger than you truly are.

Determine The Measurements Of Your Perfect Aesthetic Bodybuilding Physique

Above we gave you two guidelines to use in determining your perfect measurements. Everyone will be a little different, but your ideal numbers should be somewhere close to the above.

Regardless of what they are, here's what you need to do before you start pumping iron.

BE AT A LOW BODY FAT %:

Having an aesthetically pleasing body means having the correct measurements.

Unfortunately, this means that until you are at a low body fat %, taking accurate measurements will be difficult. You won't know if an area needs special attention or what steps to take because the measures will be faulty due to excessive fat.

Regardless, being trim is part of having an aesthetic body, so if you are above 15% body fat, you'll need to cut it down first. 

There’s a lot of arguing over the perfect body fat percent but we think 12% is ideal. This is definitely above average and showcases your muscles. However, it’s relatively easy to maintain year round compared to getting 10% or lower.

TAKE YOUR CURRENT MEASUREMENTS:

The next phase is more straightforward and simply has you take your measurements. This is what you may need:

• Chest
• Neck
• Bicep
• Forearm
• Wrist
• Waist
• Hip
• Thigh
• Calf

WRITE OUT YOUR IDEAL MEASUREMENTS:

Another easy step.

Right out your ideal measurements which will be your goal to work towards.  Remember to use the guidelines from above.

This may also include losing weight for aesthetics as well. In order to build an aesthetic body, you need to know what you want to look like.

COMPARE YOUR CURRENT IDEAL MEASUREMENTS:

Step 4 is where you compare where you're at and where you want to be. Plus, it will allow you to make notes of body parts you don't like working out and vice versa. Here is what to make a note of.

1. The muscles that need the most help (if any)
2. The muscles that require the least help (if any)
3. Make mental notes of muscles you like and dislike to train or feel are problematic

Once these general numbers are established, you can then make a game plan of how you are going to hit the muscles.

Most Important Variables Of The Perfect Aesthetic Workout Plan: Muscle Hypertrophy And Prioritizing

Training for aesthetics requires special considerations. Here are some things to focus on.

Prioritize Hypertrophy (But Don’t Forget Strength)

When training for aesthetics, the number one priority is muscle growth.

While your training will definitely include some strength training, the vast majority will be concerned with muscle hypertrophy. Therefore, a large portion of your exercises will be smaller compound movements and isolation exercises.

However, you will still perform 1-2 strength movements for each body part. These should be compound movements performed at the upper end of the strength spectrum (5-6-reps). These  are still going to be your foundation for growth so this never changes.

Dumbbells And Pulleys For Muscle Growth

For the vast majority of your exercises, the best aesthetic workout equipment will use dumbbells or the cable pulley system.

Dumbbells are great for muscle growth and offer several benefits for building mass including; 

• They allow a larger range of motion 

• Require greater stabilization 

• Still allow heavy loads

On the other hand, the cable pulley machine is another great piece of equipment for hypertrophy;

• Allows you to perform exercises at almost any angle

• Easy to swap exercises

• Allows a huge variety of exercises 

Prioritization

Training for muscle hypertrophy is easy enough to follow BUT you will need to also learn how to prioritize.

1) Prioritize muscle growth over strength. You aren't able to train optimally for aesthetics while setting new PRs at the same time. The physiological adaptations and training variables for hypertrophy and strength are vastly different so when one has a higher priority, you need to favor it (But check out this article to see how to train for both!)

2) Prioritize lagging muscles. We all like training what we’re good at. However, aesthetics requires every muscle to be optimized. You probably have at least one body part that needs either extra work compared to others. To build the perfect physique, your training needs to revolve around fixing these problems. This means giving those lagging muscles some extra work.

3) Stick to your measurements. Your goal is not putting on the most amount of mass. You need to focus on building the body parts to the desired measurements. Stick with this plan and don’t overbuild a muscle chasing mass.

4) Prioritize 1-2 muscles at a time. If you have a muscle to build, concentrate on it for periods of 4 weeks. This doesn't mean you're not going to train the other body parts; it just means that one body part at a time will get some extra love. You can then focus on another muscle of full body training. However, many trained bodybuilders find this is true regardless, simply as their muscles require extra volume to grow. As they can’t give all their muscles more volume, they rotate through periods of prioritizing one over the other.

Yes, creating the body of Hercules and Ares takes a while but it'll be worth it when you arrive at the gates of perfection.

The Best Aesthetic Exercises For Every Muscle Group

Now, let's briefly go over what training for each muscle group will look like as well as what exercises you're going to use.

TRAINING THE LEGS FOR AESTHETICS:

Legs are easily the most variable of any muscle group – some guys seem to be born with massive trunks or they have to bust their ass.

However, legs are generally not as important as many tend to believe for aesthetics (but they're still important). The legs are to flow with the rest of the body so they should not be so large as to overpower the other muscles.

Look at pictures of Steve Reeves or Arnold and you can tell they definitely train their lower body and have accumulated a good chunk of mass.  However, they’re not so massive that they have to duck walk.

The one part which does need special attention is the calf muscles if they're not developed. A small set of calves can have a drastic effect on the stature of a body and a great emphasis is put on them in aesthetics (Check out these calf exercises!).

TRAINING THE BACK FOR AESTHETICS:

Your back is going to play a large part in your look, especially your upper back and lats.

The upper back will play with the shoulders to form that classic broad shape you're looking for.

Developing the lats will shape the V's side as they run down to the waist. Without lats, your body will look more like a T which isn't what we want.

• Rack Pull
• Chin-up/Pull-up
• Lat Pull-down
• Dumbbell Row
• Swimmer
• Face Pulls
• Reverse Flyes

TRAINING THE CHEST FOR AESTHETICS:

Developing the chest is vital as this is what people see when they look at you. As people come toward you, you want them to see two mounds of muscle mass sitting on your chest, not a sternum. This includes having a well-developed upper AND lower chest. Leaving one out ruins the appeal.

For the chest, you're going to stay away from the bench press. Instead, you're going to use these dumbbell chest exercises (and one bodyweight exercise):

• Incline Dumbbell Press
• Dips
• Close Grip Pushups
• Chest Flys
• Dumbbell Pullover

TRAINING THE SHOULDERS FOR AESTHETICS:

Boulder shoulders.

This is what is going to cap off the upper torso. Having small delts that evenly run into your arm does not look strong. Instead, you want a well-defined ball to sit on the top of your arms. 

The best aesthetic exercises for the shoulder are first going to be some overhead pressing for strength and overall size. You'll then add some isolation work as well such as lateral and front raises to really aid in sculpting them.

• Standing Neutral Grip Dumbbell Press
• Arnold Press
• Lateral Raises
• Front Raises

Of all shoulder exercises, your lateral delts generally get the least work but provide the best pay back in aesthetics. Therefore, we love using plenty of lateral raises in our program.

TRAINING THE ARMS FOR AESTHETICS:

Having full arms is the last component of a solid upper body.

However, your job isn't to make your arms explode with 20" + pythons as big as possible. You want the biceps and triceps to compliment each other and work together as a whole.  In fact, this is one of the reasons why the size of the arm is based on the size of your joints. 

A nice size arm will look huge when paired with the correct joints and a developed set of shoulders on top with the proper proportions. 

Much of the arm will be trained with the other movements. For example, the rows and chin-ups will hit the biceps while the triceps will be heavily trained with the dips and close grip push-ups.

However, you're still going to use some classic isolations as well:

• Preacher curls
• Rope Hammer curls
• Bicep 21s
• Skull crushers
• Triceps kickback

TRAINING THE CORE FOR AESTHETICS:

Last but not least, the core. If you don't have a well-defined 6-pack, you can't call yourself aesthetic.

The #1 exercise for the core is the ab rollout, without a doubt.  Studies have shown that this single exercise causes greater activation in every area of the core than any other exercise.  Therefore, they will be your primary core exercise.  Still, here are some others to play around with as well.

• Incline Reverse Crunch
• Wood Chopper
• V-Ups

You’ll train the rollout at least twice a week.  There’s also a 3rd session but you could swap out for one of the above exercises.  Also, if you find you have time after the other sessions, you could also add some core.  However, DO NOT skip one of the other exercises to make time.

For the rollout, you will first work on being able to go all the way out. You’ll then work on doing reps. You can also use knee rollouts or bosu ball rollouts before moving to barbell rollouts.

The Perfect Aesthetic Workout Plan

Now you're ready to start going over your aesthetic workout routine that will allow for some customization. As everyone is going to have some different lagging body parts or parts they want to prioritize, the perfect workout room will allow some custom exercise choices. While the bulk of the plan will be the same for everyone, one session will have you choose exercises.

Before you see the plan, we'll first go over the basics. We'll then deliver the plan and follow-up by explaining some of the essential variables.

As mentioned numerous times, developing aesthetics requires muscle hypertrophy to be the primary tenet of the entire plan. Because volume is the main driver of hypertrophy, your aesthetic workout schedule will consist of training 5x a week.² This will allow you to build maximal volume with adequate rest. 

Your aesthetic bodybuilding split doesn’t fall into a defined category.  This is because it will divide the muscles to allow every group to be trained twice while still allowing the variance we’ve discussed (lagging muscles, well-developed muscles).  But don’t worry, this will make sense later.

To address while you will train a muscle group two times a week, studies like this one from Brad Schoenfeld, have found this to be the optimal training frequency to maximize your growth potential.³ This will be for all the muscles that need improvement to reach your optimal measurements. However, not all your muscles fit into this category. 

Session 1: Lower Body

Session 2: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps

Session 3: Back + Lower Body

Session 4: Chest+Shoulder+Triceps

Session 5: Back+Biceps + Lagging part

Explaining Your Aesthetic Bodybuilding Plan

While this may be more exercises than you are used to, you are meant to move quickly. As you noticed, the rest times are between 2:00-1:00 to allow constant moving.

This is going to allow an overall larger workload AND a wider variety of exercises. Variety is another key component to maximizing muscle growth so don't let the number scare you. Even with a 10-minute warm-up, this plan should take no longer than an hour. If so, GET OFF YOUR PHONE!!! But really, time shouldn't be an issue.

Still, this workload offers another advantage which is a more significant caloric burn. You still need to stay trim, so getting in this amount of workload in 60 minutes means a lot of muscle will be used and maintain a higher heart rate.

As you may have noticed, Session 5 has you train the "back, biceps, and lagging part". On this day, you will choose two isolation exercises for whatever body part you want to focus on. If this happens to be the back or biceps, you will add two more of those here. These will be isolation exercises that you will take to failure.

Looking at the 1st session for the lower body, you will notice that Rack Pull starts it off. While the rack pull is primarily a back muscle, it will still hit the glutes and hamstring. Due to the back incorporating so much muscle, training it with this first session allows you to consistently hit it 3x a week, even though that first session only has one exercise.

You will train your lagging, or "prioritized", muscle group three times a week. In the same study listed above, they found that three times a week could be beneficial for exceptional circumstances if done for short intervals; again, this is why you will switch this group every 3-4 weeks.

We talked about muscles that you are pleased with only being trained 1 time a week. If it's any muscle, the legs are likely the culprit. Therefore, on session 3 which has you train back and legs, you can replace the leg exercises with other exercises or add some HIIT training.

You can do a similar exchange for any other muscle you may be happy with as well.

Progressive Overload For Aesthetics Training

This plan is only effective if you remember to apply progressive overload. To do this, you're going to add weight and reps over time. However, this will vary slightly depending on the exercise.

1. Exercises with a specific rep number (ie. 3x6) For these, you'll add weight. 

2. Exercises with rep range (i.e. 3x12-15). For these, you will start at the lower end (12) and then increase reps until you can do top end (15). You will then add weight and repeat the process.

Swapping Exercises

After some time training, you’re likely going to stall. Or, perhaps you just want to maintain variety.

An easy fix to this is to swap exercises 4-6 weeks or so. This will keep a steady state of new exercises without needing to completely rewrite your plan.

All you need to do is swap exercises for those with similar movement patterns. For example;

• Incline Dumbbell Press → Flat Dumbbell Press
• Dumbbell Row → Chest-Supported Row
• Front Squats → Back Squat

This is the easiest way to continue without needing to completely change your program.

Last: Remember To Track Your Measurements!

As the main goal is striving for the number you set for yourself, you will need to take routine measurements to track your progress. Not only will this let you know how you're doing, but it could also uncover issues you need to address.

Perhaps one muscle has responded very well while another has fallen behind. If you notice this, you're going to need to make any adjustments necessary. 

The best time to take measurements would be when you are ready to switch your prioritized muscle or every 4 weeks. If you happen to find a muscle in need, this will obviously become your new prioritized muscle.

Welcome To Aesthetics Bodybuilding

With its ability to be customized, this aesthetic workout plan will be all you need to sculpt the body of your dreams. Remember to push it in the gym, eat the right food at home, and get plenty of sleep in bed (muscles can't grow without rest!). Other than that, I think we answered the purpose of aesthetics...to look sexy as hell!! (Were you expecting something deeper?)

References

1. Escamilla RF, Lewis C, Bell D, Bramblet G, Daffron J, Lambert S, Pecson A, Imamura R, Paulos L, Andrews JR. Core muscle activation during Swiss ball and traditional abdominal exercises. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2010 May;40(5):265-76. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2010.3073. PMID: 20436242.
   
2. Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sports Sci. 2017 Jun;35(11):1073-1082. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2016.1210197. Epub 2016 Jul 19. PMID: 27433992.
3. Schoenfeld, B.J., Ogborn, D. & Krieger, J.W. Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med 46, 1689–1697 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8