Building an Aesthetic Physique
While there are differing opinions of what the ideal physique should look like, building a symmetrical body is something many of us strive to achieve.
The goals for the average, regular weightlifter isn’t to pack on insane amounts of muscle for the professional bodybuilding circuit but to just look good without a shirt.
Between a range of musculature from a lean fashion model to the hulking build of someone like Lou Ferrigno, men generally desire a physique somewhere in the middle, a look closer to the fitness models seen on covers today.
Fitness models usually have large amounts of muscle on their frame, but within proportions to be sized into a well-fitted suit. They’re also very lean throughout the year, with many hovering around 8-10% body fat at any given time for a photo shoot at a moment’s notice.
Just losing fat and building muscle is too arbitrary a guideline for looking your best, since we vary so much differently with our height/weight ratios.
The science of bodybuilding actually gives us a mathematical guideline for us to train and design our bodies to look its best.
How to Develop the Physique of a Greek God
When you observe nature, you’ll notice patterns that are prominent within the things that surround us.
Numbers are a constant theme within nature, whether it’s the pedals of a flower, the rings within a tree trunk, or the length of the calendar year.
Nature as a way of using numbers as a ruling order.
In the search for ruling order with symmetry, the mathematical expression The Golden Ratio has been used to describe the ideal proportion of beauty within all man-made objects.
The Golden Ratio was used in ancient times, particularly during the period of the great mathematician Pythagoras, who believed that geometric objects had a rule of proportion that could be defined to one number: phi or 1.618.
The ratio is basically a comparison of any two measurements that will produce a divine number. Algebraically it would look like this:
Basically, if you divide part A into B by the Golden Ratio, the irrational number produced would equal 1.618.
This ratio can be seen with any of the body parts on the human anatomy. For example, the ratio in the size of the hand to the forearm can be identified as 1.618 when the larger measurement is divided into the other.
The Golden Ratio can be seen between the foot to the shin bone, the upper torso to the lower limbs, and even in the symmetry of the face. The nose is placed in perfect distance between the forehead and the chin within this ratio.
Golden Ratio in Bodybuilding
Bodybuilding is not just about building large, bulky muscles, but contouring your body to be completely balanced and proportional with deliberate exercise. It serves as an advantage to learn the golden ratio for this very purpose.
The two main proponents for the Golden Ratio in bodybuilding date back to the classic bodybuilding era of the 50s-70s, Steve Reeves and Vince Gironda.
Steve Reeves maintained one of the most aesthetic physiques at the height of his bodybuilding/movie career, while never getting freakishly huge like the bodybuilders of today.
Some of the keys to his success to building this look were to develop his weaker muscle groups while spending less time on stronger areas until he achieved measurements similar to the Golden Ratio.
For example, to have a waist size within the Golden Ratio, you would contrast this measurement with the width of the shoulders to have them equal 1.618 (ex. A shoulder measurement of 48” and a 30” waist will get a ratio close to this number).
He also created a standard of this ratio within a table for the rest of the body parts:
- Arm size = 252% of wrist size
- Calf size = 192% of ankle size
- Neck Size = 79% of head size
- Chest Size = 148% of pelvis size
- Waist size = 86% of pelvis size
- Thigh size = 175% of knee size
Steve used the circumference of the joints to create a guideline for the size of the muscles needed to build a completely proportionate look.
Stuart McRobert, author of bodybuilding classic Brawn: Bodybuilding for the Drug-Free and Genetically Typical, emphasizes using an easier method for determining divine portions. The calves and upper arms should be exactly the same size, while the thighs are 25” or greater.
To recruit muscle fibers for additional growth you may want to incorporate your 1 rep max for compound movements. The way to do this is to first calculate your 1RM for the exercise and add the exercise accordingly to your routine.
Your waist can fluctuate when adding muscle, so waist measurements become more insignificant when attempting to gain muscle hypertrophy.
Height/Weight Distribution
Genetics plays the largest factor in determining how your body will finally look at the end of a transformation, truth is said.
One of the main contributors for this fact is the difference in heights and limb sizes between different bodybuilders.
The shorter you are in height, the easier advantage you have to see fast progress building muscle, there’s a shorter range of motion during exercises, and you need fewer calories to gain weight.
For taller guys, the longer range of motion and longer limbs make it difficult to see the fruits of your labor in the gym. More time will be required to enough muscle to your frame to create divine proportions.
There’s also a certain amount of weight that should be achieved to see a well-developed physique, although this is sometimes debatable with trainers. Some people can grow larger muscles without gaining too much weight.
This chart below explains how weight should be distributed between different height classes:
| Height | Arm Size | Height | Arm Size |
| 5’5″ or below | 15 | 5’10” –5’11.5″ | 16.75″ – 17″ |
| 5’5″ – 5’7″ | 15″ – 15.5″ | 6′ – 6’1″ | 17.25″ – 17.5″ |
| 5’7” – 5’8″ | 15.5″ – 16″ | 6’1.5″ – 6’2.5″ | 17.5″ – 18″ |
| 5’8.5″ – 5’9.5″ | 16″ – 16.5″ | 6’3″ – 6’4″ | 18.5″ – 19″ |
The Wrap Up
Bodybuilding isn’t necessarily about the creation of overly large, bulky muscles, but using proper training methods to design the physique you always wanted. The Golden Ratio can be used to create more effective workouts by focusing on body parts that need more work than others. Using this principle can help you build a top notch body with aesthetic muscle proportions over a period of time.
