How Do Aesthetic Bodybuilders Train?

The art of modern bodybuilding is not just confined to lifting heavy weights and sporting a muscular physique. The element of aesthetics also plays a pivotal role in it. The physique of world-class bodybuilders like Schwarzenegger, Zane, Nubret, and many more exuded aesthetics that made them appear like Greek Gods. Even today, bodybuilding champions have to pay a decent amount of attention to enhancing the aesthetics of their muscular physiques.

But how do aesthetic bodybuilders train? This is a question that often arises in the head of gym rats who aspire to be like their bodybuilding idols someday. So if you are one of those, then you have landed on the right page. Through this post, we are going to give you a detailed overview of the workouts that enable the pro bodybuilders to train for aesthetics. Let’s get started.

How do bodybuilders train for aesthetics?

The training routine of professional or advanced bodybuilders differs significantly from newbies. They understand the requirements of their physique pretty well and hence incorporate certain techniques into their training program that allow them to develop their physique aesthetically. Let’s have a look at some of those techniques:-

Weight selection

The training routine of aesthetic bodybuilders is not only confined to lifting super heavyweights. Even though it contributes significantly towards increasing muscle size, when it comes to working on the aesthetics, pro bodybuilders often reduce their weight selection.

For that purpose, they choose a weight that is around 50-60% of their 1RM. They also aim to hit around 8-20 repetitions on certain exercises with that amount of weight to adequately stimulate their muscle fibers which give their muscles a bulging and defined look.

Unilateral/isolation training

Undoubtedly, performing compound lifts is a crucial part of the training program of both amateurs as well as pro bodybuilders. But to develop their physique aesthetically, pro bodybuilders also incorporate plenty of unilateral/isolation lifts in their workout routine.

Exercises like lateral raises, one-arm tricep extensions, dumbbell flys, rear-delt flys, etc. enable them to target those muscle groups that don’t get adequately stimulated with the compound lifts. Unilateral/isolation training also helps them in developing the lagging muscle groups which work on enhancing the symmetry of their physique.

Building a V-taper

An anesthetic physique can never be complete without a v-tapered torso. Round and well-developed delts and a wide back tapering down to a narrow waist give the physique of a bodybuilder the most coveted v-tapered look. And when aesthetic bodybuilders flare their lats, the v-tapered shape of their torso becomes more dramatic.

To build the V-taper, one must focus on developing the side delts and the lats. Well-developed side delts and lats make one’s physique appear wider. Exercises like side laterals and pullups/pulldowns with different grips and hand positions serve that purpose quite well.

To attain the V-tapered torso, one must also pay equal attention to keeping the waistline as narrow as possible. For that purpose, performing exercises like vacuum, crunches, side twists, hanging leg raises, etc. really helps.

High-volume training

High-volume training is an exercising approach that you can easily find in the workout routine of some of the best-built men in the world. Bodybuilders like Arnold Schwarzenneger, Serge Nubret, Flex Wheeler, Bill Pearl, etc. are still admired for their high-volume training routines.

When you go through a high-volume training protocol, it not only stimulates every single fiber of the targeted muscle group but also contributes to promoting fat loss. This further makes your physique look more lean and muscular.

German Volume Training (GVT) and Vince Gironda’s 8×8 workout routine are some of the most commonly used high-volume workout programs used by bodybuilders when they train for aesthetics. Their effectiveness has always been up to the mark. And owing to this reason, many intermediate or advanced bodybuilders still rely on them to work on developing their physique aesthetically.

Sculpting your core muscles

A well-developed and ripped set of abdominals completes the appearance of an aesthetic physique. Before you claim that abs are built in the kitchen, let us tell you that abs are revealed in the kitchen but built in the gym.

Training your abdominals two to three times a week along with sticking to a strict diet plan can aid in carving your 6-pack or 8-pack. It also helps in keeping your waist narrow and tight.

Rest Intervals

When bodybuilders train for aesthetics they keep the rest intervals between their working sets low. For instance, when they are training bigger muscle groups like chest, back, and legs, their rest intervals in between the sets are no longer than 50 seconds. Similarly, when it comes to training smaller muscle groups like biceps and triceps, they keep their rest intervals to around 30-40 seconds.

This approach keeps their heart rate up which enables their body to burn more fat. This further translates into lean muscle gains which makes their physique appear muscular and aesthetic.

Incorporating intensity techniques

Developing the physique aesthetically requires one to train with great intensity. This allows the muscles to train far beyond their normal capacity enabling them to grow to their fullest potential.

Intensity techniques like drop sets, supersets, staggered sets, rest-pause training, etc. have helped numerous bodybuilders to achieve their best-looking physiques. A few weeks before a competition, they rely on the above-mentioned intensity techniques to work on their lagging muscle groups and to bring up the most aesthetic version of their physiques.

Don’t forget cardio

Last but not the least, if you want to build an aesthetic physique, you would have to incorporate cardio into your workout routine. After all, how could you expect to look aesthetic with excess amounts of fat hanging from your frame?

Incorporating cardiovascular exercises into your training routine aids in burning off excess fat from your frame which makes your physique look leaner. It also keeps your metabolism in check which also contributes to keeping you in an aesthetic shape. Performing cardiovascular exercises like running, sprinting, jumping rope, battle ropes, etc. can serve you pretty well in that matter.

Final Words

We are sure that by now you would have got plenty of information regarding how aesthetic bodybuilders train. So if you too want to work on developing your physique aesthetically this post is going to serve your very best interests.

If you have built a decent amount of muscle mass, you can modify your training program to work on developing the aesthetics of your physique. You would also have to pay a significant amount of attention to your eating habits and your diet plan to ensure your physique appears more muscular and aesthetic.