6 EXERCISES YOU SHOULD BE DOING FOR MAXIMUM GAINS

See why these moves are a must for serious weight trainers

The squat is the cornerstone of any solid strength workout. It develops strength in the quads, glutes, lower back and abdominals. In fact, its been documented that squats activate over 200 muscles in the body.

When doing squats, always emphasize technique over weight lifted. 10 body weight squats are far more effective than 10 185 lb. squats done with poor technique. Instead of working the intended muscle, every rep performed with incorrect form actually makes us more likely to injure ourselves.

7 BODYBUILDING TIPS FOR GUYS OVER 30

Follow these methods to keep your bodybuilding game strong

The sport of competitive bodybuilding is a game of adapting our training and diet to manipulate our physical appearance. As our bodies approach age 40 and beyond, there is inevitable muscle loss that will occur. Coupled together with the possibility of decreased testosterone production and ailing joints, there are a few things to consider when competing into your 30s and beyond. The following are a few important things to remember for ALL bodybuilders, but particularly those of us who have arrived at, or even passed through the 30 mark. 

GET BIGGER SHOULDERS WITH 5 EASY MOVES

Give your shoulders a blast and get them growing again

THE PROBLEM

You train shoulders religiously each week, but you’re not making progress, you’re constantly in pain, and you’re ready to scrap shoulder work altogether.

THE SOLUTION

Most guys run into problems when they try to do too much with their shoulder workouts. They’re performing too many moves, they choose their exercises unwisely, and they don’t pay attention to balancing out the muscle groups that form their shoulders as a whole.

4 CLASSIC EXERCISES TO BUILD UP YOUR BICEPS

Apply these minor tweaks to get your arms growing 

STRAIGHT UP BICEPS

Plateaus are as much a part of the natural order of things as the sunrise and sunset (they just suck a lot more). We all have periods of stagnation, when the best we can do is maintain. That doesn’t mean you have to like it. And sometimes, it doesn’t even take that much to snap out of it.

Try these four classic exercises and apply the tweaks we explain in the exercise descriptions. These minor changes are enough to keep your muscle fibers guessing, and when your body’s guessing, it responds by growing.

8 Training Rules From the Fittest Man on Earth

Basketball and football players might fill their off-season with pampered getaways and late-night escapades, but for CrossFit's top athletes, there's no slowing down. Though the Reebok CrossFit Games just wrapped — with many coaches begging their competitors to take a week off — the athletes are already eyeing the 2016 season.

It's no different for this year's CrossFit Games champ Ben Smith. He's back to training at the gym he owns, CrossFit Krypton in Chesapeake, Virgina, as well as coaching and prepping for the unknown — a hallmark of the Games is that athletes don't know the events going into it. This year, those feats included 203-pound kettlebell carries, leg-less rope climbs, and performing hundreds of pull-ups, push-ups, and squats while wearing a weighted vest.

The Other Reason You Don't Have a Six-Pack

Throw out the weight loss diets and special machines: You have everything you need to transform your abs with just your body. The big trick to getting glossy abs is pretty simple: you need release the restrictions in your abs that keep them from working properly, then activate those muscles, and finally you can strengthen the specific muscles you need.

In order to develop those strong abdominals you need to start with the innermost layer, your transverse abdominis (TA). In theory, this muscle should be working all the time. It should stabilize you before you move and is used when you breathe properly. However, when there are restrictions in your hip flexors and tightness in your abdominals insertions, it is unable to work properly.

6 SIMPLE MOVES TO BUILD A BIGGER CHEST

Easy and effective pec exercises that will take your chest growth to a new level.

PEC-TACULAR

A thick, muscular chest strikes admiration in the hearts of men and garners prolonged, feminine stares at the pool. The bottom line is, a well-developed chest is the cornerstone to a powerful and rugged physique.

Why is it then, with Mondays literally being international chest day at commercial gyms and so many guys so focused on training their pecs, that a big, strong, well-defined chest, outside of hardcore powerlifting and bodybuilding gyms, is like trying to find a needle in a haystack?

The Only 8 Moves You Need to Be Fit

1. Classic Push-Up

Push-ups activate a chain of muscles – particularly in your arms, shoulders, chest, and back – that are key for everything from getting up off the ground to shoving something heavy into the back of an SUV. The humble push-up beats the bench press for developing this functional push strength because the push-up doesn't take your back and legs out of the movement.

Technique

• Start in a plank position, holding the spine neutral, no sagging.
• Stabilize the shoulder joints by pulling shoulder blades down toward your heels (this is fundamental to all push-and-pull exercises).
• Place hands so that when you drop, your nipples line up with the base of your palms. Lower until your chest touches the ground.

5 UNIQUE SHRUGS TO GET YOU YOKED

Take a break from standard shrugs and give these variations a try for getting jacked traps.

Let’s face it, big traps get noticed. In order to make your upper half look more silverback and less slumpback, you’re going to have to shrug. Here are 5 variations that’ll help you transform into trapzilla.

1. SEATED/KNEELING DUMBBELL SHRUG

Oftentimes gym goers performing the standing dumbbell shrug can start to resemble a scene from A Night at the Roxbury - spastic with too much hip recruitment. Want to avoid that? Cut down on the cheating by removing the legs from the movement.

17 Stretches Every Man Should Know

1: TORSO RELEASE

Stretches: The arm and torso.

How: Raise your left arm over your head, then bend your elbow so your left hand drops below your head. Place your right hand behind your left elbow and gently pull your left arm over and down. 

Repeat with opposite arm.

Get more by: Extending your arms out from your sides and doing arm circles in both directions for 20-30 seconds each.

8 THINGS YOU SHOULD DO BEFORE EVERY WORKOUT

Get the most out of your training efforts by incorporating these practices into your pre-workout regimen.

A solid pre-workout routine begins long before you step into gym shorts or break a sweat. And like everything else, sloppy prep translates to sloppy execution. That can lead to uninspired training sessions or injury, both of which inhibit strength and muscle gains, or weight loss. So to help you craft a sound pre-training regimen, we asked Patrick Solano CSCS, strength and conditioning specialist at the UFC Gym in Torrance, California for his pre-workout necessities.

12 SIGNS YOU'RE OVERTRAINING

The symptoms of overtraining and trainer tips on how to prevent or correct them.

You take your workouts seriously. But, have you ever found yourself placing unreasonable demands on your body to the point of overtraining? Rest assured, if your commitment to gym time is in the neighborhood of about five hours per week, chances are you aren’t at risk of overtraining. However, if it’s greater than five hours per week and training is becoming a borderline addiction even at the expense of possibly doing harm, it’s probably time to reassess your goals. If you’re in this position, ideally you’ll have the assistance of a knowledgeable and experienced personal trainer who can quickly help you get your training back on track. Regardless, it’s crucial that you listen to your body and know the signs of overtraining. We’ve compiled a list of 12 common symptoms of overtraining.

THE NEW RULES FOR GETTING RIPPED

Forget inconvenient diets and three-hour gym sessions. Score the six-pack abs and body you've always wanted by following these better, smarter rules.

The models and athletes in our magazine are so lean and ripped, they almost make it look easy to attain a taut, muscular body. But we’ve got to be honest: It’s hard, it takes time, and it demands an unwavering degree of discipline. In our ongoing efforts to assist you in sculpting the body you’ve always wanted, we’ve laid out the gold rules to getting ripped.

5 CRUNCH-FREE CORE EXERCISES TO GET RIPPED ABS

You don’t have to do a million sit-ups for six-pack abs. We’re giving you the best muscle-defining moves for a stronger core, without the crunch.

Busting out hundreds of sit-ups each day isn’t fun, and it won’t work your core in the same way a mix of different abs exercises can. Geoff Neupert, CSCS and author of Six Pack Abs 365, recommends these five crunch-free exercises that will not only give you washboard abs, but will also make you feel more flexible, mobile, and agile during all your other workouts. "Athletes need their abs to work without them having to think about making them work," Neuper says. Here are four stomach-toning moves beyond the basic crunch.

5 RULES FOR GAINING MASS

Follow these nutrition rules to maximize your mass-building potential.

PACK ON THE POUNDS

If you'’re looking to add muscle mass to your frame, hitting the weights hard is a given. Quality time in the gym begins a cascade of changes that will stimulate your muscles to grow bigger in response to the challenges you throw their way. It'’s tempting to think that'’s all it takes to add muscle to your body. After all, you can actually feel your biceps growing after an intense set of curls.

GAIN 10 POUNDS OF MUSCLE IN 4 WEEKS

Building mounds of new lean muscle means hitting the weights hard. This month-long program will have you doing just that.

It’s a lofty goal: Gain 10 pounds of muscle in just one month. While such results are aggressive and can’t continue at the same torrid rate indefinitely, we’ve seen firsthand individuals who’ve followed our mass-gaining programs and reached double digits in four short weeks, averaging gains of 2-3 pounds a week. Trust us, it can be done. But if there’s one thing such a bold goal needs, it’s an ambitious training and nutrition strategy. In regard to nutrition, don’t even think about taking that aspect lightly. You can work out all you want, but if you don’t ingest adequate calories and macronutrients, you won’t build muscle. What and when you eat is paramount to your results, and you’ll find all you need to know about gaining mass in a short amount of time in our bulking diet meal plan.

THE COMPLETE 4-WEEK BEGINNER'S WORKOUT PROGRAM

Whether you're just starting out -- or starting again -- this workout plan will help you drastically improve your physique and fitness levels in four

In the realm of fitness, three-month programs dominate the landscape. You’ve even seen plenty of them in this magazine over the years. Are they effective? Absolutely. But we’re going to let you in on an interesting secret: It doesn’t necessary take eight or 12 weeks to get your feet wet in the gym. Not that you’ll be a seasoned vet after four weeks, but if you can just get that first month under your belt, you’ll get yourself over the proverbial hump where so many fail and give up, and set the stage for a lifetime of gains.

Let’s just call this the accelerated beginner’s guide to bodybuilding. In this plan, your first month of training will be demanding, but not so demanding as to cause injury (or worse yet, burnout), and progressive in the sense that each week you’ll graduate to different exercises, higher volume, more intensity or all of the above. After four weeks you’ll not only be ready for the next challenge but you’ll have built a significant amount of quality muscle. In other words, one month from now you’ll look significantly better with your shirt off than you look now. (How’s that for results?)

7 Simple Bodybuilding Diet Tips to Help You Get Cut and Ripped

A properly-designed bodybuilding diet emphasizes fat loss. Without it, no bodybuilding training routine you do will give you the definition that you want. The tips provided below will help you create a meal plan that will complement your workout efforts and thus enable you to lose fat and get ripped in no time:

Bodybuilding Diet Tips

1. Ensure that you eat six times a day (once every 2-3 hours):

In this manner, your blood sugar remains stable, cravings are minimized, energy and metabolism are maximized, and muscle gets fed constantly.

2. Eat the right amounts and types of protein: 

To figure out your protein needs, multiply your total bodyweight by 1.2 and that will give you the total protein grams you need to consume per day. Divide that number by 6 and that equals the amount of protein grams per meal. Limit your protein sources to lean meats like chicken, turkey, and white fish such as tilapia. Out of the six meals, no more than three should be protein shakes. The post workout meal should be a whey protein powder mixed with the cream of rice as in this manner nutrients will reach the muscles as quickly as possible. In addition to the post workout meal, no more than two other meals should be liquid ones.

Flatten Your Abs

What is the one fitness goal you wish you could achieve? If you're like most people, you want six-pack abs. It seems easy: Do hundreds of crunches a day and wait for your abs to magically appear. But, after a few months of that you might be wondering: Where's my six-pack?

It Takes More Than Ab Exercises

As you may have found, crunches aren't enough to flatten your abs. Ab exercises will build strength, especially if you focus on core strength but, if there's a layer of fat there, you'll never see them.

You've probably heard that spot reducing is about is effective as spitting in the wind, but when you work your abs in an effort to reduce the belly flab, spot reducing is exactly what you're trying to do. The body can't be forced to lose fat in a particular area by exercising the muscles directly under that area. What you should be focusing on is losing body fat and gaining a little muscle.

10 Tips to Get Flat Abs

It is the Holy Grail for fitness aficionados: flat abs. Every exerciser wants them but not every exerciser gets them. So how do you get flat abs? First, learn the basic elements that determine how your body is shaped. Then, use these tips and lifestyle modifications to get a midsection that means business.

10 Tips For Flat Abs

1. Know your anatomy. Familiarize yourself with the muscle groups that make up your abdominal area. If you understand how the muscles work, it will be easier to use them properly when you exercise. Make sure that your abdominal workout includes exercises to work the internal and external obliques on the sides of your torso as well as exercises to work the rectus abdominis, which runs down the middle of your midsection and defines your six-pack.

10 Biggest Workout Mistakes Made by Men

Face it guys, even though getting in shape is usually easier for you than it is for the ladies, there are still a few common mistakes that you make in the gym.  As part of my Men's Guide to Weight Loss, I spoke to a panel of experts about common workout mistakes that guys make that can stop them from losing weight.

10 Common Workout Mistakes Made by Men

1. Doing too much too soon.  One of the most common weight loss challenges that men face is the pressure to be tough.  “Men are macho, so they might push too hard, go too heavy or do too much too fast and then burn out or get injured,” says fat loss expert Tom Venuto. He recommends consistency and steady improvement for long-term results.

THE TOP 15 PUSHUP VARIATIONS

Pushups are a barebones muscle-building exercise that’s incorporated in nearly every major athlete’s training program because they work. Simple as that. They target your arms, chest, and core, serving as one of the most efficient bodyweight movements you can do. Better yet, you can crank them out anywhere, anytime and easily up the intensity by changing the elevation, adding equipment, moving your hand and feet positioning, even adding instability. Actually, it’s best you add some variety; exercise tedium is as bad for your motivation as it is for your muscles. 

Anthony J. Yeung C.S.C.S. and strength coach at PUSH Private Fitness came up with 15 variations to help diversify the moves in your arsenal. Ready to hit some muscles you forgot you had and your average pushup couldn’t dream of touching? 

5 Exercises That Will Give You More Muscular Arms

Guns, pythons, Old Thunder n’ Lightning — whatever you call your arms, a muscular set will definitely demand attention. Arms are traditionally one of the first parts of the body people try to build up when getting in shape, as they are right out front for everyone to see. Thus, it’s important, at least for some people, to pump “Rock” and “Roll” up; you know, to send a message.

There are three major muscle groups that lifters target when exercising the arm: triceps, biceps, and forearms. Of course, your arms are intricately related to other muscle groups in your body as well — notably the chest and back, and even your abs. For that reason, arm exercises will also give those muscles a workout, and build additional resolve in your core.

Top Tummy Toning Exercises

A flat, strong stomach is the goal of tummy toning for both men and women. If you know great toning exercises, you can add them to any workout you do. In the three stomach toning exercises below, we focus on the upper abs, the lower abs, the obliques and, really, all of the abdominal muscles. Delve deeper on the detailed instructions links for modifications and safety precautions.

1.  Double Leg Lower Lift

• Lie on your back and extend your legs straight up toward the ceiling. Rotate the legs out slightly, keeping the heels together and inner legs pulled in to center line.

Top 10 Best Ab Exercises

Bicycle Exercise
1. Lie face up on your mat and place your hands behind your head, lightly supporting it with your fingers.

2. Bring the knees in to the chest and lift the shoulder blades off the floor without pulling on the neck.

3. Rotate to the left, bringing the right elbow towards the left knee as you straighten the other leg.

4. Switch sides, bringing the left elbow towards the right knee.

5. Continue alternating sides in a 'pedaling' motion for 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps.

6 Proven Ways to Lose Belly Fat (No. 2 and 3 are Best)

Overweight does not necessarily equal unhealthy.

There are actually plenty of overweight people who are in excellent health.

Conversely, many normal weight people have the metabolic problems associated with obesity.

That’s because the fat under the skin is actually not that big of a problem (at least not from a health standpoint… it’s more of a cosmetic problem).

It’s the fat in the abdominal cavity, the belly fat, that causes the biggest issues.

If you have a lot of excess fat around your waistline, even if you’re not very heavy, then you should take some steps to get rid of it.

How to Build the Ideal Male Body

5 Tips for Developing the Perfect Masculine Form John Romaniello
 
Building the perfect or ideal male body is a lofty goal, and if you want to accomplish that goal in your lifetime, you need to follow a plan specifically designed to help you do that.

While lifting heavy and eating well is a great start, if you want to build a truly impressive physique, an ideal male body with symmetrical proportions, you have to structure every aspect of your programming towards doing that, and doing it in the shortest time possible.

I’m talking about a truly ideal male body: the kind with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and strong legs. The kind of body that fits into our biologically encoded criteria, and fits the Golden Ratio.

Why Do Men Go To Gym? Answer: Attraction

On the Prowl: To Whack Or Not To Whack?

From the Adonis Golden Ratio review, we understand that John Barban states that a primary reason for guys to go to gym is because of an innate urge to attract a mate. But gone are the days where cavemen large or small, skinny or fat, simply hunt out their mate and bash them over the head before dragging them back to their cave-pad. Nowadays, courting/dating is more like a complex vetting process, and like all things, both parties have a set criteria they look for in a potential mate.

If you browse through the large number of online dating sites, can you find any woman saying they are looking for a man that resembles a whale? Contrast that by looking at what men write on their profiles. Most (true or false) will say they are “fit”, “athletic”, or “a few extra pounds” – whatever that means. Some people will simply refrain from mentioning their body type.

The World of Famous Male Bodybuilders

The biggest men on the planet compete for the prize of becoming the biggest bodybuilder on the planet. There are so many famous bodybuilders all over the planet that listing out the top-10 bodybuilders of all time becomes quite difficult. In fact, the realm of male bodybuilders is so vast, you would struggle to think of every single bodybuilder who has made a massive impact on the world of bodybuilding.

However, comparisons are something that we thrive on and in the world of bodybuilding, there have been a lot of comparisons over the ages. Over the last 5-decades, there have been about 47-Mr. Olympia competitions and every year, the person winning the title is considered one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time. The constant rise in the overall level of competition, the size of the competitors, their muscular proportions and their conditioning has just gone through the roof.

Enter the World of Extreme Bodybuilding

In every sport, there are people who achieve a certain amount of success and turn professionals. Then there are those who go on to even greater heights, driven by a passion that even the professionals find hard to match. These are those individuals who find a sense of purpose in bodybuilding to such an extent that they end up taking things to the extreme level. It is in honor of these individuals that the term extreme bodybuilding has been coined.

Think of any sport and you will see that every professional athlete has a favourite aspect within that sport. Kobe Bryant may not love defending as much as he loves scoring, and we know for sure that Shaquille O’Neal doesn’t like free-throws as much as he likes throwing his weight around in the hole. In bodybuilding, things are no different as athletes and professionals tend to favor a certain body part or exercise routine more than other. That little routine, then, becomes their obsession and they take things to the level of extreme bodybuilding.

Create the Perfect Upper Body Workout Plan

The upper body is the most interesting part of the body to work-on in the sport of bodybuilding. It is the one that catches a person’s eye the quickest and also has the most potential of giving your body the perfect V-shape that depicts the ultimate physique. The upper body also has a lot of smaller muscles that, when developed over time, give you an incredible look that turns heads as you walk along the road. Whether you are looking for a buff bodybuilder-look or going in for a lean fitness-model appearance, you need to arm yourself with a great upper body workout plan before you hit the gym.

Setting up Your Upper Body Workout Routine

It doesn’t take much to setup your day for an upper body workout and with a few simple changes or adjustments to your regular routine you can prime yourself for an upper body workout. The first thing you need to do is identify all the major upper body muscle groups and understand the movement patterns that work them the most. Then, you need to pick the exercises that enable you to perform those movement patterns without losing your balance, and without putting undue pressure on your joints.

Pick the Best Bodybuilder Workout DVD

Some of the best bodybuilders in the world have been known to produce training videos that are aimed at helping you work our way to better health and fitness. The theme of these videos is, more often than not, quite simple – They show you how it’s done and hope that you will see them, learn from them and work your way to the top as well.

Unfortunately, not everything in those videos works out very well and most of the time, you are left looking at what these, some of the best bodybuilders in the world, are doing without any information about what you need to do to get there. In fact, someone like Ronnie Coleman might be the best bodybuilder in the world but his fitness goals might be vastly different to yours, so the same fitness video might not work out for you.

Create the Perfect Aerobic Exercise Program

There are many ways to get into the world of exercise and an aerobic exercise program is one of the more popular ways to get fitter. Also known as cardiovascular exercise or “cardio”, aerobic exercise is about performing a particular action while relying on delivery of oxygen to the muscles that are doing the work. It works in tandem with your breathing and the more oxygen you provide your muscles, the more energy they get to continue the work assigned.

Basically, it is the opposite of anaerobic exercise where the body does not use oxygen to release energy and perform actions. The actions involved in anaerobic activity are faster and more explosive than those in aerobic exercises, but the general duration of an aerobic exercise is a lot longer. The best part about an aerobic exercise plan is that you do not require extremely specific equipment or a large budget to work out.

The Ultimate Gym Workout Anytime, Every Time

The entire concept of working out in a gym is quite difficult for many people to cope with. Most gym rats tend to have day-jobs, or night-jobs, or both, so going to the local gym can become slightly difficult. You, either, have to move your gym-time around your work or move your work-schedule around your gym. It all comes down to your priorities and if the ultimate workout is your primary goal, you will do the latter.

However, the key ingredient of any fitness program is a fitness goal and if you want to reach your goals, you need to find a balance between work and exercise. There are many problems associated with working out in a gym like Fitness 19 or Fitness Connection. They might create a get-ripped workout plan for you and have all the equipment you need to get ripped. However, what happens when work forces you to travel or you cannot get out of work on time to hit the gym?

Attraction, Attitude with Bodybuilding Shirts, Shorts and Apparel

Bodybuilders love to check themselves out and attract attention but serious bodybuilders really need to check themselves out! The kind of clothing you wear to a gym has a lot to do with your fitness goals as well as with the way you look. Some people go to the gym to build themselves up for competition, while others do so to look and feel good about themselves. The equipment you use to train plays a massive role in what you do and how you get closer to your fitness goals.

The fact of the matter is, your clothing also has a lot to do with the kind of training you are involved in, just as the jersey of a football or hockey player has a lot to do with their sporting performance. If you understand the importance of wearing the right kinds of clothes, the right kind of material and the right kind of shape, you will quickly realize how much these seemingly superficial things can actually affect your workout routine.

Complete the Transformation with Lower Body Workouts

How many times have you seen a bodybuilder with a massive upper body to boast off, but a pair of skinny legs carrying that massive bulk along? It isn’t surprising to see so many people shirk the responsibility of lower body workouts because of the effect it has on your body. After an upper body workout, your arms and legs hurt, but when you are at work or doing whatever you do every day, they are never pushed as hard as you might push them in the gym.

The lower body is very different! Your lower back, lower abs and your legs carry your weight and support you throughout the day. Whether you are driving, walking or even standing, these parts are always being used. Once you work out your lower body, mainly the legs, walking becomes quite hard and that discourages bodybuilders from working out on their legs. Unfortunately, this lack of desire to work on your legs might hurt your lower back and lower abs too!

Step off on the Right Foot with Bodybuilding 101

There comes a time in most individuals’ lives when they decide to get up and give bodybuilding a shot. Mesmerized by the fitness of professional bodybuilders, fitness models or even some of the modern movie stars, they decide to take the leap and enter the world of bodybuilding. Then comes the process of signing up with a gym, buying bodybuilding gear & apparel and creating time from your daily routine to start hitting the gym. If you’ve decided to do this at an early stage of your life, then you might have fewer responsibilities on your head and you could easily take the time out to head to the gym.

However, as you grow older, more and more things tend to take up your time and people have very little time to spare for their fitness pursuits. That, in no way, is a reason for you to give up on your fitness dreams – it simply means you need to plan better. If you have the right kind of bodybuilding motivation leading you into the sport, you should have no trouble finding the right information to get started.

The Adonis Golden Ratio Review – Is It The Perfect Body Formula?

This article is an Adonis Golden Ratio review and we’ll take a look at whether it is “The Perfect Body Formula” as touted in Men’s Health Magazine. So whether you’re looking to get rid of that bulging gut or getting that ripped, tough look, or both, read on.

Just before we look at this program under the microscope, we must first ask ourselves the age-old question: Why? Why are men like you and I either consciously or subconsciously wanting that tough, man look? Why are so many men hitting the gym and pumping iron like there is no tomorrow? Sure, it’s good for you health-wise, promotes confidence, well-being, etc. and these are all valid reasons. But ask yourself honestly, what is one of the core reasons that ignites that fire or causes you to embark on this road to pump it up?

The Golden Ratio and Perfect Proportions for the Male Body

Beauty in the the human form is closely correlated to, if not defined by, the golden ratio.  It should be no surprise then that the perfect proportions for the male body would also be related to the Golden Ratio.  I recently reviewed a new body-building and exercise program called “Adonis Golden Ratio.”  I was impressed with not only its legitimate application of the golden ratio in defining the ideal proportions of the male physique, but also the research and methods developed to help men achieve this ideal.

The system is based on the concept that ideal male proportions occur when the circumference of the shoulders to that of the waist is a golden ratio.  Men’s suits sizes are generally based on the circumference of the chest, which results in a smaller ratio.  An example of ideal build then would be a 48″ shoulder measurement with a 30″ waist measurement.