Researched
and Composed by
Jacob Wilson, BSc. (Hons), MSc. CSCS
Introduction
Throughout
history
mankind
has
sought
to
conquer
its
environment.
To
literally
subdue
and
master
all
his
surroundings.
Yet
in
the
annals
of
time
our
basic
core
structure
has
remained
the
same.
What
features
we
were
born
with,
we
coped
with.
If
we
were
predisposed
to
be
fat
we
lived
with
it,
if
we
were
seemingly
cursed
with
narrow
shoulders
and
small
bones
we
stayed
that
way.
Enter
bodybuilding!
With
its
brash
and
wildly
innovative
ideas
it
has
literally
taken
the
world
by
storm
and
left
it
breathless
in
its
wake!
No
longer
do
you
have
to
live
with
a
skeletal
flaw
such
as
a
wide
waist
or
small
and
narrow
shoulders.
Cast
off
your
short
comings
and
adhere
to
the
revolutionary
skill
and
technique
of
creating
an
illusion.
The
illusion
that
you
have
actually
altered
your
skeletal
structure!
That
in
a
nutshell
is
what
this
article
is
about.
What
the
ideal
physique
is
and
how
you
can
hide
and
improve
on
your
structural
weaknesses.
The
Ideal
Physique
The
classic
V
shape
that
every
bodybuilder
desires
is
set
off
by
wide
shoulders
that
spiral
down
into
a
tiny
little
waist
and
dramatically
finished
with
a
deep
rib
cage
and
narrow
hips.
However,
these
features
are
very
much
related
to
our
bone
structure
which
was
pre-determined
for
us
genetically.
And
while
many
of
us
have
good
genetics
in
one
area
we
may
lack
structure
in
another.
The
following
paragraphs
will
discuss
all
four
of
these
desired
features
and
cause
you
to
give
your
training
priorities
a
much
closer
look.
Shoulder
Structure
and
Width
Shoulder
width
is
hugely
determined
by
genetics.
The
longer
your
clavicle
bone
is
the
wider
your
shoulders
will
be.
Width
is
usually
related
to
the
height
of
the
athlete.
Orville
burke
and
Gunter
Shrimp
are
perfect
examples
of
this.
They
have
extremely
wide
shoulders
and
are
two
of
the
tallest
in
the
sport.
So
how
is
it
that
athletes
such
as
Shawn
Ray
or
Franco
Columbo
who
are
shorter
and
narrower
compete
with
their
wider
opponents?
Its
simple,
they
create
the
illusion
of
having
wider
shoulders
and
also
prioritize
certain
aspects
of
shoulder
training
over
others.
Targeting
the
medial
head
If
you
lack
shoulder
width
then
you
need
to
make
side
(
medial
)
delt
training
a
major
priority
in
your
routine!
Examples
of
exercises
that
target
this
area
of
your
shoulders
are
side
lateral
raises,
upright
rows
and
overhead
laterals.
These
can
be
done
with
cables,
dumbbells
and
barbells.
In
order
to
isolate
this
area
you
should
perform
strict
movements,
pausing
at
the
top
range
of
motion
for
a
bit
and
fighting
the
weight
all
the
way
down.
If
you
want
to
go
heavy
try
upright
rows
as
its
the
weightiest
exercise
that
you
can
target
the
side
delts
with.
In
edition
I
believe
you
should
hit
this
head
first
in
your
shoulder
workout
before
you
perform
heavier
more
compound
movements
such
as
the
military
press
and
others
similar
to
it.
Your
main
focus
should
be
this
head.
An
excellent
way
to
prioritize
them
would
be
to
utilize
the
double
your
pain,
double
your
gain
method
of
training. Or
you
could
incorporate
pre-fatigue
into
your
regimen.
By
performing
side
lateral
raises
first
in
your
routine
they
will
be
fatigued
when
you
blast
them
secondly
with
military
or
dumbbell
shoulder
presses.
Using
Your
Back
to
Highlight
and
Bring
Out
Your
Shoulders
When
training
your
back,
the
upper
portion
of
it
should
be
your
main
focus!
You
see
a
wide
upper
back
will
give
you
that
vital
V
shape
and
better
emphasize
your
shoulders
by
actually
drawing
attention
to
them!
The
number
one
way
to
create
a
barn
door
back
is
pullups
and
pulldowns!
Victor
Munez
who
is
a
IFFB
pro
trainer
has
created
some
of
the
most
massive
and
beautiful
backs
in
the
sport
by
focusing
on
this
area.
Just
look
at
how
wide
and
square
Orville
Burk
and
Victor
Martinez's
shoulders
are!
This
can
be
widely
contributed
to
Mr.
Munez's
emphasis
on
pull-ups.
(
If
you
haven't
read
my
interview
with
him,
you
can
do
so
by
clicking
here
)
As
Victor
stresses
in
my
interview,
perform
pullups
from
all
different
angles!
By
doing
so
you
can
create
numerous
different
exercises
that
stress
your
back
in
different
ways.
You
can
have
your
palms
facing
you,
facing
away
from
you,
wide
grip,
close
grip
etc.
etc.
I
guarantee
that
by
emphasizing
these
types
of
exercises
that
your
upper
back
will
widen
faster
than
you
thought
possible
and
you
will
have
created
the
illusion
that
your
shoulder
structure
is
wider
than
it
actually
is!
Creating
a
Small
Waist
Even
though
the
size
of
our
waist
is
somewhat
influenced
by
genetics,
we
actually
have
more
control
over
it
then
any
other
body part.
I
say
this
because
its
size
is
almost
completely
related
to
how
much
muscle
and
fat
that
it
houses.
Eliminating
the
Fat
It's
important
for
you
to
understand
that
you
will
have
to
eliminate
almost
all
noticeable
fat
on
your
waste
in
order
to
achieve
a
slim
mid
section.
This
of
course
should
be
accomplished
by
a
complete
dieting
and
workout
program
designed
to
burn
fat
at
an
optimal
rate.
We
will
not
directly
discuss
this
here,
but
you
can
read
about
this
aspect
of
training
and
dieting
in
the
following
articles:
1.
12
weeks
to
burning
fat
the
diet
2.
12
weeks
to
burning
fat
the
workout
3.
Questions
and
Answers
4.
Take
Your
Fat
Burning
to
The
Next
Level
How
To
Determine
How
Much
Muscle
Your
Mid-Section
Needs
Determining
how
much
fat
should
be
on
our
midsection
is
easy,
you
don't
want
any
come
contest
time.
However,
it
is
more
difficult
for
an
athlete
to
determine
how
much
muscle
he
actually
needs
in
this
area.
For
the
most
part
your
upper
and
lower
abs
can
never
have
too
much.
However
the
external
obliques
are
a
completely
different
matter.
This
is
the
muscle
on
each
side
of
your
midsection
that
forms
the
outer
waist.
Besides
fat
it
is
your
obliques
that
determine
how
wide
your
waist
will
be!
This
is
why
you
must
be
cautious
in
how
you
train
them.
If
you
have
a
have
a
blocky
and
wide
hipped
body
then
you
should
only
do
seated
and
bent
over
twists
to
keep
this
area
toned.
In
edition
you
can
also
add
some
high
rep
side
bends
without
weight.
However,
if
you
have
narrow
hips
and
wide
shoulders
you
should
do
some
resistance
work
for
this
area.
Obliques
are
stunning
when
fully
developed
and
your
body fat
percentage
is
low.
The
rule
for
everyone
is
to
build
this
muscle,
but
to
never
allow
it
to
be
built
to
the
point
where
your
waist
looks
wider
than
your
hips!
The
Stomach
Vacuum
A
Lost
Art
That
Needs
to
be
Rekindled.
When
I
think
about
what
the
perfect
waist
should
look
like,
I
immediately
envision
the
classic
physique's
of
Arnold
Schwarzenegger,
Larry
Scott
and
Sergio
Olivia.
These
guys
were
huge
and
yet
their
waists
were
so
damn
small
that
they
would
seem
to
disappear
in
many
of
their
poses.
One
of
the
most
dramatic
of
these
is
the
lost
art
of
executing
the
awe
inspiring
Stomach
Vacuum!
Executed
correctly
this
pose
will
literally
make
your
waste
look
ten
times
smaller,
blowing
the
completion
away!
As
you
in
hale
the
crowd
will
collectively
gasp
in
amazement!
Its
unfortunate
but
you
rarely
see
this
pose
executed
any
more
throughout
the
ranks
of
bodybuilding.
Whether
they
may
be
pro
or
armature.
Perhaps
it
is
so
seldom
used
because
it
is
hardly
ever
practiced
anymore.
The
stomach
vacuum
is
the
art
of
pulling
in
the
waste
as
far
as
possible.
In
order
to
execute
it,
suck
your
abs
in
as
far
as
you
can
while
continuing
to
breath
normally.
Hold
it
for
15
to
20
seconds
and
then
release.
Your
goal
will
be
to
work
up
to
several
one
minute
sets.
The
advantage
you
have
on
this
exercise
is
that
it
can
be
easily
performed
behind
your
desk
at
work
or
behind
the
wheel
of
your
car.
If
you
master
this
exercise
you
will
reduce
your
waist
circumference,
improve
your
posture
and
most
importantly
have
one
of
the
most
dramatic
posing
techniques
at
your
disposal!
wide
shoulders
=
smaller
waist?
When
you
speak
of
the
ultimate
illusion
it
would
almost
be
the
fact
that
the
wider
your
shoulders
are
the
smaller
your
waist
appears
to
be.
Literally
every
inch
you
add
to
your
side
delt
will
seem
to
melt
an
inch
off
of
your
waist.
Conversely
the
smaller
or
narrower
your
shoulder
width
is
the
wider
your
waste
will
appear!
So
again
I
will
refer
to
the
importance
of
side
deltoid
training.
The
Importance
of
Ribcage
Depth!
The
ultimate
example
of
how
a
deep
ribcage
can
crush
opponents
underfoot
is
the
great
Shawn
Ray!
He
has
spent
countless
hours
developing
this
area
and
has
reaped
the
reward
of
success
and
fame
from
it!
I
personally
think
that
it
is
his
most
stunning
feature
and
has
contributed
greatly
to
his
legacy!
As
with
other
bones
there
is
really
nothing
that
you
can
do
to
expand
your
rib
cage
bones
themselves.
However
not
too
long
ago
bodybuilders
would
spend
countless
hours
trying
to
accomplish
this.
You
see
your
rib
cage
is
made
up
of
12
ribs.
The
top
10
of
these
connect
to
the
sternum
with
a
considerable
amount
of
cartilage,
which
is
extremely
more
pliable
than
bones.
Bodybuilders
would
perform
vigorously
high
rep
squats
to
force
heavy
breathing
in
hopes
of
stretching
this
cartilage.
They
would
also
perform
countless
hardcore
sets
of
pullovers
to
aid
in
the
stretching
process
as
well.
However,
these
will
have
little
effect
on
stretching
the
cartilage
permanently.
The
only
people
who
may
benefit
from
this
are
teenagers
because
their
cartilage
is
more
pliable
then
more
mature
athletes.
But
it
is
highly
unlikely
that
even
they
will
be
able
to
stretch
it
noticeably.
That
being
said
it
would
be
much
more
productive
to
try
and
create
the
illusion
that
your
rib
cage
is
deep
then
to
actually
expand
it
from
within.
You
can
accomplish
this
by
focusing
on
workouts
that
target
the
muscular
aspect
of
this
area.
2
sample
routines
would
be:
workout
one
1.
Straight
Arm
Pullovers
3
sets
of
12,
10,
8
for
beginner
to
intermediate
athletes.
An
advanced
athlete
might
add
a
drop
at
the
end
of
the
last
set.
2.
Rope Pulls
3
sets
of
12,
10,
8
(
Same
as
above
)
workout
two
1.
3-5
sets
of
machine
pullovers
supersetted
with
3
sets
of
straight
arm
pullovers.
(
12,
10,
8
)
If
your
intensity
is
right
these
workouts
should
add
a
serious
new
dimension
to
your
rib
cage!
If
you
add
enough
muscle
then
you
will
create
the
illusion
of
having
a
larger
bone
structure
in
this
area. If
you
are ectomorphic
and
have
a
really
small
rib
cage
then
this
should
be
a
prioritized
area!
Just
as
you
would
prioritize
side
delts
for
shoulder
width!
A
Bodybuilder
Should
Have
Narrow
Hips
Hip
width
as
with
your
other
body parts
is
due
in
large
part
to
your
genetics.
However,
muscularity
and
fat
also
contribute
greatly
to
this
area's
width!
Fat
would
be
eliminated
the
same
way
as
with
your
abdominal
fat,
an
overall
program
dedicated
to
cutting
up.
However
as
with
your obliques
you
must
make
intelligent
decisions
when
using
exercises
that
train
your
glutes,
namely
the
outer
section
of
this
muscle
called
the
gluteus
medius.
If
you
overdevelop
this
area
it
will
make
your
hips
appear
much
much
larger!
If
you
have
a
wide
hip
structure
you
absolutely
must
stay
away
from
abductor
machines
and
side
lunges!
These
directly
target
this
area
of
your
glutes.
Squats
Squats
are
an
absolute
must
for
leg
mass.
However
the
advanced
athlete
who
has
squatted
for
years
may
have
overdeveloped
his
gluteus
medius
in
turn
making
his
hips
appear
wide.
I
only
and
let
me
stress
only
recommend
this
for
the
elite
athlete
who
has
already
developed
a
great
base
of
leg
mass.
This
athlete
may
back
away
from
squats
for
2-3
months
in
order
to
lose
some
of
the
muscle
that
has
overdeveloped
on
his
glutes.
For
most
bodybuilders
I
would
recommend
using
the
pre-fatigue
method
if
your
hips
are
a
bit
out
of
proportion.
If
your
glutes
are
taking
too
much
of
the
load
while
squatting
then
they
will
continue
to
overdevelop.
However,
if
you
apply
pre-fatigue
you
will
force
your
quads
and
hamstrings
to
work
much
harder
and
fail
before
your
glutes
do.
Thereby
you
will
get
the
benefits
of
squats
and
lose
some
of
the
muscle
that
is
on
your
glutes.
I
must
stress
again,
that
this
is
usually
an
advanced
problem.
Squats
are
a
must
for
up
and
coming
bodybuilders,
but
if
your
hips
are
too
wide
try
pre-fatiguing
your
quads
and
hams
before
hitting
the
rack.
Putting
It
All
Together!
An
athlete
in
this
sport
must
evaluate
himself
as
a
whole.
For
example
your
shoulders
may
appear
too
narrow
because
your
hips
are
too
wide.
This
of
course
throws
off
the
"
illusion
"
of
having
narrow
shoulders.
Conversely
your
hips
may
appear
too
wide
because
your
shoulders
are
too
narrow.
This
is
why
you
must
constructively
look
at
your
body
parts
together
rather
than
individually.
So
take
what
you
have
learned
today
and
cast
aside
your
genetic
weaknesses.
You
are
now
in
control!
Jacob Wilson
jwilson@abcbodybuilding.com
© ABC Bodybuilding Company. All rights reserved. Disclaimer
|
