When you’re a beginner set out on a building more muscle, you might make the decision to go for awesome strength and size. But maybe that’s not your thing. Maybe you just want to look good… really good.
And you may already know that to sculpt an aesthetic body, you have to tailor your resistance training appropriately. Luckily, there’s a predictable way to stress your muscles and see balanced proportion that draws visual attention your way.
So make sure you read this article all the way to the end because you’re about learn a couple workout routines similar to those used by professional fitness models and dedicated bodybuilders to build an awesome physique that makes strangers do double takes.
Table of Contents
What Makes an Aesthetic Physique?
An aesthetic physique is a body in which muscular proportions are symmetrical and balanced in a way that’s visually pleasing to the eye. It’s somewhat subjective, but common traits of bodybuilding aesthetics include:
- Wide upper back in the latissimus dorsi and trapezius muscles
- Round, capped deltoids (boulder shoulders)
- Thick biceps and triceps
- 10% or less body fat to reveal abdominal definition
- Small waist
- Moderately-sized quadriceps
Achieving these kinds of body characteristics takes a combination of targeted resistance training and diet adjustments, but for the purpose of this article, we’re going to focus just on the training aspect.
What is an Aesthetics Workout?
- An aesthetics workout is designed using training methodologies to improve muscular symmetry. These training methods use varying rep ranges and exercises to produce both myofibrillar hypertrophy (increased strength) and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.
- Bodybuilders training for aesthetics also focus on decreasing their body fat percentage by consuming a caloric deficit and increasing their fluid intake. These actions over the longer term increase muscular vascularity and definition.
- Aesthetic workouts tend to include more exercises to cover not only the major, but minor muscle groups as well. This helps to keep limbs and muscle bellies in desirable proportion.
Here’s what you’ll find in most aesthetic bodybuilding routines:
- Exercises and workouts organized according to muscle groups (split)
- 50/50 ratio between compound and isolation lifts
- 8-20 reps per set
- 3+ sets per exercise
- Exercises that build a signature v-taper (wide upper body and small waist)
How to Train for Aesthetics
Training for aesthetics is a little bit different than training for general health reasons or even to increase strength.
When training for general health, you don’t necessarily need a structured workout program or goal. As long as continually show up to the gym and lift a few weights, your body should adapt to the minor stress and stay in “toning” mode.
Alternatively, if you’re training for strength, you’ll most likely follow a specific resistance routine that focuses on compound lifts and has you performing low repetitions (1-6 reps) with plenty of rest in between sets (~5 minutes).
Aesthetic Workout Schedule
The schedule of this workout is an upper lower split because it allows you to train every muscle group and body part every 3rd day or 5th day, depending on which split variation you choose.
When you’re a beginner, you should only be working out three to four times a week at most when you want to build muscle, targeting each muscle group no more than twice per week. You want to give your body a chance to rest and recover. So, here are the two versions of the upper lower split you can choose from for optimal fitness results.
Upper Body Lower Body Split: 4 Day Version
- Monday: Upper Body A Workout
- Tuesday: Lower Body A Workout
- Wednesday: Rest
- Thursday: Upper Body B Workout
- Friday: Lower Body B Workout
- Saturday: Rest
- Sunday: Rest
With this version, each muscle group gets trained every third or fourth day. And, I should make it clear that the exact days you choose to work out doesn’t really matter as long as you stick with the two days on/one day off/two days on/two days off format.
Upper Lower Split: 3 Day Version
Week 1
- Monday: Upper Body A Workout
- Tuesday: Rest
- Wednesday: Lower Body A Workout
- Thursday: Rest
- Friday: Upper Body B Workout
- Saturday: Rest
- Sunday: Rest
Week 2
- Monday: Lower Body B Workout
- Tuesday: Rest
- Wednesday: Upper Body A Workout
- Thursday: Rest
- Friday: Lower Body A Workout
- Saturday: Rest
- Sunday: Rest
If you go with the three day version of the aesthetic workout, you’ll train each muscle group every fourth or fifth day, which is still optimal for building muscle mass. And, like the four day version, the exact day you choose to do your workouts doesn’t matter. What’s important is keeping the format: one day on/one day off/one day on/one day off/one day on/two days off.
You don’t want to switch back and forth. So, pick which version you like and stick with it. You can’t make a bad choice either way.
Aesthetic Physique Training Program Exercises
For the upper body workouts you will be training your chest, back, shoulders, biceps, and triceps to some degree. For the lower body you’ll target the quads, hamstrings, calves, and abs.
Upper Body Workout A
- Bench Press: 3 sets of 5-8 reps (2-3 min rest between sets)
- Barbell Rows 3 sets of 5-8 reps (2-3 min rest between sets)
- Incline Dumbbell Press: 3 sets of 8-10 reps (60-120 sec rest between sets)
- Pull-Ups: 3 sets of 8-10 reps (60-120 sec rest between sets)
- Side Lateral Raises: 2 sets of 10-15 reps (60 sec rest between sets)
- Triceps Push-Downs: 3 sets of 10-15 reps (60 sec rest between sets)
- Seated Dumbbell Curls 2 sets of 10-15 reps (60 sec rest between sets)
Upper Body Workout B
- Chin-Ups: 3 sets of 5-8 reps (2-3 min rest between sets)
- Overhead Barbell Press: 3 sets of 5-8 reps (2-3 min rest between sets)
- Seated Cable Row: 3 sets of 8-10 reps (60-120 sec rest between sets)
- Flat Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 sets of 8-10 reps (60-120 sec rest between sets)
- Chest Dumbbell Flyes: 3 sets of 8-10 reps (60-120 sec rest between sets)
- EZ-Bar Curls: 3 sets of 10-12 reps (60 sec rest between sets)
- Dumbbell Triceps Extensions: 2 sets of 10-15 reps (60 sec rest between sets)
Lower Body Workout A
- Deadlifts: 3 sets of 5-8 reps (2-3 min rest between sets)
- Leg Press: 3 sets of 8-10 reps (60-120 sec rest between sets)
- Leg Curls: 3 sets of 8-10 reps (60-120 sec rest between sets)
- Standing Calf Raises: 3 sets of 5-8 reps (60-120 sec rest between sets)
- Cable Crunches: 3 sets of 10-15 reps (60-120 sec rest between sets)
Lower Body Workout B
- Barbell Squats: 3 sets of 5-8 reps (2-3 min rest between sets)
- Bulgarian Split Squats: 3 sets of 8-10 reps (60-120 sec rest between sets)
- Lying Leg Curls: 3 sets of 10-12 reps (60-120 sec rest between sets)
- Seated Calf Raises: 3 sets of 10-12 reps (60-120 sec rest between sets)
- Reverse Crunches: 3 sets of 8-12 reps (6 sec rest between sets)
These workouts combine the most effective compound exercises and the right amount of isolation exercises for your body to build muscle fast. And, each workout starts with the most demanding fitness exercise and works you through to the least demanding.
Aesthetic Workout Details
The reps listed for each exercise do not include warm up sets. Always warm up before your workout.
For each exercise in these workouts, you should use the same amount of weight each set. Once you can push a given weight for the amount of sets and reps as prescribed, then it’s time to increase your weight by a small amount at the next workout. This is where you get your progression and incorporate that progressive overload principle.
- Don’t change the order of exercises. You want to go from most difficult to least difficult, so don’t change it.
- Everything in these workouts – the split, frequency, exercise, amount of sets and reps, rest intervals – is all there for a reason. Follow it. No tweaks!
- If you are unable to reach the set and rep range as prescribed with a given weight, then lower the weight. Your goal is to always hit that prescribed number of sets and reps.
FAQ
What Exercises Make You Look Aesthetic?
Essentially any exercise that stresses a muscle in one of the main “aesthetic muscle groups” is a valid bodybuilding movement. Effective compound exercises include:
- Bench press
- Row
- Shoulder press
- Pull-up or chin-up
- Deadlift
- Squat
- Leg press
You also need to include isolation exercises in your routine to build the size and density of smaller muscles that get less attention during compound movements. Examples of isolation exercises include:
- Biceps curl
- Triceps extension
- Face pull
- Delt raise
- Chest fly
- Leg extension
- Hamstring curl
- Calf raise
Is 5×5 Good for Aesthetics?
5×5 workout routines that recommend 5 sets of 5 reps per compound exercise are OK if you’re an absolute beginner because you need to build a solid strength base. But after this initial building phase, you’re body needs more reps and exercise variety to go any further. So if you want to actually look like you lift, you should ditch the 5×5 routine and use a targeted bodybuilding plan instead.
Are Big Legs Aesthetic?
This is subjective, but in most cases big legs are not considered to be aesthetic. Your legs muscle should look strong with some definition, but shouldn’t overpower your signature, goal v-shape by creating a “tree trunk” look. A couple ways to avoid building bulky legs is to either decrease the frequency in which you train your legs or to delay applying additional resistance to your leg exercises even when your lower body has adapted.
Are Deadlifts Good for Aesthetics?
Yes, deadlifts are good for aesthetics. Even though deadlifts work your glutes and lower back which are not considered “aesthetic muscles”, they still work your abdominals, forearms, and biceps… which ARE aesthetic muscles.
However, deadlifts are only one exercise in a full workout plan. When you’re planning to train for aesthetics, be sure to include all the other necessary compound and isolation lifts to build a balanced physique.
Is this REALLY the Best Workout Routine for Aesthetics?
Is this the best aesthetic workout? It very well could be. The routine is definitely well thought out and should build more muscle if followed very closely.
This is a slow, gradual process, but it works if you stick to it.
However, the workouts are only half of the plan. You also have to follow a muscle building diet plan to get optimal results and the best visual definition possible.
That’s why I recommend you check out the Warrior Shredding Program. It’s one of the top recommended programs on Noob Gains because it allows you to get leaner, build more muscle, and do it all while spending less time in the gym and eating foods you love.
It’s a complete system that teaches:
- How to build a lean and shredded body that draws attention
- The secret to losing body fat while maintaining new muscle
- Simple meal-planning strategies to lose weight and eat your favorite foods
- And more!
