How to Build THE Aesthetic Masculine Physique (Guide)

The “perfect” male physique is ever-changing, as it has changed so much over time.

There was a time when being very lean was ideal (which is still ideal in certain parts of the world), and there was a time when being moderately muscular without much vascularity was favored (the first era of bodybuilding). 

Now, in this new age, there’s a new “perfect” physique. I put perfect in quotes because ‘perfect’ is subjective and will change over time. 

Most men want to build an aesthetic physique—the Greek God look—which is a physique that is proportional and symmetrical, has visible muscle insertions, and is vascular and lean.

I like the new perfect physique like many others do; however, I believe it has created an epidemic of men who will do anything, no matter how life-threatening, to achieve it.
This has led many men down the wrong path, with some men having a literal chemist of steroids, injecting oil into their arms, photoshopping their images, and so on. 

I strongly believe in building the most natural aesthetic physique YOU PERSONALLY can and being contemptuous of it.

So, let’s dive into the topic—how to build your most aesthetic physique!

The 4 Fundamental Muscle Groups for Aesthetics

If you simply want to build some muscle and look like you lift, then doing some bench press, bicep curls, tricep extensions, and squats will do the trick. 

However, if you want to train for aesthetics, you need to go a bit broader. 

Although you’re still going to train every muscle group over time, the fundamental muscles, when trained efficiently, really make your physique stand out. 

To illustrate, let’s take a look at a picture of Scott Adkins from the movie- Boyka Undisputed: 

Although I think he took steroids to achieve this physique, I still look at it as a benchmark for the muscle groups men should target to build an aesthetic, masculine body. 

Let’s analyze what makes this physique stand out: 

• Traps 
• Side delts
• Upper chest
• Lats

These muscles, when prominent, give you an intimidating masculine appearance, and they are part of the foundational muscle groups for aesthetics. 

I use this photo as a reference because the key muscles are very prominent in it and are easy to identify. 

However, this physique isn’t achievable naturally for 99% of men. 

Let’s take a look at one more example. 

This is Joe Delaney, a fitness YouTuber. He has the best natural aesthetic physique that I’ve come across. 

Although I’m aware he has good genetics, I think his physique is a great testament to what people can achieve naturally. 

So now, let’s get into the fundamental muscle groups you need to grow to achieve a complete aesthetic physique.

The Key Muscle Targets and Exercises

We covered part of the fundamental muscle groups- which were Upper chest, Lats, Rear delts, and Traps.

In this section, I’ll walk you through the complete muscle groups for the perfect physique and the best exercises for growth. 

Chest (Upper and Lower)

Chests days: a majority favorite comes first on the list. Without a prominent chest, you look like you don’t even lift. 

Here are the essential exercises for growing a huge chest:

• Flat barbell bench press: Targets the whole chest.
• Incline dumbbell press: Targets the upper chest.
• Decline push-ups: Targets the upper chest.
• Chest fly: Stretches and increases the chest, making it fuller and more pumped. Depending on how you position yourself, you can hit all the parts of the chest.

Shoulders (Side Delts, Front delts, and Rear delts )

Without prominent, broad shoulders, you still look like you don’t seriously lift. You look incomplete. 

Broad shoulders are a must to get that V-taper aesthetic look, and without them, you look kind of imbalanced. 

It’s suggested that the optimum shoulder width for an aesthetic body is 1.6 times the width of your waist. 

Here are the essential exercises for growing broad, boulder shoulders. 

Side Delts

• Lateral raises
• Upright rows

Rear Delts

• Face pulls
• Cable rear delt flys 

Front delts

• Overhead dumbbell or barbell press (predominantly hits the front delts and a little bit of the side)
• Front raises

Back

The back brings it all together; without a wide back (lats),  you just look like something’s missing, you won’t have the V-taper, thus you won’t look aesthetic. 

So, a big back, or lats, is fundamental for width. 

Here are the only exercises you need to widen and thicken your back: 

• Pull-ups
• Lat pulldowns (only necessary if you can’t do many pull-ups)  
• Lat prayers or pullovers
• Bent over barbell rows

Traps

As you saw in the picture of Scott Adkins, big traps make you look more dominant and aesthetic. Without it, your shoulders look flat and a bit unappealing. 

They aren’t just essential aesthetically; big traps also supports your shoulders, raising it up from that slouched position

Here are key trap exercises: 

• Double-arm dumbbell shrugs (slow when you go up, hold and squeeze the traps, then drop)
• Single-arm dumbbell shrugs (allow for more focus and contraction for each side of the traps)
• Double-arm barbell shrugs (focus on volume and speed while still squeezing the traps at the top)

Bicep

Do you even workout if you don’t have big biceps? (I’m not the one asking.) Aside from the chest; big arms are the main trait of a masculine physique. 

With so many ways to train biceps, it can get confusing, but I like to go back to the basics.

Here are the bicep exercises for optimum growth:

• Standard bicep curls
• Hammer curls
• Cable curls (to really stretch out the biceps)
• Preacher curls (slow and controlled) 

Triceps

Triceps occupy the majority of your arm. There aren’t many things more aesthetically pleasing to look at than a big horseshoe tricep. 

Some even argue that you should prioritize triceps over biceps (I agree with this). Here are the best tricep exercises:

• Tricep dips
• Tricep pushdowns
• Barbell skullcrushers
• Diamond push-ups
• Cable Tricep kickbacks

My current tricep workout routine includes only tricep pushdowns, barbell skullcrushers, and cable tricep kickbacks. This routine hits every part of the tricep.

Abs and Obliques

I didn’t mention abs in the fundamentals because it’s pretty obvious. We all know abs are like the pinnacle of bodybuilding and a show for how lean you are. 

Visible obliques are just as important as abs because they give you that dicey aesthetic look. 

We don’t do those fast-paced, clickbait-style ab workouts you see everywhere; we do simple exercises that give results. 

Let’s cover some abs and obliques exercises: 

Abs

• Standing leg raises
• Weight-loaded crunch with cable or plates.
• Planks (optional)

Obliques

• Oblique crunches
• Side plank hold (hold till you start feeling the burn, then bounce in the same position)
• Russian twists

Legs (Quads, Hamstrings, and Calfs)

Legs are like that weird uncle; everyone tries to avoid them, but they’re still part of the family. 

If you aim for a well-rounded physique, it’s essential not to skip leg day, my friends. 

So we’re going to go over some essential leg exercises. 

“Nothing compares to squats; you can do leg presses, but why?? Why do an inferior movement?! ”

Tom Platz

Quads

• Conventional squats
• Walking-weighted lunges
• Leg extensions

Hamstrings

• Dumbbell stiff leg deadlift
• Leg curls

Calves

• Standing dumbbell calf raises
• Seated calf raises

So that’s it. We covered the 4 fundamental muscle groups for an aesthetic physique and then everything else. 

Trust me, you don’t need a mountain of variety to build muscle. Just pick 3–4 exercises per muscle group, and you’ll be good.  

How to Eat for Optimal Muscle Growth

Half the work is done in the gym (or at home for you calisthenics guys), so now you need to get your nutrition right. 

By now, you probably already know the three essential macronutrients: carbohydrates, protein, and fats. 

Without complicating this too much, here’s all you need to know: 

• Protein: 1 gram per pound of your current weight. So that is, if you weigh 170 pounds, aim to consume 170 grams of protein. However, 100 grams of protein is still great. 
• Fats: Anywhere between 45-70g is optimal. 
• Carbohydrates: Once you get your protein and fat in, the rest of your calories go to carbs.

How to Bulk and How Long

Let’s get this out of the way first. If you’re already on the heavier side, you don’t need to bulk. Just do resistance training, and you’ll gain muscle due to the amount of stored fat you have already converted to muscle.

Now, for men who are underweight-average, this varies. Men who are underweight or find it difficult to gain weight will naturally have to bulk for way longer. 

Men of average weight won’t have to bulk as much (obviously, right?).  

But for how long? People often really underestimate how long the bulk needs to be.

• If this is your first real bulk, you have to bulk for at least 1 year, and that’s for people of average weight. 
• If you’re underweight, you’ll be looking at around 2 years. 

Why does it have to be this long? Let me show you a common example of how people bulk and cut the wrong way. 

They start working out to get muscular, so they bulk for 5-6 months, thinking they’ve built enough muscle, only to find out after the cut that they’re still way smaller than they want to be. Then they go on another cycle again…and again. 

Your first bulk should be long enough so that you build enough muscle mass to actually like how you look after the cut. And speaking of cuts, let’s cover the basics. 

Cutting Tips 

After you’ve done the work—you’ve eaten right, you’ve built some muscle over a long time—it’s time to birth your jaw dropping aesthetic physique. 

And that’s what the cut is for. 

Losing weight is difficult, just as gaining weight is for other’s. What determines if you will achieve your goal is how badly you want it. 

Here are some essential tips for cutting.

1. So, firstly, you need to know what body fat percentage you want to get to. The ideal body fat percentage for aesthetics is 12%. 
2. Calculate your calorie maintenance and calorie deficit. 
3. Learn how to track calories. Is it mandatory? No. Is it extremely helpful when you learn how to do it? Yes. 
4. Start slow. If you lose weight too fast, you will lose a lot of the muscle you spent time building. A good pace is losing around 1-2 pounds per week, or 0.5kg per week.
5. Eat lots of protein.
6. Maintain resistance training and do more cardio. 

If you want a more extensive guide to cutting, check out this article on The ONLY Guide to Cutting You Will Ever Need

How Long Will It Take to Build the Perfect Physique?

The timeline varies based on factors like genetics, age, training frequency and intensity, and nutrition. 

If you want to build an aesthetic physique naturally, it will take between 2-4 years. However, if you want to reach peak physique, you should be looking closer to 10 years, naturally. 

So that’s it, guys. That’s nearly everything you need to know about how to build an aesthetic, “perfect” physique. 

So to recap:

1. Know the right muscles: The muscles that make an aesthetic physique.
2. Pick the right exercises and progressively overload.
3. If you’re average weight, bulk for about a year with proper nutrition (high protein). If you’re overweight, there’s no need to bulk; just do resistance training.
4. Then, lastly, the cut. Cut down to around 12% body fat.
5. Depending on how much muscle you want to have in a lean state, you may have to repeat the bulking and cutting cycle multiple times. 

I wish you all the best gains. And remember, stay natural!