loyolaxavvierretard
π―ππ― ππππ . Alonso
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WHY I DECIDED TO MAKE THIS ?
It was inspired by this post in BOTB
looksmax.org
While it does a good job of explaining the clavicles and shoulders and gives solutions, it does not expand upon everything else which is understandable since it is not a reference and more of a guide. This post is solely a reference since I do not have concrete solutions on how to improve bone structure
INTRODUCTION
It was inspired by this post in BOTB
(Collaborative&Research&Guide) Framemaxxing; Clavicles,Ribcage,Shoulders
Disclaimer: this post is mix a collection of raw information and a guide most on these methods were not done any studies and could be cope, i just wanted to make a thread to put all my information that ive collected towards framemaxxing the past few years into 1 thread, and maybe some people...
looksmax.org
While it does a good job of explaining the clavicles and shoulders and gives solutions, it does not expand upon everything else which is understandable since it is not a reference and more of a guide. This post is solely a reference since I do not have concrete solutions on how to improve bone structure
INTRODUCTION
1. There are many genetic factors that influence your potential in creating an aesthetic physique. The foundation for an aesthetic physique however lies in the muscle insertions, bone structure and the ratios so created because of the two.
2. In the last guide I have listed the major muscle insertions and how they influence the physique. In this guide I will list down the ways in which the bone structure of the body and the ratios lay down the foundation for an ideal natural physique. The ideal here is taken from Golden Era and Silver Era bodybuilders who helped shape our view of the ideal male physique.
BONE STRUCTURE
1. WIDE CLAVICLES
- The clavicles are the first and the most important component of what is perhaps the most well known effect in bodybuilding, the V-taper. Most users will know what this means so I suggest the knowledgable skip this part.
- Having wider clavicles is absolutely crucial to achieve the coveted V-taper. It creates a dominating upper body look that enhances the deltoids in both the front and the back. The clavicles give you a naturally broad shoulder line which is good even at low muscle mass
- Another huge advantage of having wide clavicles is that it provides more surface area for building the lats and the traps. This proves to be the reason why wide clavicles are extremely important for having the 0.001% Olympia Classical Physique.
- On the other hand having narrow clavicles can make your upper body look boxy. Unfortunately, you can only make up so much with delts and narrow waist. It is not ideal to have rectangular upper body shape and it is harder to create the taper look even with well built lats.
- The ideal biacromial width is 19-20 inches or 50.8 cm. Anything above that is ideal but overkill.
2. PELVIC WIDTH
- The pelvis is the second part of the duo and almost as important as the clavicles in creating the V-taper. Knowledgable users are requested to skip this section.
- In the case of pelvis, it is the exact opposite of the clavicles in that we require the pelvis to be narrow for the ideal V-taper. Having a wide pelvis is unideal since it creates an illusion of a thick waist even at low body fat levels
- Having a wide pelvis improves the upper body taper when especially when at a low body fat. An additional advantage og having wide pelvis is that it allows the hamstrings and the glutes to pop more since they surround the bone.
- A wide pelvis will require and outsized importance on building the hamstrings and glutes to make the waist look proportionate.
- A narrower than ideal biliac width for males is 10.2 inches or 26 cm.
3. RIB CAGE SIZE AND SHAPE- Having a large rib cage is immensely useful since it gives the chest depth making the chest look fuller and thicker. It creates the sort of Romanesque silhoutte even at low muscle mass
- As for muscle potential, it gives more surface area to build the chest, serratus anterior (muscle on the surface of the ribs), the lats and the intercostal (another muscle on the surface of the ribs)
- Surprisingly, a bigger rib cage also contributes to the taper by allowing better flow between the lats and obliques and makes the taper look "clean"
- Another advantage is that the rib cage facilitates better separation between the obliques and the abs giving the "armor plate" look which is very aesthetic.
- In short if you want to understand more about the importance of the rib cage then you can read up on the vacuum pose which is primarily dependant on the rib cage
4. JOINT SIZE (ANKLES, WRISTS,KNEES, AND ELBOWS)
- In the case of joints, it is absolutely better to have smaller joints since they make the nearby muscle look big in comparison. This is because the taper from the muscle belly to joint is sharper.
- Consequently, it enhances the biceps, forearms, calves and thighs. The body looks more sculpted
- On the other hand, with bigger joints, it is simply much harder to create the illusion of mass. The muscles look less flat and dont "pop" the same way.
- Even with great size it is perhaps not really possible to make up for the visual decline noticed from having bigger joints. The cartoonish arm that is popular with the Classical physique is then out of reach.
5. LIMB LENGTH RELATIVE TO TORSO
- Limb length is another crucial area of the body which can influence the physique. But things here are not so simple
- With longer limbs, they are harder to fill out but when built they look very elegant and sweeping. Very useful for quarter turns and transitions and all around graceful poses
- On the other hand shorter limbs are easier to fill in and look thicker at relatively lower muscle mass. But the tradeoff is that it can make the physique look "stocky" and dense. Some poses like side chest or biceps may look blocky.
- The key is to have a balance with long legs and a shorter torso. Too long or too short can distort proportions and ruin the aesthetic of the body. A balanced limb length allows for good flow.
6. HEAD SIZE AND SPINAL CURVATURE (RELATIVELY LESS IMPORTANT)
- These are relatively less important than the ones listed above. The head should be smaller than average to make the chest and the shoulders look bigger. This gives off the "action figure" look that is so popular. It also enhances the double bicep pose.
- Obviously with the spinal curvature you want the natural anterior pelvic tilt. This pushes the glutes back and the rib cage up and improves the silhoutte of the body from the front and the side. It makes the physique look taller and upright.
- Posture issues are very much solvable through a ton of exercises not only here but even outside of this forum. Do check them out if you want to solve your posture because while posture doesn't add anything per se, it definitely subtracts if not correct.
RATIOS OF THE BODY
- The very famous ratio responsible for the V-taper. An ideal ratio is around 1.6-1.8. It is truly the king when it comes to Classical aesthetics. The Golden Era ideal was considered around 1.75
- It gives a visual of an upper body with great flow, size and proportion. This applies with or without clothes.
- It enhances almost every single pose. Front double biceps, front relaxed, side chest and the vacuum pose. This ratio is crucial for the Classical physique. If you don't have it, you don't got the body.
- It is the visual anchor of the flow from broad delts --> tapering lats --> narrow waist --> and flaring quads.
2. WAIST TO HEIGHT RATIO
- Ideally, the waist circumference should be less than 0.45x the height. As to why this is important, the tighter the waist the more it makes everything else pop out.
- A narrow waist enhances the chest, arms and the shoulders. It makes the legs appear longer and the abs more defined. It is really important since it makes the whole physique bigger, giving the illusion of size at lower muscle mass.
- It is particularly useful for the front relaxed and side chest poses since it is responsible for the classic silhoutte in these poses.
3. CHEST TO WAIST RATIO
- From here on we will use the example of Steeve Reeves since he has virtually perfect ratios when judged from the front. The ideal Chest to Waist ratio is 1.4-1.5.
- This measurement is responsible for creating the "Superman Chest" look and that is why it matters a lot for aesthetics. Ideally speaking, a wide and thick chest over a narrow waist shows the illusion of size. Steeve Reeves while smaller than most men in the Classical section today still holds those ratios better than 95% of the competitors.
- It contributes to the torso looking powerful and makes the waist tighter enhancing the effect of the taper of the upper body. It gives density and depth to the torso.
- It is very much important for the front relaxed, side chest and the vacuum pose in the competition.
4. ARMS TO WAIST RATIO
- The Arm to Waist ratio was a benchmark introduced by Steeve Reeves, to be used as an aesthetic benchmark. The ideal arms are 0.45x times your waist.
- This ratio affects every single muscle of your arm. It enhances the bicep peak, the triceps (lateral and long head) and the forearms. A narrower rib cage amplifies this effect.
- It also contributes to every other ratio and the silhoutte effect in some poses.
- The poses it is crucial in are side triceps, front double biceps, side chest and the relaxed front. You may have noticed that it is important for a lot of poses. That is because the arms are involved in a lot of poses and combined with a narrow waist, this combination is absolutely necessary for aesthetics
- For reference look at image in point 3 of this section
5. THIGH TO WAIST RATIO
- The ideal Thigh circumference to the waist cirumference is 0.5-0.6. This is a slightly underrated ratio when it comes to bodybuilding since the upper body carries a lot more weight in aesthetics. But I will make a case for why this is important.
- The first and foremost thing about having an ideal thigh to waist ratio is that the physique does not look top heavy. It is crucial to have a X-frame as evidenced by the photos of Steeve Reeves and Chris Bumstead.
- The second reason you want the ideal ratio is to show a proper flow from shoulders --> waist --> thighs --> calves.
- Tree trunk look is achieved through this ratio and is emphasized by huge quads over a small waist.
- The poses it enhances are classical quarter turns, side triceps and side chest poses. Since the legs frame the waist it adds fullnes in the front relaxed pose. Never forget to train legs boyo
- Reference to image in point 3 of this section and point 5 of the previous section to understand this ratio visually.
6. NECK TO ARM RATIO
- This is the last ratio on this list and the cherry on top to complete the aesthetic physique. The ideal neck circumference should be 0.65x times the arm circumference.
- A thin neck often looks cartoonish on a large frame. That is why it is important to train the neck too to avoid having an incomplete body.
- It adds to frame density and completes the frame balancing the head to body proportions. A thicker neck fills out collars of T-shirts, jackets and suits, thus adding to aesthetics outside of the gym.
- Again refer to image 3 of this section
Edited due to the suggestions made by a fellow user @whitebitchslayer
Tags = @chudlite @davidlaidisme67 @got.daim @talcel @The Homelander
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