Post: #1

I consider developing v-taper to be one of my main goals in the gym. As far as I understand there are three ways to do it:

Reducing body fat as it results in smaller waistline
Developing lats
Developing delts, medial delts in particular

First one is obvious, but what is the best way to go about the two latter ones?

Post: #2

(12-20-2013 11:32 AM)ComebackKid Wrote:  I consider developing v-taper to be one of my main goals in the gym. As far as I understand there are three ways to do it:

Reducing body fat as it results in smaller waistline
Developing lats
Developing delts, medial delts in particular

First one is obvious, but what is the best way to go about the two latter ones?

Chins and Hand Stand Push Ups. Finish off with some cable lateral raises.

Post: #3

Pull ups are good for your lats
You should work on bulking up your shoulders so they are wider. Then from wide shoulders to visible lats to a thin waist and you look like a V.

Also as you mentioned the slimmer the waist line the more the rest of your body is gonna stand out for the look that you want.

Post: #4

Swimming, it's called otter-mode.

Post: #5

Basically a v-taper is widening exercises and low body fat, you're not going to get a v-taper with a belly and your frame will not change (bone structure).

1. Wide grip pull ups (overall back)
2. Wide grip back pulls (sit on the row machine grab a bar with handles wide and on the ends pull to chest back straight)
3. Lat Pull downs, most guys do this wrong, stand using cable pull down with pull-up bar and grab it wide pushing down and engaging lats
4. You can do dumb-bell pulls on a bench just use an exaggerated motion to work out your lats + back
5. All the regular chest movements.

Basiclaly back is the starting point once your waist is good to go. As mentioned before you choose to look good in a t-shirt (long sleeve) or shirtless. I choose the latter because I'm naturally skinnier so you'll get iRaped when you're at he park or beach.

Post: #6

Do the exercises mentioned above, + barbell shoulder press.

Be religious about the shoulder press.

And obviously add some muscle mass. It's not necessary to have low digit body fat for a V-taper, although obviously it looks better the lower you are. It's more important to have muscle mass in the back and shoulders than be low digit body fat.

Post: #7

what WC said plus rows

Post: #8

(12-20-2013 12:12 PM)WestCoast Wrote:  Basically a v-taper is widening exercises and low body fat, you're not going to get a v-taper with a belly and your frame will not change (bone structure).

1. Wide grip pull ups (overall back)
2. Wide grip back pulls (sit on the row machine grab a bar with handles wide and on the ends pull to chest back straight)
3. Lat Pull downs, most guys do this wrong, stand using cable pull down with pull-up bar and grab it wide pushing down and engaging lats
4. You can do dumb-bell pulls on a bench just use an exaggerated motion to work out your lats + back
5. All the regular chest movements.

Basiclaly back is the starting point once your waist is good to go. As mentioned before you choose to look good in a t-shirt (long sleeve) or shirtless. I choose the latter because I'm naturally skinnier so you'll get iRaped when you're at he park or beach.

Can you expand on this either/or choice?

Not sure I understand, maybe I missed something in another thread.

Also, Gymnastic Rings are useful and fun for the shoulders/back.

Post: #9

(12-20-2013 01:09 PM)LeBeau Wrote:  Can you expand on this either/or choice?

Not sure I understand, maybe I missed something in another thread.

Also, Gymnastic Rings are useful and fun for the shoulders/back.

Looking good in a shirt = bulked up which will probably come with >13%BF

Looking good shirtless = cut down which = <12%BF

Thats the general rule and obviously you should be working to be big and cut down, but in the short run its usually one or the other. After you've been lifting for a few years though, or with the help of steroids, you should be able to have the best of both worlds.

Post: #10

High protien diet. Carbs should come from veggies and berries. everyone had given good advice but never neglect the lower body and always give hard worked parts time to rest. squats, deadlifts, clean and jerks, snatches... hand stand push ups are fun I heard that mentioned. in closeing the end goal should not be to look like a triangle balancing on a stick. you wantto look like a triangel resting on a strong base.

Post: #11

The lower body compound lifts are great ways to build lats. Deadlifts are probably one of the best lat exercises if done properly (preload the bar and try to break it as you lift). My lats and traps got huge during a period of time where I was just doing very heavy squats and deadlifts.

Post: #12

Weighted pullups w 45-135lbs, strict dieting and a crapload of ab exercises.

Post: #13

You want to do lots of pullups, dumbbell rows, and straight leg deadlifts. The first two will engorge your lats; the latter will strengthen your lower back, making it thinner and tighter. To lose weight, just run, bike, or get on a rowing machine for a good twenty minutes

Post: #14

Please don't forget to eat properly when hitting weights! You won't gain anything if you don't eat properly.

Also, you can't cut weight and gain muscle at the same time very well. The diet alone won't allow you to do both. Its best to focus on cutting body fat to an low % and building muscle once that's achieved.

As for excercises, hit up Bodybuilding.com, although WestCoast covers the very basics of it. They have a shit ton of diet and exercise resources to read up on if you are serious about gaining muscle. IIFYM.com is also a great resource for diet too.

And check out the Misc section while you're there. Sure there's some blue-pillers there, but the guys on that part have some good ass posts on game.

Post: #15

Pullups and standing presses. I wouldnt worry about pullup variations until you hit 4 sets of 20, your not all that strong until then. Lose the gut with an easier strict diet like slow carb or Zone.

Post: #16

This guy makes pretty good videos. I think he is cool, but his body is huge relative to his head and always throws me off a little when I start watching his videos.

He has a good one on pullups.

Post: #17

I took rowing for 6 months, that opened me up a great amount. 3 x a week combined with some strength training.

Post: #18

Military presses and pull-ups, deadlifts aswell. Don't think of the body as separate muscles, the v-shape is a combination of a shitload of upper body mass and low body fat. If you still struggle with getting a v-taper after you deadlift 2,5 times your body weight and doing a one rep chin with half your bodyweight added, then the problem is genetic. For military, aim for 1 bodyweight.

Post: #19

pull ups
rows
shoulder press
dead lifts
planks
clean up your diet

Anything else is basically adding frosting to an already frosted cake.

Post: #20

(01-13-2014 01:00 AM)samsamsam Wrote:  This guy makes pretty good videos. I think he is cool, but his body is huge relative to his head and always throws me off a little when I start watching his videos.

He has a good one on pullups.

Guy's in shape and I don't doubt his knowledge, but what he showed in this vid cannot possibly be called pullups. Stop at eye level???? Your chin has to clear the bar. Period. If it doesn't, you didn't do a pullup. Unless this is advice aimed at beginners who cannot complete a single one.

Post: #21

http://scoobysworkshop.com/v-taper/

Post: #22

Pull ups, pull ups, pull ups. And I do a 5 minute lat pose every day and there is a very noticeable difference in my v-taper when I do it.