The Basics of Bodybuilding Symmetry, Part IV

In Part III of The Basics of Bodybuilding Symmetry we continued to discuss more techniques that will do wonders for your symmetry and in this installment, I will finalize with some more tactics that you can use to enhance your illusion of size.

Appearance of Long Legs

Why are high fashion models always tall with very long legs? Simple answer: Visual aesthetics! Some people were born with long legs, while others have short, thick, “stubby legs.” Fortunately, if you were not born with long legs, you can create an “illusion” of the long legged look through bodybuilding training.

First, you want to develop the entire thigh from top to bottom. Many bodybuilders suffer from what Vince Gironda called “turnip” thighs, overdeveloped in the middle and upper portion (with a big butt) and no lower quad. Vince said that a perfectly developed thigh would nearly as wide in circumference at the mid portion as the bottom portion.

Powerlifting squats and heavy partial range leg presses overdevelop the upper thigh, hips and butt. The lower quad (vastus medialis, or teardrop near the knee) can be developed with a narrower stance and emphasis on the bottom range of motion on any squatting movement, avoiding lockout at the top. Three quarter hack squats and front squats are particularly effective, and so are one and a quarters: squat down full, come up one quarter, go back down to full, then come up just short of lockout; that’s one rep. Try a few weeks of those and see what happens to your “teardrop.”

If your knees can take it, the sissy squat is a superb thigh “shaper” because it’s one of the few exercises that hit the rectus femoris all the way up into the hips, creating an illusion of long legs. The rectus is the muscle visible in the upper thigh, which when fully developed, makes your legs appear longer.

Some Closing Words of Symmetry Wisdom:

If you’re a bodybuilder, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to get big; that’s part of what bodybuilding is about. But never go after size at the expense of symmetry. Remember, there’s a difference between being big and looking big. Listen to what Vince said:

“All beginning bodybuilders, I find, are too interested in the scale and the tape as yardsticks of progress. They seem to think if they weigh or measure a certain amount, that this automatically produces a perfect build. Nothing could be further from the truth. What they don’t seem to remember is that they do not weigh or measure you on the physique stage; they determine the best build by shape, size, and symmetry.”

You might be thinking, “Well, I’m not a bodybuilder and you wouldn’t catch me dead in a bodybuilding competition in one of those teeny “Speedo” bikinis, so why should I care about being symmetrical?” Here’s why: Bodybuilder or not, a physique with “classical” symmetry is beautiful by anyone’s standards (including the opposite sex).

If you’re male and you only work on the “T-shirt muscles” (big arms and chest), you might look good in the gym in your T-shirt, but hit the beach in a pair of shorts and everyone will see the full, unsymmetrical picture. If you’re female and all you work on is your butt, hips and thighs, then when you hit the beach in a swimsuit or put on a sleeveless and or low cut dress, your lack of shoulder width and a svelte V-tapered, small-waisted torso will be right there for all eyes to see (not to mention the “grandmother arms” tricep flab that flaps in the breeze).

Lesson: Work on symmetry and balanced develoment of all body parts, whether you’re male, female, young, old, bodybuilder, non-bodybuilder or anything in between.

One last word of caution: Anabolic steroid drugs are more likely to ruin your symmetry than improve it. Many pro bodybuilders today are massive but look terrible. For those who don’t consciously focus on improving symmetry, the drug use simply blows them further and further out of proportion. No matter how big they get, they don’t look any better. As Lee Labrada likes to say, strive for “mass with class” not just mass.

Apply the tips you’ve learned in this article, and you’ll be surprised and extremely pleased with how radically you change your body shape. And just think of how much fun it will be when people start comparing your body to a Greek sculpture!

About the Author

Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, gym owner, freelance writer, success coach and author of Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle" (BFFM): Fat Burning Secrets of the World's Best Bodybuilders and Fitness Models. Tom has written over 150 articles and has been featured in IRONMAN magazine, Natural Bodybuilding, Muscular Development, Muscle-Zine, Exercise for Men and Men's Exercise. Tom's inspiring and informative articles on bodybuilding, weight loss and motivation are featured regularly on dozens of websites worldwide. For information on Tom's "Burn The Fat" e-book, visit www.freefatlosssecrets.net. To subscribe to Tom's free monthly e-zine, visit www.tomvenuto.com