Everyone has a lagging body part that needles at them. Unfortunately, genetics play a big role in your body composition and what parts are difficult to build. But whether it’s skinny calves, flat biceps, or a wide waist, there are things you can do you build up (or trim down) the parts of your physique that bother you.
While it’s an uphill battle against what nature gave you, you can focus on targeting specific muscle groups to give them a little extra boost. With some time and attention, you can build the all-around physique you’ve always wanted. Here are nine of the most common problematic body parts and our remedies for how to build them up.
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Per Bernal
Problem #1: You Have High Lats
Known as a “palm tree” in bodybuilding circles, high lats may make your V-taper drastic-looking, but it also means that you look as though you’re lacking thickness. High lat attachments are genetic, so there’s nothing you can do about that. But you can work on the lower lats to make the most out of what you do have.
THE SOLUTION: Use a close grip with any rowing or pulling exercise you perform and be sure to stretch your lats between every set to increase blood flow, which shuttles muscle-building nutrients in the muscle and facilitates a pump.
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Lorado / Getty
Problem #2: You’re Lean…But Thicker Than a Snickers
Most people may think that a wide waist is a fat waist, but that’s not always the case. Genetics like wide hip bones or thick abdominal muscles can play a role and are mostly unavoidable. And even if lean, a blocky midsection can ruin the flow of an aesthetic physique.
THE SOLUTION: In addition to exaggerating your V-taper (see page 195), you should avoid heavy ab exercises and oblique moves, like weighted crunches and side planks, which can thicken your middle even more.
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Courtesy of Art Zeller/Weider Health & Fitness
Problem #3: Your Tires Are Flat
In this instance, we’re talking about a lack of overall quad development. You don’t want to have an outstanding upper body with a lower body that looks like you’ll have trouble standing. Onstage or off, work on making your lower body match the upper.
THE SOLUTION: Prioritize compound movements like squats and leg presses, but don’t load them up with heavy weight. Instead, use a moderate load and perform slow, perfect reps to increase the muscle’s time under tension.
Barbell Hack Squat This old-school leg variation was used to help competitors put mass onto the front of their legs.
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Image Source / Getty
Problem #4: Your Upper Pecs Are Pitiful
The issue here is that the lower chest is too developed, while the rest of the chest isn’t. A slight imbalance is understandable, but a significant issue draws attention to the chest instead of the shoulders and torso, which might be your strong points.
THE SOLUTION: Perform incline variations of standard chest moves, like flyes, presses, and cable crossovers. Also, take your sets to failure—for optimal muscle fatigue—by doing dropsets at least twice in your chest workouts.
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Kevin Horton / M+F Magazine
Problem #5: Your Legs Are Flat From the Side
Some guys’ legs look great from the front but then less than impressive once they quarter-turn. It’s a common issue, most likely stemming from flat hamstrings that don’t round out, but one you can easily bounce back from.
THE SOLUTION: There are a few things you can do to bring up your legs from the side view: 1) Work quads and hamstrings on two different days to give your hammies more attention. 2) Hit them with a lot of volume, such as with the plan we provide below. 3) Skip cardio on your hamstring days so you can optimize your recovery.
Lying Leg Curl With the footpad resting on your ankles, curl your legs up toward your butt until you feel your hamstrings contract.
Heavy Artillery Hamstrings
Lying Leg Curl | 5 sets | 8–10 reps Seated or Standing Leg Curl | 4 sets | 10 reps Stiff-leg Deadlift | 4 sets | 12–15 reps
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Alex Ardenti / M+F Magazine
Problem #6: Your Back Is Flimsy
In other words, your back doesn’t have that thick and powerful look, and there’s not much detail. Having all of that makes the physique look more powerful. It isn’t just about width. Thickness matters, too.
THE SOLUTION: Be sure to prioritize rowing exercises and deadlifts to create thickness in the muscle and then perform shrugs and rear-delt raises to hone detail.
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Per Bernal / M+F Magazine
Problem #7: You Lack a V-Taper
A V-taper is defined as having a tight waist and wide delts, giving your physique that coveted V shape.
THE SOLUTION: First, know that the lower your body-fat percentage, the tighter your waist will look and the bigger your muscles will appear. That said, you should be performing extra sets of lateral raises and vertical pulls (chinups and lat pulldowns) to widen your physique. Add three to four extra sets of each at the end of any workout.
Pullup Grab a pullup bar with an overhand grip and then pull your body up until your chin is at or above bar level.
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Per Bernal / M+F Magazine
Problem #8: Is That String Hanging From Your Shirt?
Arms can be stubborn to train. And since they’re made up of two muscles—your triceps and biceps—they require a little more volume than, say, your shoulders.
THE SOLUTION: If your arms are a weakness, then you should work them on their own day. Superset all your exercises and don’t be afraid to take the sets to failure. Lift heavy. Lift hard. And lift with a purpose. Give the routine below a try.
Smaller calves are a big issue for lots of bodybuilders. The bad news: your genetics are a key factor in this matter. The good news: attacking them with ferocity can turn the tables.
THE SOLUTION: Work them often and hard and you can still stretch the tape measure. Start training your calves three days a week before you start your main muscle group so you can hit them with the utmost intensity. Stick with basic moves like seated calf raises, leg press calf raises, and standing calf raises.
Standing Calf Raise Load up the machine with a heavy amount of weight and then perform as many good-form reps as possible. It’s that simple.
