7 pro tips for building a sculpted, balanced body


Barbell squat — With your feet firmly on the ground, put a barbell on your upper back and squat, allowing your hips to move backward as you bend your knees before explosively returning to your starting position. Keep your core tight, and don't allow your lower back to round.

Lying leg curl — Lie facedown on a lying leg-curl machine with your legs extended straight. Your heels should be elevated slightly. Curl your feet toward your bottom, controlling the movement on the way down, taking one second to raise your feet and three seconds to lower. Keep your hips firmly planted down and your knees close together.

Bent-over barbell row — Grab a barbell off the floor using an overhand grip, and stay in a bent-over position. Keep your back slightly higher than parallel to the floor, with a slight bend in your knees. Extend your arms straight at the bottom, and row the barbell up toward your bellybutton.

Incline dumbbell chest press — Use a 30-degree incline on a bench, with your weights touching the outer portion of your chest at the bottom of the movement. Press the dumbbells up toward the ceiling and bring them slightly together without actually touching them at the top. The dumbbells should be constantly moving on this exercise without pausing at the top or bottom of the movement.

Lateral raises — These can be done while standing with cables or with dumbbells. Start with your arms at a slight bend in the elbows. With hands facing down, raise your arms out to the side, bringing them up so that they're parallel to the ground. This doesn't require much resistance to be effective. Place more emphasis on the outer part of the shoulder. (This gives shoulders a rounded look.) Focus on twisting the dumbbell or cable slightly at the top so that your hand is angled with your pinky side of the hand being in the highest position.

Assisted pullups — Most gyms have an assisted-pullup machine that provides weighted assistance as you perform the pullup, so essentially you're lifting less than your actual body weight, allowing you to perform more repetitions with better form. Fully extend your arms at the bottom of the movement, feeling your lateral/back muscles stretch briefly, and then keep your head and chest up as you pull your body up as high as possible at the top. Your chin should be about even with the level of your hands at the top of the movement for a full range of motion.

Triceps extensions — There are multiple grip/attachments that can be used on any adjustable cable machine, including a straight bar, V-grip and rope attachments. Start by setting up the cable on a notch that is positioned above your head. At the starting point, you should be standing, staying very slightly bent at your waist, with your elbows bent at about 90 degrees. At the bottom, you will fully extend your elbows until they are straight, while twisting the rope apart simultaneously. Press your arms straight down without bringing them toward your body to allow for a maximum contraction in your triceps.