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Want an impressive physique? Yeah, us too. Bodybuilders really caught on to something when they started showing up on stage with pronounced v-tapers. You don’t need to be a competitive physique athlete to get a v-taper, though. You just need the right workout program, and understanding the factors that create the v-taper will help, too. This article will...
The post How To Get a V-Taper: Workouts and Training Tips From a PhD Bodybuilder appeared first on BarBend.
Want an impressive physique? Yeah, us too. Bodybuilders really caught on to something when they started showing up on stage with pronounced v-tapers. You don’t need to be a competitive physique athlete to get a v-taper, though.
You just need the right workout program, and understanding the factors that create the v-taper will help, too. This article will provide you with both, along with some expert commentary from a competitive bodybuilder.
Credit: FotoAndalucia / Shutterstock
[Related: The Best Back Exercises And Full Workouts To Build Muscle And Strength]
About the Experts
This article was written by Jake Dickson, BarBend’s Senior Writer. Dickson holds a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and is a licensed personal trainer. Portions of this article also contain expert commentary from Dr. Ryan Girts. Girts holds a PhD in Exercise Physiology, Certified Strength & Conditioning Coach (CSCS) accreditation, and is a competitive bodybuilder.
What Is a V-Taper?
The v-taper isn’t caused by any one muscle, nor does it describe a muscle or body part. The v-taper refers to your shoulder-to-waist ratio, particularly when viewed from the back. People with pronounced torso tapers appear to have wide shoulders and narrow waists.
Three factors contribute to the V-taper aesthetic. If you want to get a V-taper of your own, you’ll need to hit at least two of these three benchmarks:
[*]Back hypertrophy, particularly in the lats
[*]Low levels of body fat
[*]Long clavicle bones and a narrow pelvis
Two of these factors are within your control, but you can’t change the proportions of your skeleton. If you’re blessed with broad shoulders due to having long clavicles, your torso will have a natural taper by default. If you have wide hips and narrow shoulders, it’s still possible to build a tapered torso; it may just take a bit more time.
[Read More: The 12 Best Upper Back Exercises for Muscle and Strength]
The v-taper may be an aesthetic choice for bodybuilding, but it also has merit outside of physique sports. Studies have shown that the torso-to-waist ratio (or hip-to-waist ratio for women) influences romantic success, conveys confidence and authority, and helps you be perceived as generally fit. (1)(2)
Bodybuilding V-Taper vs. X-Frame
A tapered torso is important for physique athletes across many different divisions. You can attribute the look, at least in part, to golden-era bodybuilders like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Frank Zane. In the modern era, bodybuilders in the Men’s Physique and Classic Physique divisions also value the V-taper.
The X-frame is similar to the V-taper, but factors in how muscular an athlete’s lower body is. The X-frame describes a physique with broad shoulders, a narrow or tight waist, and muscular legs — specifically, the quadriceps.
Credit: (L-R) @therealfrankzane and hadi_choopan / Instagram
[Related: 10 Bodybuilding Poses — What They Are and How to Do Them]
Anyone who achieves the X-frame look will also have a V-taper, but the inverse isn’t necessarily true. The X-frame aesthetic is more popular in Men’s Open bodybuilding, but is also coveted among women athletes in the Wellness, Figure, and Physique divisions of women’s bodybuilding.
V-Taper Muscles
Here’s a breakdown of the major muscles that contribute to the appearance of a V-taper, in order of importance:
How To Get a V-Taper
V-taper workouts are all about emphasizing the two or three muscle groups that create the look. That’s your lats, lateral delts, and to a lesser degree, triceps. Prioritizing hypertrophy (or muscle growth) in these muscles with back and shoulder workouts is key.
Good v-taper exercises emphasize back width more than thickness. This likely means adjusting your row grip, limiting how much work your upper back does, and hammering away at shoulder exercises like lateral raises. Here are three examples of bodybuilding V-taper workouts:
V-Taper Workout 1
V-Taper Workout 2
V-Taper Workout 3
Each workout targets your back and shoulders, with specific attention paid to the lats and lateral delts. There’s a bit of triceps training in there as well; movements like the dumbbell pullover or straight-arm pulldown will train your lats and the long head of your triceps simultaneously.
Diet for V-Taper
Your diet might be the most important aspect of developing a v-taper. To change the silhouette of your torso, you’ll need to either add muscle, lose fat, or both.
Bodybuilders typically refer to these processes as bulking and cutting. While science does show that gaining muscle and losing fat simultaneously is possible, (3)(4) it’s not always practical, especially if you have gym experience already.
Bulking up will allow you to gain muscle faster than you otherwise would, but you’ll likely add some fat around your midsection in the process. Using a calorie deficit to cut down will generally make your waist look tighter, but you might find it hard to gain mass through bodybuilding workouts if you aren’t eating well.
Whether you choose how to bulk up before cutting down or vice-versa, you’ll need to know your caloric maintenance level. We recommend our own in-house calculator to do the math for you.
Macronutrient Calculator
Imperial
Metric
Age
Sex
Male
Female
Height
Feet
Meters
Weight
Pounds
Kilograms
Goal
Fat Loss
Maintenance
Muscle Gain
Activity Level
Sedentary: little or no exercise
Moderate exercise 1-3 times/week
Moderate exercise 4-5 times/week
Daily moderate exercise or intense exercise 3-4 times/week
Intense exercise 6-7 times/week
Very intense exercise daily, or physical job
Adjust Protein
Minimum
Standard
High
Calculate
Total Calories: Per Day
Your Daily Macronutrients:
Recommended
Daily
Protein
(g)
Carbs
(g)
Fat
(g)
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The post How To Get a V-Taper: Workouts and Training Tips From a PhD Bodybuilder appeared first on BarBend.
Want an impressive physique? Yeah, us too. Bodybuilders really caught on to something when they started showing up on stage with pronounced v-tapers. You don’t need to be a competitive physique athlete to get a v-taper, though.
You just need the right workout program, and understanding the factors that create the v-taper will help, too. This article will provide you with both, along with some expert commentary from a competitive bodybuilder.
[Related: The Best Back Exercises And Full Workouts To Build Muscle And Strength]
About the Experts
This article was written by Jake Dickson, BarBend’s Senior Writer. Dickson holds a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and is a licensed personal trainer. Portions of this article also contain expert commentary from Dr. Ryan Girts. Girts holds a PhD in Exercise Physiology, Certified Strength & Conditioning Coach (CSCS) accreditation, and is a competitive bodybuilder.
What Is a V-Taper?
The v-taper isn’t caused by any one muscle, nor does it describe a muscle or body part. The v-taper refers to your shoulder-to-waist ratio, particularly when viewed from the back. People with pronounced torso tapers appear to have wide shoulders and narrow waists.
Three factors contribute to the V-taper aesthetic. If you want to get a V-taper of your own, you’ll need to hit at least two of these three benchmarks:
[*]Back hypertrophy, particularly in the lats
[*]Low levels of body fat
[*]Long clavicle bones and a narrow pelvis
Two of these factors are within your control, but you can’t change the proportions of your skeleton. If you’re blessed with broad shoulders due to having long clavicles, your torso will have a natural taper by default. If you have wide hips and narrow shoulders, it’s still possible to build a tapered torso; it may just take a bit more time.
[Read More: The 12 Best Upper Back Exercises for Muscle and Strength]
The v-taper may be an aesthetic choice for bodybuilding, but it also has merit outside of physique sports. Studies have shown that the torso-to-waist ratio (or hip-to-waist ratio for women) influences romantic success, conveys confidence and authority, and helps you be perceived as generally fit. (1)(2)
Bodybuilding V-Taper vs. X-Frame
A tapered torso is important for physique athletes across many different divisions. You can attribute the look, at least in part, to golden-era bodybuilders like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Frank Zane. In the modern era, bodybuilders in the Men’s Physique and Classic Physique divisions also value the V-taper.
The X-frame is similar to the V-taper, but factors in how muscular an athlete’s lower body is. The X-frame describes a physique with broad shoulders, a narrow or tight waist, and muscular legs — specifically, the quadriceps.
[Related: 10 Bodybuilding Poses — What They Are and How to Do Them]
Anyone who achieves the X-frame look will also have a V-taper, but the inverse isn’t necessarily true. The X-frame aesthetic is more popular in Men’s Open bodybuilding, but is also coveted among women athletes in the Wellness, Figure, and Physique divisions of women’s bodybuilding.
V-Taper Muscles
Here’s a breakdown of the major muscles that contribute to the appearance of a V-taper, in order of importance:
- Latissimus Dorsi: Your lats, which run down the length of your back, create the illusion of broader shoulders and a smaller waist.
- Lateral Deltoid: Growing your lateral deltoids (aka side delts) will create the appearance of wider shoulders relative to your waist.
- Triceps: When viewed from the back, pronounced triceps will slightly widen your silhouette and make your waist appear smaller.
- Obliques: Overdeveloped obliques can sometimes widen your waist and may negatively impact your V-taper. If you’re prioritizing a tapered aesthetic, you may want to limit how many oblique exercises you regularly perform.
How To Get a V-Taper
V-taper workouts are all about emphasizing the two or three muscle groups that create the look. That’s your lats, lateral delts, and to a lesser degree, triceps. Prioritizing hypertrophy (or muscle growth) in these muscles with back and shoulder workouts is key.
Good v-taper exercises emphasize back width more than thickness. This likely means adjusting your row grip, limiting how much work your upper back does, and hammering away at shoulder exercises like lateral raises. Here are three examples of bodybuilding V-taper workouts:
V-Taper Workout 1
- Dumbbell Row: 3 x 8
- Seated Cable Row: 3 x 12
- Straight-Arm Pulldown: 2 x 15
- Lateral Raise: 4 x 20
V-Taper Workout 2
- Close-Grip Lat Pulldown: 3 x 8
- Hammer Strength Row: 3 x 8
- Dumbbell Pullover: 2 x 15
- Cable Lateral Raise: 3 x 15
V-Taper Workout 3
- Neutral-Grip Pull-Up or Chin-Up: 3 x 6
- Single-Arm Lat Pulldown: 3 x 12
- Overhead Triceps Extension: 2 x 12
- Lateral Raise: 3 x 20
Each workout targets your back and shoulders, with specific attention paid to the lats and lateral delts. There’s a bit of triceps training in there as well; movements like the dumbbell pullover or straight-arm pulldown will train your lats and the long head of your triceps simultaneously.
Diet for V-Taper
Your diet might be the most important aspect of developing a v-taper. To change the silhouette of your torso, you’ll need to either add muscle, lose fat, or both.
- To increase muscle mass, you’ll need to be in a caloric surplus; consuming about 250-350 calories more per day than what you eat to maintain your body weight. This bolsters muscle-building and will help you grow your back and shoulders.
- You must maintain a calorie deficit to burn body fat and bring out the v-shape. Aim to eat 250-350 fewer calories below maintenance.
Bodybuilders typically refer to these processes as bulking and cutting. While science does show that gaining muscle and losing fat simultaneously is possible, (3)(4) it’s not always practical, especially if you have gym experience already.
Bulking up will allow you to gain muscle faster than you otherwise would, but you’ll likely add some fat around your midsection in the process. Using a calorie deficit to cut down will generally make your waist look tighter, but you might find it hard to gain mass through bodybuilding workouts if you aren’t eating well.
Whether you choose how to bulk up before cutting down or vice-versa, you’ll need to know your caloric maintenance level. We recommend our own in-house calculator to do the math for you.
Macronutrient Calculator
Imperial
Metric
Age
Sex
Male
Female
Height
Feet
Meters
Weight
Pounds
Kilograms
Goal
Fat Loss
Maintenance
Muscle Gain
Activity Level
Sedentary: little or no exercise
Moderate exercise 1-3 times/week
Moderate exercise 4-5 times/week
Daily moderate exercise or intense exercise 3-4 times/week
Intense exercise 6-7 times/week
Very intense exercise daily, or physical job
Adjust Protein
Minimum
Standard
High
Calculate
Total Calories: Per Day
Your Daily Macronutrients:
Recommended
Daily
Protein
(g)
Carbs
(g)
Fat
(g)
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color: #2b2b2b;
font-size: 16px;
letter-spacing: 0;
line-height: 45px;
background: #e6f3d4;
box-shadow: 0 1px 3px 0 rgb(164, 183, 136);
border-radius: 4px;
text-align: center;
padding: 37px;
flex: 1;
margin: 0 25px 0 0;
display: flex;
flex-flow: column;
align-items: stretch;
justify-content: center;
}
#cal_result .result-body .rs {
font-size: 40px;
font-weight: bold;
color: #2b2b2b;
display: block;
}
.entry-content span {
font-size: 17px;
line-height: 1.5;
}
#cal_result .result-body .rs-unit {
white-space: nowrap;
}
.entry-content span {
font-size: 17px;
line-height: 1.5;
}
.calc-submit {
background: #2b2b2b;
border: 0;
height: 50px;
display: flex;
align-items: center;
justify-content: center;
font-size: 25px;
font-weight: 700;
color: #FFF;
transition: all 150ms ease;
text-transform: uppercase;
width: 100%;
margin: 30px 0 5px 0;
}
.calc-submit:hover {
background: #8cc53f;
}
/* Media Queries */
@media all and (max-width: 1023px) {
.three-columns {
margin-left: 0;
margin-right: 0;
}
.three-columns .article-block {
flex: 1 46%;
max-width: 46%;
margin: 20px 2%;
}
#cal_result...
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