If you're trying to unfuck your skinny-fat physique, you need to ask yourself an important question. First, look at the two photos below. To the left, Ronnie Coleman. To the right, the Doryphoros sculpture. Here's the question you need to ask yourself: which of the two physiques would you rather have? Would you rather look like Coleman, or the Doryphoros?
Coleman's muscularity is beyond every natural man's genetic potential thanks to having more steroids floating through his veins than O'Hare has planes arriving and departing, but I'm guessing you didn't pick him.
Which is strange.
There are SO MANY superhero movies because humans love the idea of being superhuman. Jump higher than anyone else? YES. Run faster than anyone else? ABSOLUTELY. Have more muscle than everyone else?
Eh.
Em.
NO.
For some reason, you don't want ALL OF THE MUSCLE. You just want enough muscle mass… in the right places.
I know the feeling, as a skinny-fat kid. I had narrow shoulders and a wide chubby waist. I wanted to be ripped and muscular, but I didn't want to be the Hulk.
I wanted a body that opposed my skinny-fat frame.
I wanted broad shoulders that funneled into a narrow waist.
I wanted an x-physique.
This “x” aesthetic was pioneered by old-time bodybuilders like Steve Reeves, Vince Gironda, and Frank Zane. Some people still consider these guys to have the best physiques of all time, even though bodybuilders of today dwarf them in absolute muscle mass.
When Frank Zane beat Arnold Schwarzenegger in a bodybuilding competition, Arnold said, “I just got beat by a chicken with 17-inch arms.”
Zane won because he had proportion people would die for. You can have less muscle and look better than someone with more muscle, as long as your muscle is properly placed.
A lot of guys want an x-physique, but most of 'em will never build an x-physique because they don't train the right way. Don't believe me? Go to the gym. Watch what most dudes do.
They do a lot of flat bench pressing, a lot of biceps curling, and a lot of shoulder shrugging. This kind of meathead training neglects the muscles responsible for giving you an “x” shape.
Flat bench pressing overemphasizes the lower-chest, which is no bueno because most dudes have an undersized upper-chest. It's like, “Oh, yeah, I see you have moobs. Let's do this exercise that'll make your moobs like even more pronounced.”
Bicep curls aren't terrible, but HUGE biceps make it harder to build an x-physique. Look at Coleman's body. His biceps DWARF his shoulders, which is one of the reasons he looks strange. You need BIG shoulders.
Shoulder shrugs are similar to bicep curls. Not a bad exercise, just misguided use. If you want an x-physique, you have to make your back look wider. Shrugs won't help with that.
Despite these common training flaws, tradition reigns supreme. It's easy to get wrapped up in what’s popular. I would know. When I was just getting started, a mentor of mine referred me to the insanely popular Starting Strength program.
Starting Strength opened my eyes. It was my first real dive into barbell strength training. I fell in love with the program's simplicity and effectiveness.
I was getting stronger. I was building muscle. I was making gains, but something was missing. I still didn't like my physique.
My legs were muscular and strong, but they were attached to this puny looking upper-body.
What I didn't realize: Starting Strength was (and still is) a powerlifting program. It's not a physique-based program. It took me years to understand this. But, once I did, I had an idea.
I loved the simplicity and the effectiveness of Starting Strength, so I began to make small tweaks to the program — so that it became more of an x-physique program.
And thus, the X-Physique on Fleek was born.
X-Physique on Fleek is a beginner training program for those that want to build an x-physique. Since X-Physique on Fleek is a mutation of Starting Strength, it's rooted in barbell-based exercise. But there are some calisthenics and bodyweight exercises in the program.
When you purchase X-Physique on Fleek today, you get access to the back end of my website. The material, as of now, is available only in website format. You'll read it just as you're reading this now. It can be accessed on any device that gets the Internet.
$27
