You want to be strong, muscular and aesthetic? This training program is for you!

Having a beautiful and muscular body is the dream of every exerciser. Who wouldn't want to look like that, right? The problem arises when we realize how to build such a body... We have a training program that could help you with this problem!

To build a body that is as athletic as it is aesthetic, you need to consider these three specific aspects:

• Explosive exercises
• Pure strength exercises
• Muscle building in specific areas

The problem is that the combination of these three aspects is a rather complex recipe. Here is a program that attempts to do just that.

Aspect 1 - explosive exercises

Explosive exercises improve the quality of your workouts, your physique, and ultimately your results.

More scientifically, such training increases the efficiency of the nervous system, thereby improving neuromuscular connection and intramuscular coordination in a particular exercise.
Adding something explosive before a heavy exercise can improve the effectiveness of your training, accelerate improvement, and directly build explosive power.

The problem is that most athletes are already hitting their weight maxes in the gym. However, they usually miss the speed-strength exercises practiced by their performance peers.

Explosive exercises like push-ups, squats with lunges, sprints and medicine ball throws can get your training back on track. However, you don't want to jump around without a plan. You want to improve your strength with explosive exercises. That's why you'll choose explosive exercises based on the most important movement patterns in a given workout.

Take a look at the explosive exercises you'll be doing...

If the movement pattern of the workout is the squat, the explosive exercises might be:

• squats with lunges
• box jumps
• hurdle jumps

Squats with a jump

Box jumps

Jumps over hurdle

If the movement pattern is a deadlift, explosive exercises can be:

• squats with a jump
• long squat jumps
• backward medicine ball throws

Long squat jumps

Backward medicine ball throws

If the movement pattern is bench press, explosive exercises can be:

• push-ups with clapping
• positive plyometric push-ups

Clapping push-ups

Positive plyometric push-ups

If the movement pattern is overhead press, explosive exercises may be:

• medicine ball strikes on the ground
• expressive pushes with the medicine ball

Ground strikes with a medicine ball

To maximize the effect of intramuscular coordination, mechanically similar exercises (such as squats and lunges) should be practiced with varying loads. This increases the efficiency of the nervous system.
Over time, this will teach the nervous system to engage fewer motor units for the same relative intensity, increasing your explosive power.

Execution is essential, or dozens of tragic throws and jumps will be useless. Practice 3x5 reps with perfect technique and very explosively. Rest 60-90 seconds between sets.
Remember, your goal is explosive power, you're not doing damn interval training here.

Aspect 2 - pure strength exercises

The stronger you are, the more effective any workout you do, regardless of its purpose. In this program, you'll focus on two types of strength: absolute and relative.

Absolute strength is the maximum energy generated independent of muscle volume. Those with larger body proportions who have to move larger objects will have more absolute strength. This may be tires, large opponents or having to lift yourself up after a hilarious party.

Relative strength is meant in relation to body weight. The higher your relative strength, the easier it is to move your own body through space. I'm talking about, for example, push-ups, running or walking to work.

In terms of muscle volume, more strength means more muscle fiber engagement, mechanical tension, and higher work capacity.

Each workout will have a primary strength goal: exercises like deadlifts, squats, overhead presses, and horizontal presses.

Strength exercises will be practiced in 5 working sets of 3-5 repetitions. When you want to load up, practice triplets. When you feel up to more work, practice 5s. Either way, add weight in each set so that the last one is the heaviest, but without failure (you'll see the whole thing in the plan below).

Aspect 3 - Volume training

Here we are dealing with classic bodybuilding principles that increase training volume, metabolic load and whose side effect is muscle damage.

In each workout, add something to those muscles you've been training with explosive and strength exercises to increase the load on them. They should be ready for it.

Exercises for the posterior chain are essential here because you are doing a lot of push exercises. Practice horizontal deadlifts 2 or more times a week to prevent injury and optimally develop your physique.

You will train typical volume schemes such as 3x8, 3x10, 4x12 and 5x10 to combine mechanical tension and metabolic load.

Training program

This program works best as a split top/bottom workout, where you don't train more than 2 workouts in a 72 hour period. For recovery it is best to train on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

This program is suitable for the general athletic athlete who wants to look good and be strong at the same time. If you are more concerned about muscle, take away volume in the heavy exercises and add it in the bodybuilding ones. If you are more about power, add on explosive exercises and take away in volume training.

The possibilities are endless, but you have to remember that if you add in one area, you have to take away in another so that recovery doesn't suffer. The nice thing here is that you can stick to the basic parameters, but still have plenty of room for a personal approach.

Below is a basic outline of the training program. Repeat the whole thing for 4 weeks, adding weight each week in the primary exercise. After four weeks, reduce the training load by 10-15% for deload, then repeat the next training block with a slightly increased load.

Monday - focus on the deadlift

Tuesday - focus on overhead presses

One-arm pull-ups with chest support

Thursday - focus on squat

Pull-ups on pulley

Plank with shoulder touch

Saturday - focus on bench

Pinwheel lifts

Source: www.t-nation.com - The Athletic Aesthetic Program
By Eric Bach
Translated by Jaromír Uhlíř