The Best Exercises to Look Great Naked
It is good and important to be strong and healthy, but many of us exercise in order to look good. These aesthetically oriented exercises won’t warm you up overnight, but when paired with a healthy diet, they will give you the most out of your workout to keep you looking good dressed or undressed.
These exercises are aimed at enhancing the attractiveness of areas of the body in line with typical American beauty standards. This means that the exercises we highlight are different for men and women. In men, we will expand the upper body and develop the muscles of the legs. For women, we will focus on tucking up the arms and making the butt tighter and tighter. However, not every body type can be (or should be) a statue of a Greek god or goddess. If it’s not you, you can still look great naked. These exercises will continue to help you become healthy and strong, whoever you are.
Exercises for men
Men need to pump up their upper body to look good in a birthday suit. We talked to PictureFit about the PictureFit YouTube channel , and he explains that guys often find it easier to appear wider than following a six-cube diet or proportionally building muscle throughout their bodies. Dick Talens , fitness trainer and Lifehacker contributor, says the key to this is developing a “v-taper,” which means creating wide shoulders, wide chest and narrow waist so that the upper body looks like a “V”. The V – Cone Approach is especially useful for those with daddies or who identify as a “skinny fat man.”
Incline Dumbbell Press
To work your upper chest and extend your shoulders, Talens recommends starting with an incline dumbbell press. In the video above, fitness trainer Max Tupper demonstrates the correct form. Grab the dumbbells, sit back on an incline bench for lifting, hold the dumbbells straight above you and make sure your shoulders are back and your chest is out. Now spread the dumbbells to the sides so that your shoulders are parallel to the floor, return to the starting position and repeat.
Talens suggests that you use dumbbells instead of barbells or machines whenever possible, because the instability of free weights helps to build more pronounced muscles. For weights and reps, do what is comfortable for you, but focus on form above all . If you need to work more muscles, do more reps, do not put on weight – at least when you are just starting out. If you start with a lot of weight, it disrupts your shape and can lead to injury. This applies to all resistance exercises.
Side raises of dumbbells to the sides
You can also extend your shoulders by working your deltoids . PictureFit claims that side dumbbell raises target the hard-to-reach side head (or “side deltas”) of your shoulder that overhead presses can’t hit. This will noticeably increase the width and thickness of your deltas, and your shoulders as a whole will look much larger. There are many exercises that develop shoulder strength, but side dumbbell raises also strengthen and strengthen the muscles so you look stronger.
In the video above, fitness trainer Scott Herman explains how to do side raises correctly. Start by standing up straight, bend your knees slightly and hold the dumbbells at your sides. Bring your shoulder blades together, keep your wrists straight, and raise your arms outward until they are parallel to the ground. Slowly lower your arms to your side and repeat.
Latitude thrust
To create the apex of the V-cone, Talens says you need to extend your back by working your latissimus dorsi , or lats. The deadlift is the best workout for this, but you’ll need access to equipment oruse a fitness tracker at home . In the video above, Tapper is back to demonstrate the correct latitude stretch in the gym. Start by locking your legs under the pillows (if equipped), then grasp the bar with a wide grip and slowly lower the bar in front of your chin until it touches your sternum. Return slowly to starting position and repeat.
As you do this, Talens recommends keeping the handles free and pulling down from the elbows, not the arms. Think of your hands as a hook and remember to breathe as you work . As you climb, you should feel it in your back and armpit. If you don’t have access to a gym or have a fitness bracelet, classic pull-ups will give you the same workout, according to PictureFit.
Front squats
If you only work on the upper body, you will start to look silly, so Talens suggests you do some legwork to avoid the intimidating chicken legs . Front squats will work your quads to develop an X-shaped body. Think about it: if you have a wide lower body and a wide upper body, you don’t have to worry so much about your midsection – and everyone wants a slim waist.
The video above, from CrossFit YouTube , demonstrates proper barbell squat technique. With your feet shoulder-width apart, hold the barbell in front of your chin and keep your hands outside of your shoulders. Make sure your elbows are raised high and you squeeze them loosely with your fingers. Now lower your hips below your knees while keeping your back straight and your heels lowered, then use your legs to get up again.
Exercises for women
It is not so easy for women to look good naked as it is for men. As Talens explains, for women there is nothing better than a v-shaped cone, and “looking good” is subjective. And while genetics play a large role in the appearance of every person, it tends to play a more prominent role in the natural formation of a woman’s body. However, fitness guru and Lifehacker contributor Stephanie Lee suggests there are a variety of exercises that can help you shape up and build much-coveted muscles. Lee points out that almost any program is suitable for women at first, and you can quickly expect decent results even if you’ve never exercised before.
Basic squats
Lee, Talens, and PictureFit agree that a firmer glute is in demand, and they all agree that regular basic squats are the best place to start . Squats not only shape and tone the glutes, but Lee explains that the aesthetic benefits are secondary to the overall body workout and strength you get. You cannot fail.
In the video above from the women’s workout YouTube channel, fitness model Andrea Kalle demonstrates several squat options you can do at home. As with the previously mentioned front squats, the key is to keep your heels on the ground, your back straight, and when lowering, focus on sticking your butt out. PictureFit notes that bodyweight squats are difficult enough for most people, especially when you’re just starting out. But when you’re ready to put on some weight,move on to the goblet squat . This allows you to continue to build muscle while maintaining the correct shape.
Barbell Hip Row
When you try to pull up, your hips are not lying. If you’re worried that all of these squats will give you disproportionately large hips in addition to your pretty galley, Lee and Talens suggest you add a few barbell thighs to your routine. This exercise works directly on the glutes without affecting the hips and is a great exercise if you want to be better in the bedroom , not just look better.
Suzanne Digre , Personal Trainer and YouTuber, demonstrates proper hip pushing technique and progress to watch if you’ve never done hip pushing before. If you’re not ready to add a barbell, PictureFit suggests using only one leg at a time when pushing on the ground with no weight. This gives you the opportunity to progress without worrying about putting extra weight on your hips. Lee also recommends doingreverse lunges andlifts if you want to give your glutes extra work.
Rope pull
According to Lee, upper body work is important for women, and she claims that girls want to see guns as much as boys do. Hand work keeps the muscles toned, the skin toned, and also helps to gain strength. Lee thinks rope rows are great for this because they work your triceps and they work them hard.
In the video above, Michelle Trapp , personal trainer at Gold’s Gym, shows you how to do the right and wrong deadlift. The main thing is to keep your elbows at your sides and prevent your shoulders from rolling. If your elbows move and you begin to lean forward, reduce the weight. Remember, adding reps is much better than sacrificing form and risking injury.
Rear deltoid lifts
For the lats, Lee recommends lifting the posterior deltoids. This is similar to the side dumbbell curl (mentioned above), but it is an isolation exercise that works hard on the back deltas rather than the entire muscle. This will help you squash and shape your shoulders without widening them too much.
When you exercise, the main difference from lifting the posterior deltoids is that you sit and bend forward (or lie on your stomach). The video above from YouTube channel Bodybuilding.com demonstrates the correct technique. Sit on the edge of a bench with your feet together and the dumbbells hanging over your calves. Keep your torso forward, then lift the dumbbells until your arms are parallel to the floor. Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position and repeat. This seated deltoid lift option is easier on the back and better for women who do not lift much .
Push ups
Lee also recommends basic chest workouts such as push-ups. It works your pectoral muscles, your arms, and push-ups actually provide a couple of aesthetic benefits to your breasts. First, as the pectoralis major muscles develop, they will protrude more from the chest and the breasts will appear more pronounced. Second, as your pectoral muscles get larger, they lift your breasts so that they sit higher on your chest.
Start in a plank position with your hands on the ground just below your shoulders. Keep them slightly wider than your shoulders. Place your toes on the floor and keep your body as level as possible. Now lower your body to the ground with your eyes upward until your chest almost touches the floor. Then exhale, lifting with explosive energy to the starting position. If you are having problems with push-ups or need something a little more difficult, there are many options you can try .