Beyond Built: Training Your Pivot Points for Total Body Re-Design

By Vince Andrich I have a true love for classic bodybuilding, a term that for me, describes the practice of consciously developing a body with the correct combination of size, shape, and proportions. That said, the goals I have for my own body are usually shunned by the bigger is better fans of bodybuilding, and many devoted trainees. Of course, its not my place to pass udgment on what your bodybuilding goals should, or shouldnt be, as this is most definitely a personal choice. Constant Body Im rovement: Building a Balanced! Pro ortionate Physi"ue !ll arguments aside, in the early days of physical culture, the original premise that drove men "and women# to build their body, was constant physi$ue improvement, and the hallmar% of this concept is the development of each muscle so it is pleasing to the eye and in proportion to the other muscles. This concept differs from bodybuilding to increase each muscle to its ma&imum, and certainly not the same as lifting weights solely for increasing strength. Ive always believed that it is a more creative process to develop an inspiring, beautiful and shapely physi$ue than it is to build your body for pure mass and size. 'or me, its also more rewarding, because we all get a sense of

satisfaction when our physi$ues attract positive attention. Its my guess that for you, li%e many readers of this blog, that concept aligns with your primary physi$ue goal( to loo% athletic and with a nice blend of size, shape, and definition. Body#uilding and $enetics Instead of letting genetics hold you bac%, embrace them with an honest body assessment helps you identify specific muscles that need more "or less# development. In addition, the concept of spot building is essential to creating a bodybuilding program that focuses on e&ercises that meet )O*+ needs. The result is a body that goes beyond built, and e&emplifies the art of bodybuilding. ,ost people blame the overall loo% of their physi$ue on genetics, which is undoubtedly a factor-but not the only one. I have seen athletes ruin an otherwise great body by not paying attention to how much muscle theyre adding in the wrong places. )ear after year, these athletes perform e&ercises that do nothing to correct imperfections in their bone structure or musculature, and, in some cases, wind up with a bigger version of a body that is not appealing. .onversely, Ive seen athletes with seemingly bad genetics create a balanced, well/shaped body that loo%s better than 012 of the population. I wont lie to you 33structural wea%nesses cannot be radically altered or totally hidden. 4ut they can be minimized. To prove my point, the ne&t time youre in the gym, ta%e a loo% around. 5o you notice any people who seem to be wor%ing on their wea%nesses6 7robably not. On the other hand, weve all seen guys with 4I8 arms and less than ade$uate thigh development. If you study them, youll notice they are almost always obsessed with training their arms, yet seem to put much less effort into developing their thighs. This is a somewhat natural occurrence because people generally tend to pay attention to what is already getting them attention. The trouble is9 many people overdo it. !nd what are the women with big thighs usually obsessed with6 )ep, you guessed it 33 their thighs: The reality is women often fall for the myth that says( to get smaller thighs, you need to wor% them more often. ,eanwhile, men usually beat their best body parts into oblivion and neglect the total pac%age, in effect, ruining the shape their parents granted them. 4ut, theres more to creating a stunning physi$ue than simply understanding how to prioritize your body/part training. To accomplish this, youll need to loo% at your body in a completely different way. There are several boo%s, and articles that contain reference charts that score the ideal physi$ue in inches. I personally prefer to use the mirror, since people dont see measurements, they see your body as the sum total of its parts, as you would see a painting or piece of art. Training Your Pivot Points The concept of training to enhance your pivot points is not mine, but rather from the mind of bodybuilding genius ;ince 8ironda. I was luc%y enough to have trained with ;ince at his gym ";inces 8ym# many times, and all I can say is that I learned more

from him than any other trainer, period: I have added a few e&tra body sections to his original 7ivot 7oint philosophy over the years. I believe once you understand how it wor%s9 youll have a training perspective that will save you several years of trial and error. <imply put, your pivot points consist of those stunning sections of individual body parts strategically located where they pivot the eye. =ormally, pivot points are far out from the center or belly of the muscle and, when developed, impart a beauty to the physi$ue that simple mass alone cannot bring about. <upposedly, years of biological programming have left an imprint in our 5=! that automatically sends signals in response to certain body shapes. >e gaze in admiration when our eyes behold a physi$ue that, with respect to todays most massive bodybuilders, is actually small, yet boasts these well/developed muscle groups( upper pectorals "near the clavicles#, the high portion of the lats, lower biceps and brachioradialis, lower calves and the long "outer# head of the triceps. ?ven bodybuilders twice the size may not necessarily have the visual impact of one who precisely develops his pivot points. %hat Is Ideal& 8enerally spea%ing, an ideal male build would encompass wide shoulders s$uare pectorals, a small waist, and a lower body that flows into sweeping thighs and prominent calves. The level of muscularity is pleasing, not e&treme, which is the widely accepted loo% of a conditioned athlete. This build is similar to the warrior archetype !chilles, played by 4rad 7itt in Troy, and the <partans led by @ing Aeonidas "actor 8erard 4utler# in the epic movie BCC. >hen people loo% at a properly trained physi$ue, most of what they see is an illusion. >hat I mean is that human sight and the limbic system wor% in concert to play bac% the images they receive. 'or e&ample, a man might not have a BC/inch waist9 yet, if the lateral heads of his deltoids "side delts# are fully developed, the illusion is that his waist is much smaller. The waist is visually reduced with wide shoulders, period. !nother mans full arm measurement may not be more the DE inches9 yet, if the outer strand of his triceps and brachioradialis muscle under the biceps is well developed, his arms will appear much bigger. The reality is that no one has perfect genetics9 so, the goal is to create the illusion that your physi$ue has fewer flaws and more stri%ing attributes. This is achieved with carefully thought/out training strategies, based upon the following pivot points. +emember, these are in no particular order. It is up to you to assess your body, locate the areas on your physi$ue that need the most wor%, and focus your efforts there. 'ide and Rear Deltoids ->ide shoulders re$uire well/developed side and rear deltoids. !ttention to these two body parts not only contributes to ma%ing your waist and hips loo% smaller, but ma%es your upper bac% distinctly more prominent, as well. ( er Pecs -! big chest without well/developed upper pecs, leaves the eyes of viewers with a disappointing droopy image. The more developed your chest is near the clavicles, the better your entire chest appears.

)igh and *id +ats ->ell developed lats, right under the pits of your arms, that flow into a heart shape not only ma%e you loo% wider, but also ma%e your entire waist area pleasing to the eye. 4e careful training this area. Too much lat development near your waist ma%es your trun% loo% shorter, resulting in a bunched/up loo%. +o,er Bice s -! small arm only loo%s smaller with a big space "or gap# between your elbow and where the biceps mass begins. Aower biceps are a must have for good/ loo%ing arms that ust hang impressively without fle&ing. +ong )ead of the Trice s -!lso %nown as the outer head, the long head of the triceps, when well developed, appears to run all the way down to your elbow. !nother must for arms that hang remar%ably. -orearms -<ince forearms are often in full display, they are obvious eye/catchers when they are well developed. Vastus Internus -.ommonly referred to as the teardrop, the vastus internus is the muscle of the lower, inner thigh. >hen fle&ed, the shape itself is beautiful. >hen well developed, it ma%es an otherwise stringy thigh appear balanced when viewed from the front. Vastus +ateralis -The muscles of the outer thighs are often called thigh rods and, when well developed, the vastus lateralis create a visually dramatic sweep on the outer $uads. +o,er Calves -This body part re$uires e&treme concentration for simple development. To build a set of ideal, diamond/shaped calves, pea% contractions with moderate resistance is essential. )amstrings -The rear leg biceps complete your physi$ue from the bac%/side. Aeave your ego at the door when training the hamstrings9 pea% contractions bring this area to life. If youre still with me, then the realization that bodybuilding is not about trying to get as big as you can, but about trying to build a visually stri%ing body, youre on the right trac%. .onstant evaluation of how your physi$ue appears helps you to avoid building muscle mindlessly. The process ta%es thought regarding which e&ercises you do, why you do them, and where youre building muscle. To ta%e full control of your development, the following general rules must also be in play. F!lways emphasize your slowest/growing andGor least/developed muscles in your training more than your fastest/growing andGor best/developed muscles. F8ive your wea% points priority in your wor%outs, training them first when your energy, strength, and enthusiasm are highest. F5o greater total sets and train your wea% points more fre$uently. FIn order to create a better shape and improve proportions, sometimes it might be necessary to hold bac% gains in some faster/growing or overdeveloped muscles to allow the slower/growing or less developed muscles to catch up. F?mphasize the origins and insertions of the muscles when you train, not ust the central

belly of the muscle. 4asic e&ercises tend to develop ust the belly of a muscle. This is important for building mass, but too much mass in the belly gives a muscle a shortened, bunched/up loo%. F'or enhanced shape, use isolation e&ercises to develop the origins and insertions. Conclusion 7aying attention to every detail of your physi$ue and training accordingly allows you to create an illusion through the art of bodybuilding. )our instinctual eye "the one we all possess# will alert you as to when aspects of your physi$ue appear to be getting out of proportion or moving beyond the realm of the naturally beautiful into the realm of the artificial and unappealing. 'irst, identify your personal body flaws. Then, we can wor% together to disguise or minimize them, while improving on your muscular shape and overcoming structural wea%nesses to attain the body you really want. Aoo% for specialization techni$ues for training your pivot points in upcoming blog posts. . /011 Vince Andrich Real BodyBuilding ,,,2vandrich2com All Rights Reserved2