The Question:
Fitness models rely on their physique to bring in the paycheck, so it's no wonder why every minute of their workout is precious.
What is the best workout for a fitness model? Be specific.
What are some tips for a model to "pump up" before a photo shoot?
What should a model's nutrition/supplementation look like?
Show off your knowledge to the world!
The Winners:
1. RC26 View Profile
- Sain View Profile
1st Place - RC26
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Introduction
Fitness models rely on their physique to bring in the paycheck, so it's no wonder every minute of their workout is precious.
Fitness modeling is not as easy as most people think. In fact, it requires just as much dedication and commitment as bodybuilding does. Fitness models need to maintain good conditioning year round, as they may be called for a shoot any time of the year.
My goal in this article is to share with you what I believe is the best workout for a fitness model. Whether you're an active or aspiring fitness model, I strongly suggest you give this workout a try. You never know, it may just be what you're looking for.
Workout
What Is The Best Workout For A Fitness Model? Be Specific.
General Workout Guidelines:
All the workouts will consist of light weights and supersets. Now when I say light, I don't mean ten pounds. What I'm trying to say here is since you'll be using supersets and there will only be 30-second breaks between each superset, you'll need to cut down the weight so you won't have to sacrifice form because of the heavy weights.
In contrast, don't think that if you use ten pounds throughout your entire workout that you will make any progress. The outcome in that case would be muscle atrophy and decrease in strength, SO DON'T DO IT!
Exercises:
Before I go over the exercises, let me mention that this workout is intense. I highly suggest you clear your head of all matters before you hit the gym, and make sure you are mentally focused to train to absolute failure. Believe me, it makes a huge difference in your workout when you're both mentally and physically prepared. Now onto the fun stuff ...
Chest/Shoulders:
On this day, you will focus on all aspects of both the chest and shoulders. Keep in mind, the most important quality each fitness model's physique should possess is good symmetry and shape.
For upper chest, you will be performing incline dumbbell bench presses set at a 60 degree angle. The flat dumbbell bench press will be used for mid/lower chest development, and the flat dumbbell fly will be used for outer chest growth.
As some of you may already know, the deltoid muscle consists of three heads. You will work each head with one isolation exercise, for a total of three exercises. Front delts will be worked with front dumbbell raises, side delts with side dumbbells raises, and rear delts with bent-over dumbbell raises.
Back/Traps:
Maintaining that "V-Shape" look is one of many priorities for all fitness models. For that reason, I made sure I included close-grip lat pull-downs to hit the outer lats, wide-grip lat pulldowns to hit the inner lats and seated cable rows to hit the middle part of the back.
Upright rows and dumbbell shrugs will be performed for the traps, and hyperextensions will be performed for the lower back.
Legs:
No physique would be complete without leg development, and fitness models surely know that. On this training day, you will be performing leg extensions, leg presses, and hack squats for the quadriceps, standing and lying leg curls for the hamstrings, and standing calf raises for the calves.
Biceps/Triceps:
These two muscle groups are among everyone's favorites, and for good reason; they are almost always noticeable. This workout will consist of common exercises, including dumbbell standing, preacher, reverse curls for full bicep development, triceps pushdowns, dumbbell seated extensions, and lying triceps extensions for full triceps development.
Abs:
People tend to think that the more they train their abs, the smaller their stomach will get and that is completely incorrect. Training abs with dozens of exercises per workout will just make the stomach look bigger, and that could be detrimental to a fitness model's physique. For that reason, I only included two exercises that target both parts of the abs. You will begin with crunches to target the upper abs, followed by hanging leg raises to target the lower abs.
Cardio:
In order maintain maximal conditioning, fitness models need to perform at least 60 minutes of cardio twice per week, on top of the superset workout. I will leave you to choose the cardio that you desire, but I included my personal recommendations.
Treadmills and ellipticals are probably the two most popular forms of cardio, and I highly suggest you try them out if you haven't done so already. However, if you dislike treadmills and ellipticals, you can engage in any physical activity of your choice as long as you keep your intensity high.
Sets/Reps/Rest:
As I mentioned earlier, light weights will be used in this workout, so reps will range anywhere from 15-to-20 to assure you fully exhaust your muscles. The only exception to this is abs, and reps should be the 25 range. Sets will be kept down to 3 per exercise, and rest in between each superset/exercise will only be 30 seconds.
The Split:
- Monday - Chest, Shoulders
- Tuesday - Cardio, Abs
- Wednesday - Back, Traps
- Thursday - Legs
- Friday - Cardio, Abs
- Saturday - Biceps, Triceps
- Sunday - Rest Day
Monday: Chest, Shoulders:
- Superset: Incline Dumbbell Bench Press Dumbbell Front Raises
- Superset: Flat Dumbbell Bench Press Dumbbell Lateral Raises
- Superset: Flat Dumbbell Flyes Bent-Over Dumbbell Lateral Raises
3 sets, 15-20 reps, 30 sec rest
Click Here For A Printable Log Of Monday.
Tuesday: Cardio, Abs:
Perform any form of cardio for at least 60 minutes.
- Superset: Crunches Hanging Leg Raises
3 sets, 25 reps, 30 sec rest
Click Here For A Printable Log Of Tuesday.
Wednesday: Back, Traps:
- Superset: Close-Grip Lat Pulldowns Upright Rows
- Superset: Wide-Grip Lat Pulldowns Dumbbell Shrugs
- Superset: Seated Cable Rows Hyperextensions
3 sets, 15-20 reps, 30 sec rest
Click Here For A Printable Log Of Wednesday.
Thursday: Legs:
- Superset: Leg Extensions Standing Leg Curls
- Superset: Hack Squats Lying Leg Curls
- Superset: Leg Press Standing Calf Raises
3 sets, 15-20 reps, 30 sec rest
Click Here For A Printable Log Of Thursday.
Friday: Cardio, Abs:
Perform any form of cardio for at least 60 minutes.
- Superset: Crunches Hanging Leg Raises
3 sets, 25 reps, 30 sec rest
Click Here For A Printable Log Of Friday.
Saturday: Biceps, Triceps:
- Supersets: Standing Dumbbell Curls Triceps Pushdowns
- Supersets: Dumbbell Preacher Curls Seated Dumbbell Triceps Extensions
- Supersets: Dumbbell Concentration Curls EZ-Bar Lying Triceps Extensions
3 sets, 15-20 reps, 30 sec rest
Click Here For A Printable Log Of Saturday.
Sunday: Rest Day:
Pump Up Tips
What Are Some Tips For A Model To "Pump Up" Before A Photo Shoot?
Before pumping up for a photo shoot, I advise you look at yourself in the mirror and find the weak points that need improvement. For example, if your chest isn't as developed as the rest of your muscles, then you should focus on pumping up your chest before any other muscle. Remember, nothing looks better than a balanced and symmetrical physique, and that's exactly what you want to present.
Nutrition/Supplementation
What Should A Model's Nutrition/Supplementation Look Like?
Fitness models must to follow a strict diet plan everyday of the year, with a few cheat meals here and there. On top of that, supplementation is recommended, but nothing beyond the basics; whey protein, multivitamin/multimineral, and a fat burner. Below are some guidelines to help you with your diet:
- Eat every 3 to 4 hours
- Drink 1 to 1 1/2 gallons of water per day
- Consume 1 to 1 1/2 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight each day (35% of your diet)
- Consume 2 to 3 grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight each day (40% of your diet)
- Consume an ample amount of fat (25% of your diet)
- Supplement with a multivitamin/multimineral in the morning
- Supplement with a fat burner in the morning and the afternoon
- Supplement with whey protein post-workout
Supplement Recommendations:
- Whey Protein - Dymatize Elite Whey
- Fat Burner - Nutrex Lipo 6
- Multivitamin/Multimineral - AST Multi Pro 32X
Conclusion
With these workout, diet and supplementation plans, you should have no problem maintaining your fitness model body. Good luck!
Honorable Mention - Sain
View This Author's BodySpace Here.
Workout
What Is The Best Workout For A Fitness Model?
Fitness models should train almost exactly like a regular bodybuilder. With exception that there is cardio added everyday. The cardio is important because in order to achieve the chiseled look these fitness models must maintain an overall low body fat percentage.
Most regular bodybuilders choose not to perform cardio because it hampers there mass gains. The lower their weight goes the less they can lift. Bodybuilders choose to "bulk" for an extended period and then "cut" for competitions. Fitness models do not have this luxury as they are on photo shoots constantly and must maintain their appearance year round.
This routine is based off Westside for Skinny Bastards:
Monday: Upper Body (Heavy) max sets x 5 reps
- Weighted Dips
- Incline DB bench press
- Bent-over Rows
- Bent-over Rear Delt Raise
- Weighted Crunches
Click Here For A Printable Log Of Monday.
Tuesday: Cardio
Wednesday: Lower Body (Heavy) max sets x 5 reps
- Squat
- Lunges
- Romanian deadlift
- Wrist Curls
Click Here For A Printable Log Of Wednesday.
Thursday: Cardio
Friday: Upper Body (Volume) 3 sets x Max reps
- DB Bench Press
- Skull Crushers
- Pull Ups
- Lateral Raises
- Preacher Curls
- Abs
Click Here For A Printable Log Of Friday.
Saturday: Cardio
Sunday: Cardio
Cardio should be performed every morning before breakfast. This is done because the body is in a catabolic state and will feed off the fat stores. This optimizes fat loss. Warm-up with a light one mile jog. Then high intensity sprints with light jogging in between. This should last 30-40 minutes.
Pump Up Tips
What Are Some Tips For A Model To "Pump Up" Before A Photo Shoot?
Tan:
A good tan can help bring out definition and detail. The darker you are the more defined you look. You can go to a tanning bed or simply buy tanning products.
Cut Water:
By limiting your water intake a couple of days before the photo shoot you can get water out from underneath the skin to show off your physique the best you can. You will have to experiment with this in order to figure out what works best. It is best to cut your daily water intake in half 2 days before, then in half again the day before and only drink when thirsty on shoot day.
Nutrition/Supplementation
What Should A Model's Nutrition/Supplementation Look Like?
Multi-Vitamin:
The majority of vitamins and minerals should come from the whole foods that you consume. However, the average diet will not be able to provide all the recommended daily vitamins and minerals.
Creatine:
Creatine is a staple in many bodybuilders supplements. It is helpful in gaining strength and mass. I recommend using when building up your physique but discontinue use a couple of weeks prior to a photo shoot in order to loose the water in the muscles. Any creatine monohydrate will work.
BCAA's:
Branched-chain amino acids, It will spare your muscles when you are performing cardio, so that you do not become catabolic.
Whey Protein:
Protein in the basic building block of muscles. You should be getting at least 1g of Protein per pound of body weight. This one of the most important supplements in a fitness model's arsenal.