My fitness goals have changed over the years, and my current plan looks very little like the one I started with several years ago. I never had a set of ideal body measurements that I could work toward though. What is the perfect body anyway? As with numerous people, my thoughts of the perfect body meant larger muscles. But larger muscles are not inherently attractive to everybody. If this were the case, all Hollywood stars would be bodybuilders. Taylor Lautner, one of the sexiest men in Hollywood today, has a sinewy, more angular body then the typical bodybuilder of old. Thus, what are your ideal body measurements? Below I describe how to get the perfect body.

I’ve decided to customize this towards the male perspective since men usually have a harder time determining what is appealing to others and how to set the proper goals to reach that point. I think a lot of people are finally coming around to the fact that bigger isn’t always better.

As I was on my mission to define ideal body measurements, I discovered myself pouring through the pages of bodybuilding sites incessantly, attempting to bring it all into focus. As usual, bodybuilding sites don’t provide the best template for an ideal body. The calculator of bodybuilding legend Steve Reeve indicated that my chest should be in excess of fifty inches. The same calculator indicates that my waist ought to be about thirty inches. Basically, if I were to abide by this, I would need to increase the muscle mass of my chest such that it would become larger than the present size of my shoulders. This does not appear to be a viable goal, particularly if I am also supposed to keep my waist to thirty inches and have identifiable abs. In fairness, the ideal bodybuilder weight for someone my height is 175lbs. Regardless, if I had these measurements I think that I would make a great cartoon character.

I finally found a more realistic view with John Mccallum. I input my true and target measurements and found that his calculator provided much better results.

Remember that the measurements are provided for a competitive bodybuilder, which does not describe me, but they do give a reasonably good point of beginning for someone in ideal condition. Given this, I ought to concentrate on enhancing my chest and legs with some bulk, with quite a bit of bulk to my biceps, while trimming some fat from my hips and waist. However, will these measurements make me more attractive?

The best approach I’ve found when it comes to ideal measurements is the Adonis Effect. This plan was consciously developed to incorporate research which indicates the body types that women, and other men, find to be the most attractive. Essentially, there is a target shoulder to waist ratio, called the golden ratio, that every guy should aspire to achieve. This golden ratio is 1.618. Furthermore, your waist should be 45% of your height. The great thing about the Adonis Effect program is that it provides a template to guide you toward these “perfect body” measurements.

My “perfect” measurements are 30.5 inches for my waist and 49.5 inches for my shoulders. Essentially I am right around my ideal waist so I should aim to add a little bulk to my shoulders. This seems about right since should I be able to reach these targets I would appear to have a nice V-shape.

In conclusion, ideal body measurements are very difficult to define. In reality, it is your own personal opinion which determines what you think to be ideal. Even if you have a goal that you feel comfortable with, it can be a grueling task to achieve. Everything looks unreasonable when you’re really far away. Don’t be discouraged though – realize that if you start slowly and keep working at it, you can reach your goal, though it won’t happen quickly. If you need extra help with how to get the perfect body, the Adonis Effect includes a diet and exercise plan to help you on your way.