The Top Three Muscle Groups To Workout To Look More Attractive

What distinguishes a Calvin Klein model from the average Joe? Contrary to popular belief, the defining highlights of a sexy man aren’t the dreamy face, washboard abs, and pythons for arms. Those features certainly matter, but they’re actually secondary factors. What, then, are the best muscle groups to workout? Which exercises develop the body type that will have the ladies flocking to you like flies on a neon light?

What Muscle Groups To Workout To Become A Chick Magnet?

Building tree trunk legs, cinderblock arms, and a rippled midsection are wonderful, but the key to an attractive physique fit for an underwear modeling shoot lies in the three key muscle groups outlined below.

1. The Upper Back

A greater upper back to waist ratio is the hallmark of the proverbial alpha male. Some people refer to this body type as a V-tapered back. A wide back with almost a wasp-like lower torso creates a V-like appearance.

To really work the upper back and develop the rounded portions on the lats, add weighted pullups to your routine. Make this the first exercise of a back work out.

Pullups also have the added benefit of strengthening your chest. The muscles in the mid and upper back help stabilize your shoulder joints. Stable shoulders enable you to lift more when doing just about any chest or shoulder exercise.

2. The Shoulders

The shoulders and back are interconnected, and most back workouts also target the shoulders as a secondary muscle group.

The best shoulder exercises are the good ol’ shoulder press and lateral raise.

Shoulder presses are great for developing the size and roundness, while lateral raises stimulate the middle delts. Direct shoulder work won’t develop the proportionate look you get from weighted pullups and other upper back workouts. However, giving the shoulders a good work helps to refine the V-shape we’re aiming for. In other words, these exercises are the icing on the cake.

For an alternative to the more conventional shoulder press, consider the Cuban press for building massive 3D delts.

3. The Upper Chest

The bench press seems to be the default marker for how strong a man is. How often have people asked you how much you can bench? They hardly seem to ask that for squats, curls, or pulls. Working the upper chest will especially give you a thick barreled upper body.

The upper chest lines up with the shoulders and upper back. This is why developing these three muscle groups is the key to that superhero look.

We recommend incline bench presses as part of an upper chest workout regimen. This exercise will give you that square-shaped chest, or “plate of armor” look, for the lack of a better term.

Sample Workout Plan

These workouts can be done using the reverse pyramid training. To really target the muscles, consider a double pyramid program. Occasionally, and especially for the shoulders, you may incorporate rest pause training.

Upper Back Workout

Weighted Chin-ups: 3 sets – reverse pyramid training

1. Set 1 – 5-6 reps
2. 3-minute rest
3. Set 2 – 7-8 reps
4. 3-minute rest
5. Set 3 – 9-10 reps

Dumbbell rows – same reverse pyramid training as above

Lat pulldowns – same reverse pyramid training as above

Bicep curls: 6 sets – standard pyramid training

1. Set 1 – 12 reps
2. 1-minute rest
3. Set 2 – 10 reps
4. 1-minute rest
5. Set 3 – 8 reps
6. Sets 4,5, and 6 – 6 reps, all with 1-minute rest in between

Upper Chest and Shoulder Workout

Incline Bench Press: 3 sets – reverse pyramid training

1. Set 1 – 5-6 reps
2. 3-minute rest
3. Set 2 – 7-8 reps
4. 3-minute rest
5. Set 3 – 9-10 reps

Elevated Weighted Pushups – same reverse pyramid training as above

Sitting Chest Press Machine – same reverse pyramid training as above

Barbell Shoulder Press – Same reverse pyramid training as above

Lateral Raises – rest pause training

1. Set 1 – activation set – 10-15 reps
2. 10-20 second rest
3. Sets 2-5 – mini sets – 3-5 reps – 10-20 second rest between sets

Reverse Pyramid and Rest Pause Training Explained

If you have been following the Kinobody program, then the sample workouts above should be familiar to you, and no explanation is needed. For some of the newer folks, we suggest reading our posts on reverse pyramid and rest pause training.

Reverse Pyramid Training Recap

For a quick summary, with reverse pyramid training, you go heavy with a weight you can lift for 5-6 reps, stopping one rep short of muscle failure. Rest for three to four minutes, reduce the weight by 10%, and do another 7-8 reps. Rest the same amount of time before lowering the weights by another 10% and executing your final set with 9-10 reps.

For best results, though, we recommend a double pyramid workout, where you stack a standard pyramid exercise on top of your main reverse pyramid work.

Rest Pause Training Recap

You may also have noticed that we recommended a rest pause training routine for lateral raises. This is a higher volume workout with an initial “activation” set in the 10-15 rep range. This is followed by four “mini” sets of 3-5 reps with a brief 10-15 second rest in between.

For certain exercises, such as lateral raises and tricep pulldowns, we recommend rest pause or the standard pyramid over the low volume reverse pyramid. Many of our followers have reported having a hard time targeting the shoulders and triceps on certain exercises without sacrificing good form.

Here is the rest pause training in action for lateral raises. We believe lateral raises using a rest pause routine is simply one of the best shoulder exercises hands down.

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Make these muscle groups your priority, and you’ll develop the highly-sought-after V-tapered back.