The High-T-Look Workout
Want to look twice as buff with half the effort?
Above, we see a standard drug-free weightlifter physique vs. that of the legendary ‘Zyzz’. On the right of them is a run-of-the-mill male model. What stands out is that even though the natty lifter has more muscle than the male model, and only slightly less than Zyzz: he is considerably less ‘aesthetic’.
The reason: he is relatively less androgenically built.
What does that mean?
Humans have evolved to find males with upper bodies displaying signs of high testosterone both intimidating and sexually arousing. The tell-tale signs of this (aside from bone structure), are the size of muscles that are more responsive to male hormones than to standard exercise.
These androgenically-responsive muscles are the trapezius neck muscle (label 1 above), the upper/middle chest and front of the neck (label 2 above), and the lateral deltoid muscle (label 3).
The reason these muscles are significant, is because they express relatively more androgen receptors. Androgen receptors are proteins stuck to cells that are activated by male hormones and produce masculinizing effects, e.g. increase the size of muscles. Further, most standard weight training tends to produce subpar training of these muscles.
Research has found that these receptors are much more common in the upper body muscles, and critical to muscular growth:
So here’s how to train these muscles for maximal High-Testosterone aesthetics.
Trapezius muscles
This muscle group is not the worst neglected as people tend to deadlift, but throwing in some shrugs (see above), can lead to significantly more prominent trapezius muscles. It will also develop some of the surrounding neck musculature.
Front of the Neck
Few people train these muscles explicitly, and they are actually quite difficult to isolate.
I do not recommend neck bridge exercises, as they can easily damage the spine. Personally, I train the sternocleidomastoid, sternohyoid, and omohyoid muscles (see above) with a resistance band, or against passive isometric force by pushing my chin downward while pushing in the opposite direction with my arms. Similarly, the side of the neck can be trained by pushing the chin diagonally down or by rotating the neck as if you were trying to look to your side — against resistance.
The key is to do these exercises very carefully, slowly, with no jerking motions or excessive force. The neck region can be very fragile to some motions and strains, and improper form and pressure can produce injuries easily.
Pectoralis Major: Upper and Middle Chest
The upper and middle part of the chest often lag behind the bottom and central parts, as people often receive insufficient stimulation of these areas from bench pressing. The most effective exercise I’ve found for the middle chest is low-to-high cable flyes (left panel above). My protocol is to pause at the end of each repetition, open up my arms 25% toward the starting position, pull my arms together again, and then open my arms to the starting position again. Done effectively, you should have a clear pump in the middle of your chest.
To really hit the upper fibres of your chest, dumbbell front raises are a winner (right panel above). To avoid using your front deltoids instead of your chest, I recommend bringing your hands close together while holding the dumbbells, and puffing your chest out so you feel the movement.
Lateral Deltoids
Most lifters find that military/shoulder press movements do not maximise their lateral deltoid development. A classic solution is the lateral dumbbell raise that isolates the muscle. It helps to lean a tiny bit forward and bend your elbows ever so slightly, as this stops the upper back from assisting the movement and allows the rotator cuffs of the shoulder joint to rotate more naturally.
With these tips, you are well on your way to looking sickeningly androgenic regardess of your total muscularity. I hope you have found this article insightful!
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