How do you get a V-shape?

What is a V-shape, and can it be trained for, or is it all a matter of genetics? These are the questions we will discuss in today's article.

The V-shape

What is it?

Maybe you have heard about the various body shapes. Terms like "apple," "pear," or "hourglass" are on everyone's lips. For men, it's more common to hear terms like "V-," "A-," "H-," or "X-shape".

The "hourglass" body type is characterized, for example, by a narrow waist and curves on the upper and lower body. The V-figure is also characterized by a narrow waist. However, with a V-figure, your body goes from a narrow waist to a broadly built torso.

A V-figure is the goal of most strength athletes, because this figure is considered particularly aesthetic by many people. Especially in the field of bodybuilding or as a competitive athlete you should have a great V-figure.

Genetically determined?

Now you probably ask yourself the question of whether or not such a figure is determined by genetics. This question is easy to answer. Just as almost all physical characteristics are impacted by your genetics, your body shape is also impacted.

However, you can build muscle and get a V figure even with not so great genetics (it just takes a little longer).

Even without great genetics, you can get a V-shaped figure through smart and hard training and a proper nutrition strategy.

Getting the V-shape

Muscles that create the V-shape

You get the V-figure primarily by training your upper body. If you can build up a well-developed upper body, you have already achieved your V-figure.

These are the muscle groups you should focus on to get a V-figure:

Lats
Chest
Lateral delts

A set of well-trained lats are crucial for a beautiful V-figure. You train for this with pulling exercises from above. Examples of this are pull-ups or lat pulldowns. Of course, do not neglect your upper back (trained with horizontal pulling exercises).

If you want to put a strong focus on the V-figure, you could design your back workout so that 2/3 of your back exercises are vertical pulling exercises and 1/3 are horizontal.

However, you should not neglect the training of your chest so as to avoid imbalances. If you train the front or the back part of the body too much, this can quickly lead to bad posture.

And this is exactly what you should avoid, because another typical characteristic of a V-figure is an upright posture. In addition, a large (wide) chest makes the upper part of your torso look wider and thus also directly contributes to the V-figure.

You should also pay attention to the training of your lateral delts. Broader lateral delts have an enormous influence on the V-figure. Unfortunately, most strength athletes have lateral delts that are not very well developed.

Body fat percentage and the v-shape

Your waist is enormously important for the V-figure. The smaller your waist, the better. However, the initial shape of your waist is determined by your genetics.

The only way to naturally change the size of your waist as much as possible is through your body fat percentage. If you reduce your body fat percentage, you will also reduce the circumference of your waist.

Create a good foundation. Before you lower your body fat percentage, you should have built up enough muscle. Otherwise, you'll end up with a skinny fat look instead of the V-shape you want.

Example training plan

The best way to train your V-figure is with a Push/Pull/Legs plan or a hybrid plan.

Should you be able to train 4x a week, this plan is suitable for you: Push/Pull/Legs Hybrid

Should you be able to train 5x a week, this plan is suitable for you: Push/Pull/Legs Hybrid

Should you be able to train 6x a week, this plan is suitable for you: Push/Pull/Legs Hybrid

Conclusion

A V-shape is a body shape that resembles a "V." It runs from a narrow waist to a broadly built torso.

Focus on the lats, chest, and lateral delts to get a V-figure. Train each muscle group at least twice a week.

After you have built up a decent foundation, i.e. a certain amount of muscle mass, you will want to lower your body fat percentage. This will accentuate your muscles even more, and your waist will become narrower and your V-shape will stand out even more.