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The Workout Plan to Build Your ‘V’ Taper
Add some serious width to your shoulders—and make your waist look leaner—with these three workouts.
by
Lee Boyce for Men's Fitness
The Workout Plan to Build Your ‘V’ Taper
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Build Your “V”
Suits have changed over the yearsbut they always strive to achieve one goal: to make the wearer’s shoulders look wider than his waist. The V-shape the lapels form is meant to accentuate the way a well-built man’s upper body tapersprojecting a virile look. Nowyou could spend big money getting your suits custom-tailored to achieve this effect—or you could invest a few weeks building the muscles that make your clothes fit well naturally. We’re about to show you how.
How It Works
The V-taper is mainly achieved by widening the lats and adding density to the shoulderswhich you can do with chinup variations and lateral raises. But to maximize your look in a suityou have to be aware of not only which muscles to build but also which to ease up on. Thick arms can throw off the fit of the suitand big quads can cause the pant legs to bunch near the crotch. The answer isn’t to neglect these muscles but just not to isolate them—training them with lifts that work them in conjunction with other muscles leads to more balanced size gainsso you’ll let presseschinupsand squats train the tricepsbicepsand legs while they offer residual benefits to the shoulders and back.
Directions
Perform each workout (Day IIIand III) once per weekresting a day between each session. Exercises that are marked “A” and “B” are supersets: Complete one set for each in turn without rest in between. Afterwardrest as prescribed. Repeat until all the assigned sets are completed.SEE ALSO: Upper Body Strength Training Workout >>
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Day IExercise 1A: Low-Incline Dumbbell Press
Sets: 4
Reps: 10
Rest: 0 sec. (Go straight to exercise 1B)Set an adjustable bench to no higher than a 30-degree angle and lie back against it with a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level. Press the dumbbells over your chest.Low-incline dumbbell presses are a better choice than barbell bench presseswhich can add too much upper-body mass and make you look bloated in a suit.SEE ALSO: The Ultimate Upper-Body Workout >>
3 of 16
Day IExercise 1B: Dips
Sets: 4
Reps: 10
Rest: 2 min.Suspend your body over parallel bars with hands just outside shoulder width. Lower your body until your upper arms are parallel to the floor and then press back up.SEE ALSO: The Best of Both Worlds Upper Body Workout >>
4 of 16
Day IExercise 2A: Inverted Row
Sets: 4
Reps: 10
Rest: 0 sec. (Go straight to exercise 2B)Set a bar in a rack at about hip level and hang from it with your legs extended. Brace your abs andkeeping your body in a straight linepull yourself up until your back is fully contracted. The shallower your body’s anglethe harder the exercise.SEE ALSO: Take a Dip for Upper Body Strength >>
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Day IExercise 2B: Suspended Pushup
Sets: 4
Reps: 10
Rest: 90 sec.Attach a suspension trainer to a sturdy overhead object and lower the handles to about knee height. Grasp the handles and get into pushup position. Keeping your core tightperform pushups. Adjust the handle height as needed.SEE ALSO: Upper-Body At-Home Barbell Blast >>
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Day IExercise 3: Pullup
Sets: 3
Reps: As many as possible
Rest: As long as neededHang from a pullup bar with hands outside shoulder width and palms turned away from you. Pull yourself up until your chin is over the bar.SEE ALSO: Build a Bigger Upper Chest >>
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Day IIExercise 1A: CHINUP
Sets: 4
Reps: As many as possible
Rest: 0 sec.Hang from a bar with hands shoulder-width apart and palms facing you. Pull yourself up until your chin is over the bar.SEE ALSO: 28 Days to Six-Pack Abs >>
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Day IIExercise 1B: Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press
Sets: 4
Reps: 12
Rest: 90 sec.Raise the back of an adjustable bench to vertical and sit back against it with a dumbbell in each hand. Hold the weights at shoulder level and then press them straight overhead.SEE ALSO: Best Exercises for a Complete Back Workout >>
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Day IIExercise 2A: Dumbbell Bent-Over Row
Sets: 4
Reps: 12
Rest: 0 sec. (Go straight to exercise 2B)Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Keeping your lower back in its natural archbend your hips back and lower your torso until it’s parallel to the floor. Allow your arms to hang. Row the weights to your sidessqueezing your shoulder blades together at the top.SEE ALSO: Frank Zane’s Top Tips for a Classic V-Taper >>
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Day IIExercise 2B: Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Sets: 4
Reps: 12
Rest: 60 sec.Set up as you did for the seated overhead pressbut let your arms hang at your sides. Raise the weights out to your sides at 90 degrees.SEE ALSO: Back-Up Plan for Building Bigger Lats >>
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Day IIExercise 3: One-Arm Dumbbell Snatch
Sets: 6
Reps: 6 (each arm)
Rest: 2 min.Stand with feet wide and hold a dumbbell in one hand. Bend your hips back and then your knees. Explosively extend your hips and knees and pull the weight straight up in front of your body and “catch” it overhead.Trading out conventional deadlifts and shrugs for exercises like the one-arm dumbbell snatch will prevent your traps and neck from getting too thickwhich can make it impossible to wear a tie!SEE ALSO: The BiggerStronger Back Workout >>
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Day IIIExercise 1A: Front Squat
Sets: 5
Reps: 6
Rest: 0 seconds (Go straight to exercise 1B)Grasp the bar with hands at shoulder width and raise your elbows until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Take the bar out of the rack and let it rest on your fingertips. Step back and set your feet at shoulder width with toes turned slightly out. Squat as low as you can without losing the arch in your lower back. SEE ALSO: Top 5 Muscle-Building Exercises for the Back >>
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Day IIIExercise 1B: Vertical Jump
Sets: 5
Reps: 10
Rest: 2 min.Stand with feet hip-width apart and squat downthrowing your arms behind you to gather momentum. Jump straight up as high as you can and land softly. Reset and perform the next rep.SEE ALSO: Kai Greene’s Back Workout >>
14 of 16
Day IIIExercise 2A: Dumbbell Walking Lunge
Sets: 4
Reps: 20 (each leg)
Rest: 0 sec. (Go straight to exercise 2B)Hold a dumbbell in each hand and step forward and lower your body until your front thigh is parallel to the floor and your rear knee is just above the floor. Step forward and lunge on the other leg.SEE ALSO: The Ultimate Leg Training Workout >>
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Day IIIExercise 2B: Romanian Deadlift
Sets: 4
Reps: 8
Rest: 120 sec.Grasp the bar at shoulder width and take it out of a rack set to hip level. Hold the bar in front of your thighspulling it in toward your body. Bend your hips back and lower your torsoallowing your knees to bend as neededuntil you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.SEE ALSO: 7 Wheel Blasting Workouts >>
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Day IIIExercise 3: Sled Push or Farmer’s Walk
Sets: 4
Reps: Push 50 yards
Rest: 3 min.Load a sled and push it. If you don’t have space to go 50 yardsturn aroundcome backand repeat until the distance is covered. If you don’t have a sleddo a farmer’s walk: Hold heavy dumbbells and walk as far as you can.SEE ALSO: The Complete Calves Workout >>
Build Your "V"
Suits have changed over the yearsbut they always strive to achieve one goal: to make the wearer’s shoulders look wider than his waist. The V-shape the lapels form is meant to accentuate the way a well-built man’s upper body tapersprojecting a virile look. Nowyou could spend big money getting your suits custom-tailored to achieve this effect—or you could invest a few weeks building the muscles that make your clothes fit well naturally. We’re about to show you how.
How It Works
The V-taper is mainly achieved by widening the lats and adding density to the shoulderswhich you can do with chinup variations and lateral raises. But to maximize your look in a suityou have to be aware of not only which muscles to build but also which to ease up on. Thick arms can throw off the fit of the suitand big quads can cause the pant legs to bunch near the crotch. The answer isn’t to neglect these muscles but just not to isolate them—training them with lifts that work them in conjunction with other muscles leads to more balanced size gainsso you’ll let presseschinupsand squats train the tricepsbicepsand legs while they offer residual benefits to the shoulders and back.
Directions
Perform each workout (Day IIIand III) once per weekresting a day between each session. Exercises that are marked “A” and “B” are supersets: Complete one set for each in turn without rest in between. Afterwardrest as prescribed. Repeat until all the assigned sets are completed.
SEE ALSO: Upper Body Strength Training Workout >>
Day IExercise 1A: Low-Incline Dumbbell Press
Sets: 4
Reps: 10
Rest: 0 sec. (Go straight to exercise 1B)
Set an adjustable bench to no higher than a 30-degree angle and lie back against it with a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level. Press the dumbbells over your chest.
Low-incline dumbbell presses are a better choice than barbell bench presseswhich can add too much upper-body mass and make you look bloated in a suit.
SEE ALSO: The Ultimate Upper-Body Workout >>
Day IExercise 1B: Dips
Sets: 4
Reps: 10
Rest: 2 min.
Suspend your body over parallel bars with hands just outside shoulder width. Lower your body until your upper arms are parallel to the floor and then press back up.
Day IExercise 2A: Inverted Row
Sets: 4
Reps: 10
Rest: 0 sec. (Go straight to exercise 2B)
Set a bar in a rack at about hip level and hang from it with your legs extended. Brace your abs andkeeping your body in a straight linepull yourself up until your back is fully contracted. The shallower your body’s anglethe harder the exercise.
SEE ALSO: Take a Dip for Upper Body Strength >>
Day IExercise 2B: Suspended Pushup
Sets: 4
Reps: 10
Rest: 90 sec.
Attach a suspension trainer to a sturdy overhead object and lower the handles to about knee height. Grasp the handles and get into pushup position. Keeping your core tightperform pushups. Adjust the handle height as needed.
SEE ALSO: Upper-Body At-Home Barbell Blast >>
Day IExercise 3: Pullup
Sets: 3
Reps: As many as possible
Rest: As long as needed
Hang from a pullup bar with hands outside shoulder width and palms turned away from you. Pull yourself up until your chin is over the bar.
SEE ALSO: Build a Bigger Upper Chest >>
Day IIExercise 1A: CHINUP
Sets: 4
Reps: As many as possible
Rest: 0 sec.
Hang from a bar with hands shoulder-width apart and palms facing you. Pull yourself up until your chin is over the bar.
SEE ALSO: 28 Days to Six-Pack Abs >>
Day IIExercise 1B: Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press
Sets: 4
Reps: 12
Rest: 90 sec.
Raise the back of an adjustable bench to vertical and sit back against it with a dumbbell in each hand. Hold the weights at shoulder level and then press them straight overhead.
Day IIExercise 2A: Dumbbell Bent-Over Row
Sets: 4
Reps: 12
Rest: 0 sec. (Go straight to exercise 2B)
Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Keeping your lower back in its natural archbend your hips back and lower your torso until it’s parallel to the floor. Allow your arms to hang. Row the weights to your sidessqueezing your shoulder blades together at the top.
Day IIExercise 2B: Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Sets: 4
Reps: 12
Rest: 60 sec.
Set up as you did for the seated overhead pressbut let your arms hang at your sides. Raise the weights out to your sides at 90 degrees.
SEE ALSO: Back-Up Plan for Building Bigger Lats >>
Day IIExercise 3: One-Arm Dumbbell Snatch
Sets: 6
Reps: 6 (each arm)
Rest: 2 min.
Stand with feet wide and hold a dumbbell in one hand. Bend your hips back and then your knees. Explosively extend your hips and knees and pull the weight straight up in front of your body and “catch” it overhead.
Trading out conventional deadlifts and shrugs for exercises like the one-arm dumbbell snatch will prevent your traps and neck from getting too thickwhich can make it impossible to wear a tie!
SEE ALSO: The BiggerStronger Back Workout >>
Day IIIExercise 1A: Front Squat
Sets: 5
Reps: 6
Rest: 0 seconds (Go straight to exercise 1B)
Grasp the bar with hands at shoulder width and raise your elbows until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Take the bar out of the rack and let it rest on your fingertips. Step back and set your feet at shoulder width with toes turned slightly out. Squat as low as you can without losing the arch in your lower back.
Day IIIExercise 1B: Vertical Jump
Sets: 5
Reps: 10
Rest: 2 min.
Stand with feet hip-width apart and squat downthrowing your arms behind you to gather momentum. Jump straight up as high as you can and land softly. Reset and perform the next rep.
SEE ALSO: Kai Greene’s Back Workout >>
Day IIIExercise 2A: Dumbbell Walking Lunge
Sets: 4
Reps: 20 (each leg)
Rest: 0 sec. (Go straight to exercise 2B)
Hold a dumbbell in each hand and step forward and lower your body until your front thigh is parallel to the floor and your rear knee is just above the floor. Step forward and lunge on the other leg.
SEE ALSO: The Ultimate Leg Training Workout >>
Day IIIExercise 2B: Romanian Deadlift
Sets: 4
Reps: 8
Rest: 120 sec.
Grasp the bar at shoulder width and take it out of a rack set to hip level. Hold the bar in front of your thighspulling it in toward your body. Bend your hips back and lower your torsoallowing your knees to bend as neededuntil you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
SEE ALSO: 7 Wheel Blasting Workouts >>
Day IIIExercise 3: Sled Push or Farmer's Walk
Sets: 4
Reps: Push 50 yards
Rest: 3 min.
Load a sled and push it. If you don’t have space to go 50 yardsturn aroundcome backand repeat until the distance is covered. If you don’t have a sleddo a farmer’s walk: Hold heavy dumbbells and walk as far as you can.
SEE ALSO: The Complete Calves Workout >>
Written by
Lee Boyce for Men's Fitness
