The Workout Plan to Build Your 'V' Taper - Muscle & Fitness (2024)

Build Your “V”

Suits have changed over the years, but 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 tapers, projecting a virile look. Now, you 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 shoulders, which you can do with chinup variations and lateral raises. But to maximize your look in a suit, you 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 suit, and 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 gains, so you’ll let presses, chinups, and squats train the triceps, biceps, and legs while they offer residual benefits to the shoulders and back.

Directions

Perform each workout (Day I, II, and III) once per week, resting 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. Afterward, rest as prescribed. Repeat until all the assigned sets are completed.SEE ALSO: Upper Body Strength Training Workout >>

Day I, Exercise 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 presses, which can add too much upper-body mass and make you look bloated in a suit.SEE ALSO: The Ultimate Upper-Body Workout >>

Day I, Exercise 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 >>

Day I, Exercise 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 and, keeping your body in a straight line, pull yourself up until your back is fully contracted. The shallower your body’s angle, the harder the exercise.SEE ALSO: Take a Dip for Upper Body Strength >>

Day I, Exercise 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 tight, perform pushups. Adjust the handle height as needed.SEE ALSO: Upper-Body At-Home Barbell Blast >>

Day I, Exercise 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 >>

Day II, Exercise 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 II, Exercise 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 >>

Day II, Exercise 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 arch, bend your hips back and lower your torso until it’s parallel to the floor. Allow your arms to hang. Row the weights to your sides, squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top.SEE ALSO: Frank Zane’s Top Tips for a Classic V-Taper >>

Day II, Exercise 2B: Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Sets:4
Reps:12
Rest:60 sec.Set up as you did for the seated overhead press, but 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 II, Exercise 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 thick, which can make it impossible to wear a tie!SEE ALSO: The Bigger, Stronger Back Workout >>

Day III, Exercise 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 >>

Day III, Exercise 1B: Vertical Jump

Sets:5
Reps:10
Rest:2 min.Stand with feet hip-width apart and squat down, throwing 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 III, Exercise 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 III, Exercise 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 thighs, pulling it in toward your body. Bend your hips back and lower your torso, allowing your knees to bend as needed, until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.SEE ALSO: 7 Wheel Blasting Workouts >>

Day III, Exercise 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 yards, turn around, come back, and repeat until the distance is covered. If you don’t have a sled, do a farmer’s walk: Hold heavy dumbbells and walk as far as you can.SEE ALSO: The Complete Calves Workout >>

Suits have changed over the years, but 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 tapers, projecting a virile look. Now, you 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 shoulders, which you can do with chinup variations and lateral raises. But to maximize your look in a suit, you 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 suit, and 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 gains, so you’ll let presses, chinups, and squats train the triceps, biceps, and legs while they offer residual benefits to the shoulders and back.

Directions

Perform each workout (Day I, II, and III) once per week, resting 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. Afterward, rest as prescribed. Repeat until all the assigned sets are completed.

SEE ALSO: Upper Body Strength Training Workout >>

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 presses, which can add too much upper-body mass and make you look bloated in a suit.

SEE ALSO: The Ultimate Upper-Body Workout >>

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 >>

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 and, keeping your body in a straight line, pull yourself up until your back is fully contracted. The shallower your body’s angle, the harder the exercise.

SEE ALSO: Take a Dip for Upper Body Strength >>

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 tight, perform pushups. Adjust the handle height as needed.

SEE ALSO: Upper-Body At-Home Barbell Blast >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 arch, bend your hips back and lower your torso until it’s parallel to the floor. Allow your arms to hang. Row the weights to your sides, squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top.

SEE ALSO: Frank Zane’s Top Tips for a Classic V-Taper >>

Sets:4
Reps:12
Rest:60 sec.

Set up as you did for the seated overhead press, but 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 >>

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 thick, which can make it impossible to wear a tie!

SEE ALSO: The Bigger, Stronger Back Workout >>

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 >>

Sets:5
Reps:10
Rest:2 min.

Stand with feet hip-width apart and squat down, throwing 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 >>

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 >>

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 thighs, pulling it in toward your body. Bend your hips back and lower your torso, allowing your knees to bend as needed, until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.

SEE ALSO: 7 Wheel Blasting Workouts >>

Sets:4
Reps:Push 50 yards
Rest:3 min.

Load a sled and push it. If you don’t have space to go 50 yards, turn around, come back, and repeat until the distance is covered. If you don’t have a sled, do a farmer’s walk: Hold heavy dumbbells and walk as far as you can.

SEE ALSO: The Complete Calves Workout >>