my ideal body

once, a long time ago, i trained as a bodybuilder. in my very best shape ever, i had a reasonably muscular physique.

i'm 5'-9" tall. in my best shape ever,
i was 176 pounds,
with a 33" waist.
a 44" chest
with 16" arms
and 25" quads
at about 8% bodyfat.

at my biggest and fittest,
i was 205 pounds,
with a 34" waist,
a 47" chest
with 17-1/2" arms
and 26" quads
at about 12% bodyfat.

most guys would be satisfied with either of those builds. i never was. i wanted to achieve the "three L's: large, lean and limber". i was never large enough or lean enough. and we won't talk about the limber.

i like a physique with exaggerated proportions. i think for most people into bodybuilding, that's true. bodybuilding is all about exaggerating the body's muscle size. but what i mean, is extreme exaggeration.

the body i was shooting for, the body i really wanted would have been more like this:
225 pounds
32" waist,
50" chest
19" arms
27" thighs
at around 10% bodyfat.

never got there.

when i dream about the body i want, this is what i want:
same height, 5'-9" is good.
weight? i don't know. whatever it takes to achieve this:
26" waist,
50" chest
28" thighs
20" arms
at around 6% bodyfat.

that's imposible.

now, years later, with my body limited by injuries and having not worked out in years, we won't talk about my current condition. but i find myself thinking about getting back into the gym and working out again. other than losing the weight i've gained and generally getting closer to "fit", i fantasize about training to exaggerate one or more muscle group.

a couple years ago i went back to the gym with the same idea and i tried to focus my training on my arms. i wanted big ass biceps. i wanted biceps that would be "too big" for my body. that didn't last too long. turns out i have tendon issues in my left fore arm and the arm training only made them worse. that was so discouraging, i stopped going to the gym.

so, here i am on the verge of returning to the gym. in addition to dropping some pounds, for the sake of my heart and my back, not to mention my appearance, i want to train some muscle group to exaggeration. which one?

let's consider the alternatives:
arms: given the ongoing tendon issues, no can do.
chest: possible. i'd love massive muscle pecs protruding from my chest like a shelf. i do have old injuries to both shoulders, however, that would limit my chest work.
shoulders: unlikely. the shoulder injuries just won't allow it.
abs: possible. i'd love a cobbled, washboard stomach, but is that exaggerated? and lets face it, they aren't great "show" muscles.
back: possible. a dramatic "V-taper" would rock. but again, not a great "show" muscles.
quads: possible. i just think tom platz or paul demayo. i'd love great tree trunk thighs. but i have bone spurs in both knees. that could limit my training.
calves: possible. i used to fantasize about having calves so big that they'd press against one another when i put my feet together. not a great "show" muscle, but imagine the gasps and stares when i wore shorts.

there is also the possibility of training to create the illusion of exaggeration. i mean bodybuilding is all about minimizing your short comings and maximizing your positives. for instance, if i worked my chest and my abs, presumably my shrinking waist and growing pecs would make my pecs look even bigger. similarly with quads and abs.

at the moment i'm tending toward working both my chest and my abs for that reason. but if my old shoulder injuries start acting up, i'm thinking i may focus all my attention on my calves.

i really don't know.

once i've moved house and am closer to the gym and my money has sorted itself out, i'll set back to the gym and we'll see what happens.