The Grecian Ideal (Ideal Physique)

The Grecian Ideal: A specific ratio or simply your body's most optimal hormonal balance?

A lot can be said about the goal of attaining an aesthetic and fit physique.

Greek sculptors have immortalized the ideal male physique throughout the centuries by using the “Golden Ratio”.

Numerically, this will be expressed as a comparison, which results in a ratio of 1:1.618.

More than any other body parts, having shoulders that are broad relative to your waist will accomplish this. It's not only physically impressive; it's also a genetic marker of strength and virility.

Bodybuilders from the Golden Era have specialized in creating a physique that was muscular, conditioned but still showed a certain flow because everything was still in proportion.

Eugen Sandow (the father of bodybuilding, from the late 1800’s) was renowned for his resemblance to classical Greek and Roman sculptures.

„Sandow measured the statues in museums that he aspired to look like and found that they had certain proportions between body parts in common. From this observation, Sandow developed a blueprint for the perfect physique, which he called the “Grecian Ideal.”

Source: https://legionathletics.com/ideal-male-body/

There are many “Grecian Ideal” calculators online.

By measuring the current circumference of your wrists you will get the needed measurements of your other body parts so that everything stays in proportion.

I do think that these measurements are important, but these calculators will give you a false idea on how to attain that specific ideal physique.

I therefore hypothesize that reaching your “Grecian Ideal” is simply done by reaching your body’s optimal hormonal balance.

The body will always grow as a unit. It either gets fat as a unit, gains muscle as unit, loses body-fat as a unit or loses muscle as a unit.

Gaining muscle only on your biceps for example, while everything else stays the same will be difficult (except for beginners, advanced trainees might have to take a more complicated approach than to simply isolate the biceps).

You manipulate your body’s ability to gain muscle and lose fat by taking into account the different macro-nutrients and by turning on certain metabolic switches at certain times of the day.

An example would be fructose vs. glucose.

Post-workout, Fructose will go to the liver whereas glucose will go to replenish muscle glycogen.

Yes, localized muscle gain can occur, but I certainly don’t think that it is the norm.

Lypogenesis (fat gain) does in fact occur locally in men and women (men gain more in the stomach, women on the thighs and buttocks), but muscle gain within a specific body part could be proven difficult.

What to focus on instead of centimeters and ratios?

Gain as much muscle as you can naturally and get as conditioned as possible.

If you get enough muscle mass and lose enough body fat, your body should reflect the “Grecian Ideal” and still have a certain flow to it.