If you have been doing heavy resistance training for awhile now, and have noticed your muscles are starting to bust through your sleeves and your jeans are looking increasingly more emo (not a good thing), maybe it’s time to back it down a bit and lose some muscle. GASP! The bodybuilders at this point are going to hunt be down and punch me in the face if they find me, but for you guys and gals out there seeking the Hollywood Look, losing muscle can actually be a very very good thing.
First off let’s get this straight – creating a bodybuilder’s physique does indeed require dedication and I respect anyone willing to work their tail off to reach their goal, even if it is to build 22 inch arms and a 52 inch chest. However, I strongly advise against aiming in this direction, and since you’re reading this article, you probably agree with me, since the lean athletic physique is what I advocate here 100% and the above measurements do not follow this plan of direction. I know too many guys who have the right amount of muscle but continue aiming to add muscle and are now pushing the limits of becoming “overly muscular” – which will end up harming their physique.

Hollywood Body VS bodybuilder body

The Hollywood Look VS getting massively huge The picture above is a prime example of why you should be aiming to look more like Ronaldo on the left, than the huge (yes, I know he’s ripped also) guy on the right. If you’ve seen Cristiano Ronaldo’s physique, then you all know he fits the Hollywood Body mold perfectly – lean and ripped with low body fat and solid but not overly done amounts of muscle. Notice how he can still look slick in clothes? While the dude on the right has indeed worked his butt off and achieved a low body fat percentage, he has also taken it way too far! There’s no way he could ever look normal in clothes! If he were wearing that suit, well first off, good luck getting that tailored. Secondly, you wouldn’t be able to tell he was that muscular underneath a suit – in fact, he would probably look kind of fat even though he’s not, simply because normal people just don’t get THAT big. Look at his waist – yes, he has a six-pack, but his midsection represents more of a tree trunk than an Adonis-like physique.
If you saw the guy on the right in public with clothes on, he would just come off with a bad look, period. I’m sorry, but unless his shirt is off, there’s really nothing impressive about being that big. And even so, women would still probably cringe at the sight! Ladies do not want that type of body of a guy, so if you think adding tons of slabs of muscle to your frame will help you out in that regard, think again. Women want the look that Ronaldo presents so well. The classy GQ look triumphs over the massive look any day in attracting the opposite sex.

Besides all that, it’s incredibly hard to maintain huge amounts of muscle and puts a lot of stress on the body. You would have to revolve your day around eating and working out to even maintain that type of look. The body does not want to carry that much muscle, and it’s not healthy to do so! But if you achieve the lean look, you can maintain that type of body a lot easier and live a much healthier life. Not to mention, you’ll be able to move around freely… that huge guy on the right probably has to hire someone to wipe his butt with arms that massive!

Some guys and gals could use some extra muscle Back to this subject matter, there are plenty of people who could benefit from adding 10 lbs of muscle or so. Remember, the Hollywood Look is lean not skinny. Carrying a good amount of muscle can actually support a healthier immune system, create lean muscle tissue for bone support, and is a necessity in creating the Hollywood Body. Adding muscle is fine, but bulking in excess to get there is not the route to take.

My experience tells me that if you’re gaining more than 1 pound a week, you’re probably putting on excess fat in an effort to grow muscle too quickly. Any know this, fat cells never disappear when you’re trying to lose body fat. They can only shrink, so it’s important to not create them in the first place. This is bad news for those aiming to get that ripped look. The key is to get lean and stay lean. Be patient when adding muscle, and forget about the whole bulking and cutting process which has become far too popular within the bodybuilding community. Trust me, you don’t want to go there.

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