V-Taper Training Tips

V Taper Training – Building Your Muscular Physique

Building the classic V Taper will create a totally muscular upper body look! Large shoulders leading into a wide, thick back and a small waist creates the appearance of a large muscular frame. Learn how to create the classic V Taper in this article.

The largest collection of muscles in the upper body is the back, therefore it plays an important role in the creation of a V Taper. This article will outline techniques to build the back and shoulders to create that wide V Taper.

The Back:

Lats (Latissimus Dorsi)
The lower and outer portion of the back will be key to building the width and thickness of your back. These large muscles can be hit using pull ups, lat pulldowns and deadlifts.

Traps (Trapezius)
The muscles at the top of your back will start the V Taper. Shrugs will build thick traps.

Rhomboids
The muscles in the middle upper back are also key to building an overall back shape – we don’t want any weak links in any part of the physique.

Spinal Erectors
Toning the lower back will create the tight look at the bottom of the taper and make the upper back appear bigger.

Sample V Taper Back Routine:

Deadlifts 3 x 8 – 10
Barbell Rows 2 x 8 – 10
Pull Ups 3 x 10 – 12
T-Bar Row 3 x 10 –12
Shrugs 2 x 10 – 12

The Shoulders:

Building the anterior, medial and posterior deltoid’s will produce the impressive wide upper body at the top of the taper. Working all three heads will ensure maximum development. Always perform the most compounded movement first in your workouts and compliment this with other more isolation movements. Building strong shoulders will also help add weight to your other lifts as they are responsible for stabilising most upper body movements.

Sample V Taper Shoulder Routine:

Seated dumbbell press (anterior) 3 x 8 – 10
Dumbbell/cable latral raise (medial) 3 x 10 – 12
Bent over Laterals (posterior) 3 x 10 – 12

Other Key Principles:

When training your muscles concentrate on contracting the muscle you are targeting when performing your exercise. For example when executing you barbell rows concentrate fully on pulling the weight with your middle back muscles and squeezing them tight. This will ensure maximum stress is placed on your muscle fibres to spark new muscle growth.

Keep to rep ranges between about 8 – 15 reps. Performing repetitions within this range will have most effect on hypertrophy (muscle growth and size) rather than strength. If you want more strength and don’t mind about total muscle size then go for a rep range of about 4 – 7.

Eat, eat, eat…
To build muscle you must eat plenty of calories to fuel intense workouts and recover fully from your workouts. Remember muscles are broken down in the gym and are built whilst recovering with nutritious food and rest. Eat plenty of protein and carbohydrates at regular intervals throughout the day.

Take creatine
Creatine is a highly effective, scientifically proven supplement to help build lean muscle mass. Creatine aids in recovery and strength during workouts.

Post workout nutrition is key
Eating plenty of fast acting carbohydrates and whey protein within 30 minutes of your workout will start the muscle building process.

Following these key principles will build the classic wide upper body physique tapering down to a small toned waist. Remember to work all the muscles in the body including legs on a regular basis. A well-rounded physique is a must and working the whole body will create the largest overall muscle response. Train hard, eat hard, get plenty of rest and you will build the classic V shape.