V Taper Exercises
The V-Taper is a physique that accentuates a small waist by initially drawing attention to a pair of broad shoulders and a wide back. This classic look used to be identified with males who best represented the stereo-typical, hero-like build like Brad Pitt in “Fight Club”, Chris Evans in “Captain America” and Alex Skarsgard in “Legend of Tarzan”.
But over the last few years, the V-taper has become the preferred look of the most admired female physiques in the world. Among the best examples of popular women with the V-taper look are actresses Jessica Biel, Sofia Vergara, Jennifer Aniston and athletes Melanie Adams (pole vault), Lindsay Vonn (skiing) and Eugenie Bouchard (tennis).
How To Get The V-Taper Look
In order to develop the V-Taper, you should do exercises that focus on the following body parts:
• Shoulders
• Back
• Arms
• Abs
• Glutes
• Legs
You should choose exercises that allow greater isolation, a full range of motion and require absolute control of every repetition.
Here are 8 exercises that can help you get a V-Taper:
1. Squats – This is the best exercise for toning up your thighs, hamstrings and glutes. It also helps tighten your abs and strengthens your lower back. Squats make you work hard which increases metabolism. Studies have shown that squats burns off more body fat than running!
2. Back Extensions – If you want to get the sexy curve on the lower back that Jessica Biel is known for, back extensions are the best exercise for the job. It also firms up your hamstrings and glutes.
3. Close Grip Lat Pulldown – Contrary to popular belief, the close grip lat pull down is better than the wide grip version because you have a longer range of motion. A close grip works the outer lat muscles and it allows you to pull your elbows further inward for a stronger contraction in the middle back.
4. Assisted Pull Ups – This is a safer version of the traditional pull up. Because you can adjust the level of resistance, you will be able to do more reps in good form and change angles to hit specific areas of your back.
5. One Arm Dumbbell Row – If you want to build a nice back, you have to do rows. The one-arm dumbbell row enables you to focus better on each rep. You get a deeper stretch at the bottom and a stronger contraction at the top of the row with a dumbbell than a barbell.
6. Seated Dumbbell Press – This is a great exercise for shaping all 3 heads of your shoulders: lateral, posterior and frontal. You can change the angle of the press to target lagging areas. For example, by raising the pinky higher than the thumb, more emphasis will be placed on the lateral heads.
7. Face Pulls – The posterior heads are hard to target because these are small muscles. Face Pulls are the most effective exercise for hitting the posterior heads because the pathway follows its basic function: to pull the shoulder blades back.
8. Cable Lateral Raise – Dumbbell Side Lateral raises are a popular exercise to “cap” the outer head of the shoulder. But using cables have the advantage of constant tension throughout the rep.
Sample V-Taper Program For Women
In this program, we will focus only on exercises 3 to 8. You should always do Squats and Back Extension during leg day.
For this program, use a weight that you can comfortably handle to complete the prescribed number of reps. Always use good form and precise technique to get the best results.
Keep your rest periods to no more than 1 minute between sets and 2 minutes between exercises.
1. Close Grip Lat Pulldown – 3 sets x 10 reps
2. One-Arm Dumbbell Row – 3 sets x 10 reps
3. Face Pulls – 2 sets x 15 reps
4. Seated Dumbbell Press – 3 sets x 10 reps
5. Assisted Pull Ups – 2 sets x 15 reps
6. Cable Lateral Raise – 3 sets x 10 reps
Before you exercise, warm up with 10 minutes of dynamic stretching. Perform arm circles for 30 reps going forward and back to prime the rotator cuff which is highly susceptible to injury. Pyramid up in weight until you are confident of handling the working sets.
At the end of the session, do at least 10 minutes of static stretching to encourage blood flow, improve flexibility and initiate the recovery process.
