The Smartest Way To Build An Aesthetic Body In 2024 

Dude I want to say wholeheartedly, thank you. I’m still watching the video, and I’m gonna rewatch again along with your other vids. I’m gonna make my plan and hopefully show you how much you’ve helped one day.

As a youth Olympic gymnast, I agree. Also combining calisthenics trainings with minimalist trainings (which is what we high level gymnasts do) is also a great option, taking the best of all worlds and being functional as well as aesthetic.

I’m literally sitting here crying. My dream has always been to be lean like you. I don’t want to muscular or anything like that. I’ve been chubby since i was 10 years old. I have no education on fitness or diet. When at the gym i’m lost. I’ve lost weight in the past but only because i starved myself. I’m tired of feeling like i’ll never reach a lean body. 😢

I'm 52 and am trying to lose 11% body fat butttt, yesterday I did a pull up! I lifted my own weight. Yay!!! This was interesting. Thank you!

It’s rare that I hear someone talk about injuries. Last year I tore my rotator cuff and serratus anterior. I’ve been doing physical therapy for the last year and have lost all of my gains. Slowly starting to get back on track .Thank you for the video!

You've inspired me honestly to minimal train. I was hard on myself for not hitting the gym everyday. My mental health and just esteem towards the gym has changed so much minimally training. I can also focus on seperate things now too

I worked out in the gym for over 5 years and I bulked up and gained muscle, but recently when I shifted to some other city and decided to do my own transportation of my home equipment s and stuff. I realised that I could carry heavy loads, but soon my body couldn't handle the different loads and pressure and techniques. My body had limited range of motion and it was painful and tiresome after all the work was done. I could feel myself, heaving, panting and my back just gave out. I realised that you can lift hundreds of pounds in the gym, but it should be functional for daily use too

I've been working out for two months, and I wish I found out about this earlier. I'm glad I found out there are far more efficient and less tiring ways to build body and strenght altogether. Thank you so much for this!

I always appreciate your insight. I especially appreciate the considerations to aesthetics. Bodies, like art, are subjective. Styles and trends change, but health and balance are the constants one should always strive for. Learning to walk a holistic path of a healthy lifestyle is itself a reward. I do this for me, not for anyone else. My path is my own and I love every step. Thank you for introducing me to a more holistic approach.

Another great video man. In the past I never was able to be consistent with working out and ended up burning out with work and the gym. Really been able to enjoy my workouts so far after following your way of training. Thanks man

Thank you, man. I think this is the most helpful and beautifully explained video on this topic I’ve seen since joining the gym community. I’m a total newbie and have only been to the gym six times, and I’ve been having a hard time finding a routine. I appreciate the content you’re putting out, and plan to stick to it. Keep it up. 👍

im grateful for the way you explained it and the way you put it that most other fitness youtubers wouldnt. This video is very helpful

Thank you so much dude, this video really helped me understand training more. For my first year I did bodybuilding training (although I didn't know that's what it was) because I just cared about looks, but I didn't like going to the gym so much and most of the lifts really bored me. I've now started a 3 day a week full body routine of just bodyweight and functional exercises and am loving the change!

The minimalist approach is what I've been doing for a few months didn't even know it had a name haha. Mixing Strength AND HYPERTROPHY, so important. I've had so much progress on basic compound lift because of that it's crazy. Even though I'm going 6 times a week to the gym, as you said I'm not like those people living for the gym, other hobbies that are as much or even more important than the the gym. Discovered your channel about two days ago and it's a just fresh air, so satisfying to watch your videos, much love from France!

Every day I am rewatching your videos. They keep me going through my own journey. Nothing more to say other than THANK YOU BROTHER.

This is great advice. I was a varsity athlete, and we did all compound lifts for hypertrophy or what this video calls 'minimalist training.' I do about 60min sessions, always staying low on weight. about 8 reps etc. It is the best. Low injury risk, time efficient and athletic

Keep up the good work! Thank you for your videos!

I like the realistic and healthy approach you take with your vids… I remember when I started working out it was all about absolutely annihilating your muscles with things like 10x10 ‘German volume training’ or bros saying you had to be a power lifter to look good… I built a decent base but could have done things way more effectively

Excellent content with smooth delivery. Thank you, Wanhee!

Dude I have been doing your strength Mas workout routines for the past month and a half and I have had enormous body difference, so thank you

Love your advice bro , its been really helpful

The one thing I'd like to add is that the minimalist training method is more sustainable for the long run than power lifting or body building. I'm 62 years old, have been injury free for years and have good mobility. I strength train twice a week and then on my "off" days I work on stability, mobility, swim, and take classes in myofascial release (which for me has been the key in keeping injuries at bay). As I've aged, I've been less able to handle lifting heavy weights and I have to be more mindful of doing exercises that are easier on my joints. I also need to rest more in order to avoid injury. After spending the summer out of the gym (surfing, kayaking, paddleboarding, bicycling, walking, hiking) I'm ready to head back to my minimalist (and more indoor) training regimen. This system works for me and I'm consicously working toward being mobile and active for as long as I can (my mother skiied well into her 80s). Enjoy your videos and your channel. Thanks for posting.

Got this recommended just in time. I'm starting a journey to look my best. 🥇🏆

This is the information I was searching for so unsuccessfully. A minimalist body is what I want!

I love your content bro, would love to see more daily vlogs of protein intake and training.

Thanks for making this video. This vid have cleared all my doubts.

Great video as always. I’m starting a style of minimalist training called GZCLP (made by a certified lifter and is tried a true). It does exactly what you say, mix the best parts of power lifting and body building into a 3 days a week routine. My end goal is to have a more calisthenics body but with being obese it wouldn’t be efficient for me to do it yet.

Very high quality info here, thanks!

This channel has helped me understand how important low body fat is for showing the muscles, but there's still something that surprises me: I've been diligently working out for about 15 years; I don't go to the gym, but I have a simple routine at home with just a few variations; well, the volume of my muscles hasn't changed drastically during the years, even though I am very disciplined. There are many guys that I meet in everyday life who have more volume in the pecs, the shoulders, the arms... My routine is made of the following exercises: decline push-ups, squats, pull-ups, lateral raises and shoulder press alternating in a circuit that is repeated 6 times x3/week. I don't lift heavy weights but, by slowing down the movements, the time under tension does the trick and I always reach failure at about the 5th repetition. The only thing I have never truly applied is progressive overload, but I have a reason: my body always seems to reach failure at the same repetition; in other words, it never gets accustomed to a specific load to the point of giving me the incentive to increase it. Maybe it's because I calibrate time under tension so that failure always happens at low reps... who knows. I don't want to become very big, guys, but I want people to notice that I train, at least. Thanks to this channel I learned that low body fat is important to show the muscles: I had an improvement in this regard, but probably I should lose even more fat (I don't have a six pack, but my belly is flat). Or maybe my problem is that my sleep is never enough (I work as a doctor and I often have terrible shifts). I eat everything with appetite, I drink a protein shake after every workout and I do intermittent fasting. Even with such discipline, my brother yesterday told me: "You have a good physique, but you don't seem to have the shape of the typical guy who gets pumped at the gym". Hearing this after 15 years of training is frustrating. A couple of girls told me I have good pecs, but my impression is that my physique seems quite fit under certain lights and mediocre under others. What should I do?

I appreciate your advice. I’ll try to my best to takes these tips into consideration while training, I really appreciate it. I’ll keep updates from here on out. Right now I’m 165 my goal is 155 and lean at 5’10.

Although I don't agree with everything you've said, I really like the way present your independent thoughts. You discuss what you've learned from experience, and your logic behind it, and give room for others opinions. You encourage people to walk their own path, and not follow social expectations. Be careful you don't lose that as your channel grows!

the best most motivational and informative fitness channel out there. thank you for everything you do bro, super inspiring

Great video! I find a minimalist approach with calisthenics as the base and a few weighted exercises sprinkled in works fantastic.

You're so right about knees over toes guy kind of approach!

Love your content dude

incredible video, makes so much sense

You look so cool man. I like the way you're talking and your vibe. A true rolemodel.

This is really informative and interesting! One of the biggest things that have helped me build muscle aside from spending time in the gym has been a custom meal plan from Next Level Diet. I use it every week and I love it!

This is why I really like the RU-vid channel The Bioneer. He focuses on "Superfunctional Training" which has a lot of the elements of the minimalist training you described. His workouts are calisthenics focused, but he tweaks them by adding some weight lifting or adding weights to bodyweight movements or use of other exercise equipment like sandbags. His rep ranges are a little higher, but that's because he has "gauntlet" dropsets where you start at the hardest version of an exercise you can do, and then once you reach technical failure, drop down to the next easiest. So for a made up example (not pulled from a routine of his) you start with 8 one arm pushups (with your weaker arm first) and then switch to diamond pushups when you can't do anymore. If you run out of gas on the diamond pushups before you hit 50 reps, you switch down to normal pushups. If this is the second set and your muscles are shaking and just can't do those last ten pushups, you switch to pushups on knees and bang them out. Boy do my muscles get fatigued, and because it's recruiting so many muscle fibers, the hypertrophy is really good for the high rep range. You're basically building strength and stamina at the same time. You might not be the absolute strongest you can be, but your ability to exert what strength you do have will be much greater. What use is being able to chop a huge log in one extremely impressive swing if you can only do it once and there's a whole stack of wood behind you?

You have the best video thumbnails on RU-vid. Your videos are also great. Thanks very much.

Great video thanks for the upload

Body weight exercises can be injury prone if you weigh heavy and push too hard towards the beginning of your health journey. We can't assume everyone is skinny or skinny fat at the beginning of their journey. They might be very overweight. I loved your video bro. Thank you!

This is very helpful. Thank you very much.

Great vid bro! 🍻

So true! I’d say my plan is pretty minimalist. 4 (sometimes 5) days a week. It’s a mix of strength training, body weight and burpee training. I love it! My workouts are never longer than 30 minutes and I’m in the best shape of my life. It’s easy. And I can stick with it. Also I prep almost everything. Here’s a great trick. When I cook a meal I don’t just cook one. I cook at least 2 to 3 at the same time and I date and freeze what I don’t plan on eating in the next few days. Then I only have to cook a few times a week. It makes eating healthy easy and convenient. I do love this style. Especially at 40 with two kids.

Great stuff. I think the set of minimalist compound moves you choose is different for everyone though. whichever gives you a full body buzz reallt 🎉

Rad.. Simple & clear explanation. Well done!

i enjoyed a minimalist HIIT work out that helped me build muscle along with diet 9 rep max rotating zone focused total body workouts more then once a day every day

I like your point about doing stuff outside of the gym. I used to go to the gym when I was like 18. I went 5 times cuz I thought more is better. Now at 28, I only go 2 times, maybe 3 at max. I see it more as something that's going on in the background, to get to a baseline of strength, health and looks. But with training 2 times a week, I can do other sports aswell for 1 or 2 days in addition to that. Also, for beginner lifters or just in general, 2 times should be enough to build a decent physique, even if it might take a little longer. Cheers.

I’m training for almost 5 years and also came to the conclusion, that I prefer a leaner physic rather than being very big. The main reason for that is me being functional, athletic and for the most important part healthy. You’re knowledge really helps me getting there and I really learned some new things over you’re past videos. With that being said, I just wanted to thank you for the effort you put in you’re videos and keep going! Greetings from Germany brother 🙌🏽

good job dude!

i could listen to his voice all day.

I spend 25 minutes in the gym 4 days a week ideally doing full body push and pull exercises each time with compound lifts. I stick to the 5x5 strong lifts way. Also I practice daily intermittent fasting and tweak my weight with prolonged fasts up to 72 hours. I eat a carnivore diet and so that's a couple pounds of beef a day. That makes things very low investment for big results at least for me. I'm 6'4" and lean and muscular so I do this way to stay looking athletic. One other thing that I do is work my traps and my neck to get that more athletic look. This gets me and keeps me vascular, muscular , strong, flexible and lean with good proportions. I don't look like a body builder. I look more like a soccer player and that's my goal. Aesthetics.

This video makes a lot of sense i want to try the minimalist way , could you possibly make a video explaining how the split would look like in a week of this training style ??? Please i would really appreciate it 🙏

You're growth is insane my man 💪. I remember coming across one of your first videos on this channel and I knew you'd make it on yt but this quick!!! 100k in like 2 months! Never. Keep it up (p.s I'm subbed on another account)

I´m already on the process of getting lean last year I gained a lot of weight and felt sloppy and slow, thanks for the advice, I hope I can get a lean body

Thank you! 🙂

Truly insightful. Neatly broken down with the pros and cons involved in each training style. Looking forward to the future videos. They come as an absolute breather! Also it would be nice to see you workout in one of your videos.

I work out on a regular basis and I like how my body looks. I do basic exercises push ups, leg raises, cardio, situps squats .. only body weight

Kinobody in a nutshell , Greg’s way is what helped me get the body of my dreams, great video

So much wisdom here. Once I realized how important consistency is I moved away from focusing on outcomes and tried to work on the process. Of course desired outcomes influence the process but so do things like the environment you want to work in, the tools you want to work with, time, and how certain exercises make you feel. Aesthetics is fine, everybody wants to look good, but it's also elusive. You might think yourre doing something that is going to make you look good when the one you care about the most could care a less or prefers some other look. I know in women what really gets me hard is homely but healthy and moral. Hard to find though I'm definitely not the only one looking for that. Anyway, im trying to make my work something I look forward to doing and not becoming some slave to an elusive outcome.

Awesome video. Very informative. Gyms should teach this.

100% about the aspect of not over obsessing with working out and chasing a pump. I see so many people that i know go to the gym and that's all they think about. They think because it's healthy for them it must be good, but then they realise they still have $14 in their bank account. I think this way of working out truely is the best to focus on financial gains as well as muscular gains.

Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what kept you going.

Great video, well explained, Ive boiled down my workout routine to four exercises, twice a week: Barbell Squats, Push Ups, Chin Ups and Farmers Walk I think this is well-rounded and because its so simple theres really no excuse to skip it 👍🏻

Awesome video keep going

good video. I knew powerlifting was never for me for myslef i've kinda already narrowed in on calisthenics and bodybuilding but minimalist training sounds kinda interesting. I've realy only just started but i've already had some nice results and over smashing chest triceps all the time im gonna add in more so i can cycle my routine a bit.

Pilates, ballet, and freestyle swimming produce awesome physiques IMO .. elegant, refined, and powerful. Also, the importance of zinc, protein and B vitamins from real food. Red meat from pastured animals (not industrial agriculture crap) plus a source of soluble protein to feed your microbiome will cover the basics. Sunshine. These things give men a confident vibe that comes from good health and access to resources. It's funny because I recall my grandmother saying something similar 60 years ago and now, after many decades of living, I really see that it is true.

Love the content and quality, would be epic to see more of life in Korea too. It's an amazing place and culture ❤️🌆 Lived there 1.5 year. 수고하세요!

Lately I've been rethinking weight training and actually doing calisthenics with a pull up bar, and gymnastics rings. Theres a good weighted vest that mounts weight plates on your chest very center of mass which looks like it would be really easy to work with to add weight to my calisthenics routine. I've been enjoying this form of training more as it's just more fun. Also I nearly died doing a freebar squat with an olumpic bar after using a smith machine for so long, so Im less crazy about doing those now. Im a martial artist and I don't feel like injuring myself.

Thank you so much

you can focus on strength when doing calisthenics search up the planche and maltese. you can also do calisthenics movements weighted to train for strength. WEIGHTED PULL UPS and DIPS are one of the greatest weighted calisthenics exercises!

Great video! My question is more performance focused as an athlete then aesthetic focused, but it seems you really know what you are talking about. How would you structure a week of training to perform at a high level and maintain an aesthetic body? I find an aesthetic body does not always come with an athletic focus training. Would one want to combine the latter two forms of training? Training to have both fast and slow twitch muscle fibers? Allowing one to exert minimally for a longer period, and still be able to get a burst of strength when needed? Training with higher reps in order that the slow twitch fibers become more efficient and effective at absorbing oxygen and pair that with higher "strength" days to allow for the generation of fast twitch fibers for strength? Getting the best of both worlds? Would you do them on the same days or separate them like some people would separate muscle groups?

hell yeah! I've been doin your lower pack pain stretches and it seems like it's doing the trick!

I’ve never understood why body weight calisthenics are called beginner friendly when they are by definition way more difficult for those that are out of shape. It’s so much easier to grab a set of weights and build strength first before trying to lift your entire body and getting scared by how hard it is.

Great methods

thank you so much

Workout to grow healthier and stronger and the aesthetics will form themselves

I cant thank you enough for these videos man. Literlly tomorrow I finish the 2nd month of working out with your routine, so Im moving on to the second "part" or routine next week. Feeling great lately

Omg thank you for the free 400$ workout 😁😁i appreciate it sooo much

good video!

Thank you YT algorithm...another neat channel to subscribe to.

I so much prefer the minimalist way! Small seemingly insignificant steps, completed consistently over time will create radical difference! That’s the compound effect. When you do BJJ and other sports, do you do them same day as gym or on rest days? Cheers

Have you been watching Physical: 100 as well? If not, it's an amazing show! Really shows how fitness can take many forms and how important functional fitness is.

I would have to go with a combination of calisthenics and MMA training for my ideal body type. I like the idea of not having to go to a gym and training with minimal equipment, and solo if possible. A heavy bag, a pull-up bar, yoga blocks, some focus mitts, kettlebells and surgical tubing are really all the equipment I'd need or want. Maybe some light (2 - 5 lb) dumbbells for shadowboxing too.

I recommend checking out the Bioneers video on bodybuilding, he argues that not only is it aesthetically pleasing it can be functional as well. Great video!!!

cool video!

Sounds a little bit like me with exception that I didn't ego lift but had issues with lower/upper cross syndrome and fucked up posture so every lift I did was not good enough. I worked up extremally hard but it's not about working hardest, but smartest. Got some results but I am pretty sure I will achieve greatness once I deal with my issues and relearn everything from basics movements.

I’ve had great success with 5x5 so simple.

I think I've always instinctively went for minimalist only because I've never really push training specifically but still managed to keep at it anyways. But I'm getting older like anyone else and eventually, the battery doesn't recharge just as easily as time goes by and isn't overflowing as it use to, AND that damn COVID period was harder on me, or let's say I've let it be harder on me ;) I think it is a worthy approach for its balance with the rest of life and being able to not plan your life according to your training but rather adapt your training according to the rest of your life ;)

Hi Wanhee, I love your Videos. Thank you so much. You are changing peoples lifes, dont forget that!! :)

I wanted to know if you’d recommend dumbbell only minimalist routines?

Conjugate is the best approach if you want a balance of everything. You can train all the aspects in the same week in just 4 or even 3to2 days. It is literally the best approach for athletes,general pop, lifters, Everyone

Hey brah, big heavy compound movements work great and all, but at some point you need to isolate your muscles. Eg, bicep curls will shoot your pull ups through the roof.

Thank you for this video. I just turned 60 and have been training mainly bodyweight and kettlebells for the past couple of years, but I am not getting the results I want. I am very fit, but still have extra in the core area that I want to burn off. Your comment in this video about you trying too many types of workouts is what I think my problem is. I don't do the same workout twice in the same week, I am always trying something I watched or read that week, but it obviously is not working. Hello again, Wanhee, I am back after downloading two of your programs using links in the description, the Minimalist and Bodyweight routines. I have a couple of questions, please: 1. I do not go to a gym, I either workout at home or my wife and I do outdoor workouts (hill workouts and stair climbing), so I don't have the heavier weights available for some of the exercises in the Minimalist workout. Any recommendations? 2. Second question is related to part of the first, specifically the stair climbing. We do stair climb workouts every weekend, usually Saturday mornings. How do you think the Minimalist workout should work if I am doing a leg workout on a Friday, and we have stairs the next morning? Thank you again, Marc

It started watching one vid of you... And here I am watching more 😂

Kind of an odd question but do you trim/shave/wax your chest hair? Because I noticed in some of the before and after pics that you used to have chest hair. How do you manage it and could you give and tips? I would love to see a video about it! Male hair maintenance advice for better muscular athethic is so hard to find.

I was confused about one particular thing: should I do minimalistic calisthenics or minimalistic workouts for the fastest and most effective progress? Thank you for the video it really helped a lot.

Love your channel and I been stuck in the same trap for years. Always changing and ending up in no mans land. Also love the use of Steve Reeves that I consider the perfect physical form. Right now just aiming to reduce the bodyfat and trying to emulate a "troy" look, and try to add some mass from there.