Have you ever thought about what the perfect body looks like?  If you ask 10 people, you will probably get 10 different opinions.  That’s because the definition of a perfect body is very individual.  One thing you will find in common however, is the idea that a fit looking person looks better than someone who is obviously out of shape.

If we take it a little further, we will also find that most people prefer the lean, athletic look to the bulky, bodybuilder look.  Really, who would you rather look like, Taylor Lautner, or the Incredible Hulk?  The most desirable body shape always seems to be the lean look.  Some call it the “hollywood look”. This body shape emphasizes tone and definition over muscle mass and bulk.  To achieve this look, you cannot rely on the same type of fitness program that most bodybuilders use.  You have to target your excersizes, and focus on reducing body fat.

Have you ever wondered how a movie star can go from a role as an out of shape bum, to a rock hard, toned beach-body?  Well, their bodies are the same as everyone else’s, they have to work at it.  The difference with them, is that they have trainers that focus the stars limited time on what really works to achieve the look they want.  This is done by targeting workouts to emphasize certain areas of the body, and literally shaping the body.

The second, and very important part of this process is diet.  Now by that, I don’t mean weight watchers.  We are talking about eating the right foods to compliment workouts to allow for maximum energy, with minimal fat gain.  If you don’t know by now, the body is like a bank – if you make more deposits (calories) than withdrawls (excersize), then you will get fat.  These types of workout programs follow that simple rule – make more withdrawls than deposits.  Doesen’t work well with your bank account, but it can do wonders for your body.  If done properly, its also healthy, and can help prevent a multitude of diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.

As you can imagine, a proper diet alone will not allow you to achieve the lean, athletic look, but I believe it is the single most important element.  This is mostly due to the overwhelming health benefits of a proper diet.  To achieve the look you desire, you have to not only eat properly, but you have to get those muscles to the point where they become visible.  A good example is your abs.

Have you ever noticed that if you stretch the skin on your belly that you can see your abs!  Yes, we all have them, but for most of us they are not visible.  They are hidden under a layer of body fat.  Depending on your genetic makeup, this is one of the places that humans normally store excess body fat (remember the bank account!).  If you target this muscle group (abs) in a good workout program, you will develop muscle definition and tone.

This combined with a proper diet allowing you the energy levels to have a good workout, and maintain low body fat, the elusive 6-pack abs will become visible!  This goes for any muscle group on the body, and as your overall body fat percentage declines, while your muscle tone develops, the perfect body shape will begin to form.