The Perfect Physique is a film that covers the lifestyle of a handful of Fitness Models and Physique Competitors.
I watched it this week (April ’17) on Netflix. While it’s not strong on content I did try to make notes on what I personally found useful.
The format is a “round-table” of around ten guys with great bodies. They discuss the different areas of their routine to find commonalities.
I love a bullet point, so here’s everything I picked up that could be valuable to you (Warning: spoilers):
The Perfect Physique – Training
- It was generally agreed that if you felt a muscle group was “lagging”, i.e. your shoulders look small compared to the rest of your body, then exercises to work those should be done first in the gym.
- There was a mixed response on the subject of Fasted Cardio (cardio first thing in the morning before eating food). Some found it effective, others said they felt it blunted muscle growth.
- One routine mentioned was 1 minute of running and 1 minute of walking, repeated for 25-40 minutes total.
- While Fasted Cardio wasn’t agreed upon, the consensus was that cardio for fat loss is best done on an empty stomach, or after a weights session (since glycogen is depleted).
- “You don’t get stronger in the gym, you get weaker. What you’re doing is building a demand for your body to get stronger in your time away from the gym“.
- They believe the quickest way someone can lose fat is to put on muscle. This is due to the daily energy demands of maintaining it.
- They agreed that structurally they differ, defining themselves in the categories Ectomorph, Mesomorph and Endomorph (see below).
The Perfect Physique – Diet & Health
- If scheduling a Cheat Meal they always put it on a hard training day.
- They were surprised how everyone associates great physiques with perfect health. Most admitted that some of the practices required to get a body like that can be rigorous and often damaging.
- They felt most people who fail to obtain a desired physique do so because they have trouble sticking to a diet, not to a weight routine.
- One of the guys said at 175lbs he eats 50g fat on a gym day and 90g on a rest day. He relied on almonds, salmon and peanut butter among other foods.
- They warned people off getting into Bodybuilding/Physique Competition for money. Most guys they knew in the industry were running in debt due to the cost of food and lifestyle.
- When asked about Supplements, individually the list included: CLA, Carnitine, Creatine, Fast Acting Carb/Pre Workout, Whey Protein, Fat Burner, Multi-Vitamin, BCAA’s, Glutamine, ZMA, Fish Oil and Casein Powder.
In conclusion, I did enjoy watching it. However, it could easily be condensed into a 20 minute clip without losing any value. 5.5/10
