If you’ve ever gazed at the marble perfection of ancient Greek deities and thought, “I want that kind of body,” you’re in good company. The top 8 exercises below are a blend of gym‑friendly machines and at‑home moves, all curated by fitness researcher Wayne Westcott, PhD. Whether you’re working out in a commercial facility or in your living room, these routines will set you on the path to a sculpted, mythic silhouette.
Top 8 Exercises Overview
8 Neck (19 inches; 48.26)
At the gym: Hop onto a Nautilus four‑way neck machine, a piece of equipment designed to let you safely wrestle with your own head‑movement. It lets you raise and lower your cranium as well as swing it side‑to‑side. Begin with 70 lb for the head‑raising actions and 50 lb for the lateral moves. Perform a single set of eight to twelve reps in each direction, keeping the motion controlled.
At home: Grab a 100‑125 lb barbell using an overhand grip, let it hang just above your thighs, and stand tall. Without bending your elbows, shrug those shoulders up toward your ears in a smooth, rhythmic fashion. Complete two sets of eight to twelve repetitions, feeling the contraction in the upper neck and traps.
7 Biceps (16.5 inches; 41.9)
Gym or home: Set up an incline bench and sit back so your arms can hang fully stretched, palms facing forward. With a dumbbell in each hand, curl alternately, rotating each palm inward as the weight rises. Adopt a tempo of two seconds up, a brief pause, then four seconds down. Aim for three sets of eight to twelve reps, resting about 45 seconds between sets.
6 Chest (52 inches; 132cm)
Gym or home: Load either a pair of dumbbells or a barbell for the classic bench press. Begin with a warm‑up set using roughly two‑thirds of your working weight, then add the remaining load. Perform three solid sets of eight to twelve repetitions, focusing on a controlled press and full range of motion.
5 Forearms (14.5 inches; 36.8cm)
Gym or home: Create a wrist‑roll device by fastening one end of a 30‑inch rope to an 18‑inch shortened broomstick, and anchoring the other end to a 5‑10 lb weight. Grip the stick horizontally with an overhand hold and roll it, raising and lowering the weight. Continue the motion until you can no longer maintain a steady rhythm.
4 Buttocks (47.5 inches; 120.6cm)
At the gym: The Nautilus hip‑extension machine targets the gluteal muscles and hamstrings. Load a moderate weight and execute a single set of ten to fifteen repetitions, concentrating on squeezing the glutes at the top of each extension.
At home: Perform a full squat while holding dumbbells or a barbell across your shoulders. Keep your feet flat, descend until your thighs are nearly parallel to the floor, and ensure your weight stays on the heels with knees tracking the toes. After a warm‑up set at two‑thirds of your usual squat load, add the remaining weight and complete three sets of ten to fifteen reps. If you have knee, hip, or lower‑back concerns, opt for a half‑squat, lowering only until your thighs form roughly a 30‑degree angle with the floor.
3 Calves (19 inches; 48.26cm)
Gym or home: Stand on the balls of your feet at the edge of a sturdy step, holding dumbbells at your sides or a barbell across your shoulders. Rise onto your toes, then lower so the heels dip slightly below the step’s edge. Perform two sets of fifteen to twenty repetitions, feeling a stretch at the bottom and a strong contraction at the top.
2 Waist (40.5 inches; 102.8cm)
This region is dominated by robust obliques, the muscles flanking the torso. In classical Greece, athletes sported thick waists to generate the rotational power needed for the discus, long jump, and wrestling. Doryphoros’s waist appears modest only because his chest proportionally dominates the silhouette.
Gym or home: Try the twisting trunk curl. Lie on your back with your lower legs resting on a chair seat. Curl your upper torso upward; at the peak, rotate to the right, guiding your left elbow toward your right knee. Return to center, lower, then repeat the motion to the left. One full twist counts as a single rep. Perform two to four sets of twenty to twenty‑five repetitions.
1 Thighs (26.5 inches; 67.3cm)
At the gym: Load a leg‑press machine with a weight you can move about a dozen times. After completing twelve reps, quickly reduce the load by twenty percent and push through six to eight additional repetitions. For an extra challenge, drop the weight another twenty percent and repeat the six to eight reps.
At home: Execute a lunge while holding dumbbells or a barbell on your shoulders. Step forward with the right leg, bending the knee to ninety degrees while the left knee descends toward the floor. Push back to the starting stance, then mirror the movement with the left leg. One complete alternating sequence counts as one rep; aim for a single set of six to eight reps. If you experience knee, hip, or back discomfort, substitute the half‑squat described under “Buttocks.”
Note:
Doryphoros stands at six feet five and a half inches tall. To translate his proportions to your own stature, follow these simple rules:
1. Your waist should be roughly twelve inches smaller than your chest.
2. Neck, biceps, and calf measurements should each be about half your waist size.
3. Your thighs should measure approximately one‑and‑a‑half times the size of your calves.
This compilation originally appeared in the pages of Men’s Health magazine.