When you think of someone successful, you tend to think of someone who is doing well in their career and their relationship and probably someone who is financially very stable. But as well as thinking of their success in those terms, you probably also have a picture of what this person looks like. You probably think of a successful person as having a specific look – physically fit, strong and attractive.

And I’m not talking about a bodybuilder’s physique or an athlete’s. I’m talking about a particular body that the most successful people seem to have and that Hollywood actors, particularly, seem to sport. This is the Hollywood physique – one of the best hallmarks of success – how do you achieve it?

The V Shape

The Hollywood physique’s most crucial aspect is achieving a ‘V shape.’ That means broad shoulders and a narrow waist – necessary signals that communicate strength and physical healthiness. This ratio is one of the things that women notice first in a guy when assessing whether he is an excellent genetic match!

You need to work your arms and shoulders to get broader shoulders. To do that, you should use weighted pull-ups (one of the best exercises for widening the upper back) and shoulder presses.

Likewise, to get a narrower waist, you should focus on doing cardio to burn fat and lose weight. The objective is to get down to 10-12% body fat which should reveal your abs (primarily if you also perform crunches and sit-ups).

The best form of cardio for accomplishing this is HIIT (high-intensity interval training) which means alternating between high-speed exercise (going at 100% speed on a treadmill, for instance) and active recovery such as light jogging).

Don’t forget to train the transverse abdominis. This band of muscle wraps around the core and the lower back and is often described as ‘nature’s weight belt.’ This muscle will keep your body upright and hold your gut in and give you a flatter stomach. Train this with ab vacuums or plank.

Finally, train your chest to finish the look and give yourself an armored front. Do this with an incline bench press that will prepare the pecs’ tops rather than the lower portion.

Of course, you need to train everything but focus on these tips, and you’ll develop the Hollywood physique!