T H E

GRECIAN
IDEAL K E V I N M A R Q U E Z
“No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter
of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow
old without seeing the beauty and strength of which
his body is capable.”

― Socrates

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. Icons of Bodybuilding
1. Eugen Sandow 1
2. Frank Zane 3
3. Arnold Schwarzenegger 4
4. The Golden Ratio 6
a. The Grecian Ideal 9

B. Art of Muscle Building

1. Training Variables 11
a. Principles in Sports Exercise 12
b. Optimum Performance Training Model 15
c. Training styles
i. traditional straight sets 17
ii. pyramid training 18
iii. reverse pyramid training 19
2. Training 101 20
3. Macros 101 24
4. Final Words 27
5. Workout Program 28
 ICONS OF
BODYBUILDING
 ICONS OF
BODYBUILDING

Eugen Sandow (1867 – 1925)

There is no better way to start

off this chapter than with
Friedrich Wilhelm Müller or
famously known as Eugen
Sandow. He is a German
bodybuilder and a showman
and is regarded as the father
of modern bodybuilding.
Sandow not only became
famous for his Greek god-like
physique but also for having
superhuman strength.

As a showman, Sandow would break cables, strength

testing machines, lift people, and perform strongman
movements.
Eugen Sandow became the epitome of natural
bodybuilding. He showcases a physique that could be
achieved naturally, a Greek god-like physique, a perfect
sculpture of a classical art—without enhancements (as he
lived through a time prior to the discovery of anabolic
steroids).

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 ICONS OF
BODYBUILDING

Sandow posing as Glykon’s statue of Hercules, which depicted the

apogee of physical perfection among the ancient Greeks

What made his body ideal? Sandow was well known for
his likeness to classical Greek and Roman sculptures, which
were praised for their depictions of the ideal male body—a
small waist that rises upward into a broad, muscular chest
and shoulders, supported by a pair of strong legs.

Fun fact! Eugen Sandow actually measured Greek statues

in museums and found that they had certain proportions,
hence, he aspired to meet such proportions and symmetries
for his own body. Although he was unaware of it, his
approach was based on the Golden Ratio, and it eventually
served as a guide for bodybuilders like Steve Reeves, Frank
Zane, Serge Nubret, Bob Paris, and Arnold Schwarzenegger
who were noted for their proportions.

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 ICONS OF
BODYBUILDING
Frank Zane (1942-)

Frank Zane, who possessed extremely excellent proportions

and symmetry, may have been the perfect representative of
this bodybuilding philosophy of the Golden Ratio. Zane
basically took Eugen Sandow’s approach and brought it to a
whole new level—squeezing out every potential each body
part had to create the ultimate Greek God-like physique.

Unlike today’s modern mass monsters, Zane merely

weighed 200 pounds. Instead of using muscle mass as his
primary weapon to win competitions, Zane prioritized
aesthetics over anything else. He was focused on sculpting
the perfect “classic” physique rather than just being big. This
is why Frank Zane is known to have one of the greatest and
most sought after physique in today’s time.

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 ICONS OF
BODYBUILDING

Arnold Schwarzenegger (1947-)

Arguably the most known bodybuilder in the entire world of

bodybuilding and fitness itself, the one and only, Arnold
Schwarzenegger. He is also one of the big names to live
through the Golden Era of bodybuilding—wherein the
primary focus was to create the best Greek god-physique;
prioritizing proportions and symmetry of the muscles relative
to one another to achieve an aesthetically pleasing
physique.

Arnold’s iconic wide and big chest and huge bicep peak is
one of the best we’ve seen in bodybuilding and is yet to be
surpassed by bodybuilders of today. Arnold was not merely
known for his great physique, Arnold had the personality
and the attitude needed to succeed not only in bodybuilding,
but in life. This is why Arnold, to this date, still remains as
one of the most influential and inspirational icons in
bodybuilding.

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 ICONS OF
BODYBUILDING

2023 reigning Mr. Olympia, Chris Bumstead doing his

impressions of Arnold's iconic front double bicep pose and
back double bicep pose.

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 THE
GOLDEN RATIO
 THE
GOLDEN RATIO
Around 1487, Italian Renaissance
artist and scientist Leonardo da
Vinci created what is known as “the
Vitruvian Man”, inspired by the
Roman, architect, author, and
engineer Marcus Vitruvius. Vitruvius’
publication, De Architectura became
the source of all Roman building
methods. The book also included
ideal human proportions which
served as the inspiration for da
Vinci.

The Virtruvian Man would

then become the standard
of human proportions and
symmetry. Later, scientists
would learn that it was an
expression of the Divine
Proportion, also known as
the Golden Ratio, which is
a mathematical connection
that is famed for its
harmony and beauty.

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 THE
GOLDEN RATIO

The Golden Ratio was initially explained by Euclid in his

masterpiece, Elements, which was published in 300 BC.
The idea is straightforward: two quantities are in the
Golden Ratio if the ratio of the larger of the two is equal
to the ratio of the smaller of the two.The Golden Ratio is
intriguing because it seems to be a natural law; it isn't
just an abstract thought experiment. The placement of
branches along plant stems and in leaf veins, the
skeletons of animals and the placement of their veins
and nerves, the composition of chemical compounds,
and the geometry of crystals are just a few examples of
where scientists have discovered it in nature. The ratio is
still present even at the subatomic level, according to
recent research. However, the human body is the best
example of the Golden Ratio.

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 THE
GOLDEN RATIO

Bodybuilding is not just a sport,

it’s art, where the athlete
themself is the sculptor. The
Golden Ratio is the perfect
system to use in order to achieve
the Grecian Ideal. However,
each individual’s body is different
—each athlete’s genetic make-
up and genetic potential is
unique to one another. That is
why you have to sculpt your
body with respect to the size of
the other parts of your body.

To create an attractive totality, the process begins

with creating reference points—body components
that will dictate how large other body parts should be.

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 THE
GRECIAN IDEAL
1. Flexed arms should be 150% larger than non-
dominant wrist circumference (wrist circumference
x 2.5).
2. Your arms and calves, while flexed, should match
3. Your waist should be 1.618 times greater than your
shoulder circumference (waist circumference x
1.618).
4. You should have a waist that is 1.618 times larger
than your shoulder size (waist circumference x
1.618).
5. Your upper leg should have a circumference that is
75% greater than your knee (knee circumference x
1.75).

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 THE ART of
MUSCLE BUILDING
 THE ART of
MUSCLE BUILDING

The art of physical training has existed since Ancient

Greece. The beauty with physical training is its
continuous development up until to this date.
Meaning, fitness has come a very long way. Science
has allowed us to delve deeper into what happens to
our body as we exercise and to identify ways to
optimize our health and our training.

In order to understand the Art behind Muscle building,

it is important to understand the variables that serve
as the primary factors in order to build muscle—the
fundamental components of training. Here is the
summary of said components.

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 THE ART of
MUSCLE BUILDING

These are the variables taken into account into creating the
optimal training program. However, in order to truly squeeze
the muscle of its true potential, we have to apply scientific
principles. Gone are the days that we just say “train hard”, in
modern times where science and technology continuously
evolves, we must now “train smart”. This does not mean that
we should train hard, of course we should still put in the
necessary effort! However, we should not train ourselves in
such a way that we exhaust our bodies, beat it up, for the sake
of saying we trained hard.

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 THE ART of
MUSCLE BUILDING

That being said, here are the scientific principles of sports exercise!

Principle of Individuality
Each person responds uniquely to training. As a result, training
programs must be designed to allow for individual variation.

Principle of Specificity
Training must specifically match the type of activity or sport a
person engages in. It must stress the physiological systems critical
for optimal performance in the given sport to achieve specific
training adaptations.

Principle of Reversibility
Training benefits are lost if training is either discontinued or
reduced abruptly. To avoid this, all training programs include a
maintenance program. We call this tapering. During this time
athletes reduce their training intensity and volume before a major
competition to give their bodies a break from the rigors of intense
training so that they can compete at their peak performance.

Principle of Variation
One or more aspects of the training program should be altered
over time to maximize the effectiveness of training. These aspects
can be altered through periodization. It is a systematic process of
changing one or more variables (mode, volume, or intensity) in a
training program over time to allow for training stimulus to remain
challenging and effective.

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 THE ART of
MUSCLE BUILDING

Principle of Recovery
The time needed for the body to rebuild and improve tissue
weakness from the increased activity (overload). the principle of
recovery emphasizes the time needed for the body to rebuild
and improve tissue weakness from the increased activity or
overload. as part of your recovery, you need to perform a
lower-intensity session the next day as a form of active
recovery. aside from that, you also need to have proper
nutrition by eating food rich in carbohydrates and protein to
help repair muscle tears. the third part of recovery is sleep. it is
very important because your body only repairs itself when you
are sleeping.

Principle of Progressive Overload

Arguably the most important part of training as this would
indicate your progress. As the body adapts to training at a
given volume and intensity, the body's stress must be
increased progressively for training stimulus to remain effective
in producing further improvements.

Why is progressive overload important? Progressive

overload is very crucial simply because as said beforem your
body adapts to training. As you lift, your body gets stronger
and in order for it to continuously get stronger and bigger, you
have to lift heavier weights. In other words, as you get
stronger you need to increase your intensity.

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 THE ART of
MUSCLE BUILDING

A metaphor used to visualize the principle of progressive

overload: Milo of Croton

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 THE ART of
MUSCLE BUILDING
How do you achieve progressive overload? Progressive
overload isn’t just mindlessly putting more and more weights
on your lifts. It still requires a smart and systematic approach
—with proper programming and periodization. Here is a great
training model provided by the National Academy of Sports
Medicine. The Optimum Performance Training (OPT) Model

It is separated to 5 Phases which are separated into three

levels.
LEVEL 1:Stabilization
PHASE 1: Stabilization Endurance
a. Improve muscular endurance.
b. Enhance joint stability.
c. Increase flexibility.
d. Enhance control of posture.
e. Improve neuromuscular efficiency (balance,
stabilization, muscular coordination).
f. Training in unstable, yet controllable environments
(proprioceptively enriched).
g. Low loads, high repetitions.

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 THE ART of
MUSCLE BUILDING
LEVEL 2: Strength
PHASE 2: Strength Endurance
a. Improve stabilization endurance and increase prime
mover strength.
b. Improve overall work capacity.
c. Enhance joint stabilization.
d. Increase lean body mass.
e. Moderate loads and repetitions (8–12).
PHASE 3: Hypertrophy
a. Achieve optimal levels of muscular hypertrophy
(increase muscle size)
b. High volume, moderate to high loads, moderate or
low repetitions (6–12).
PHASE 4: Maximal Strength
a. Increase motor unit recruitment.
b. Increase frequency of motor unit recruitment.
c. Improve peak force.
d. High loads, low repetitions (1–5), longer rest periods.
LEVEL 3: Power
PHASE 5:Power
a. Enhance neuromuscular efficiency.
b. Enhance prime mover strength.
c. Increase rate of force production.
d. This level of training emphasizes the development of
speed and power.
e. The Power Level of training should only be entered
after successful completion of the Stabilization and
Strength Levels.

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 TRAINING
STYLES

There are a number of training styles out there, however,

these three are the most commonly used in sports
exercise. Straight sets, pyramid training, and reverse
pyramid training. These methods are pretty easy to
understand, here are visuals that could help into
understanding how these training styles work.
 TRAINING
STYLES

100 lbs x 12

100 lbs x 12

100 lbs x 12

STRAIGHT SETS TRAINING

In straight sets training, you train with the
same weight and same number of
repetitions for your entire set.

How to apply progressive overload? Simply

start with a given rep range (depending on your
current fitness level) for example 12-15. Once you
start, aim to use a weight that you can hit the
minimum of your rep range with a challenge—in
this case, 12. In the following week, aim to add
one more rep, 13. Keep adding until you reach 15.
Once you've reach the maximum of your rep
range, it is now time to add some weight.

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 TRAINING
STYLES

140lbs x 8

120lbs x 10

100lbs x 12

PYRAMID TRAINING
In pyramid training, you train starting
with low weights, high reps. Then
gradually increase the weight, while
decreasing the reps.

The downside of this training style is that you

lift your heaviest set at the very last. In current
studies, this is not recommended as your
previous sets are just considered as a bad
version of warm-up sets. Although, you get to
train on different rep ranges (which is a good
thing), you miss out on a lot by training your top
set as the last.

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 TRAINING
STYLES
100lbs x 12
120lbs x 10

140lbs x 8

REVERSE PYRAMID TRAINING

In reverse pyramid training, you train
starting with your heaviest set, low reps.
Then gradually decrease the weight, while
increasing the reps. It's literally the opposite
of the previous training style.

Why is this recommended? This training

style allows you to hit your heaviest set while
you're still fresh (meaning you're stronger)
instead of the previous training style wherein
you hit it last. It allows you to maximize
different rep ranges as you are able to
efficiently do your lighter sets as you fatigue
throughout your session. It is safer and you
progress better.

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 TRAINING
101

Admittedly, information regarding training is quite

overwhelming as a wave of Youtube and TikTok videos
teach you how to properly train. However, I shall make
an effort to create training as simple as it can be (and
as it should be) for a beginner to understand. In the
previous pages, we tackled different training styles and
how they differ from one another, their potential
downsides, and what's recommended. Again, the
reverse pyramid training is what's found to be the
most optimal as it allows you to hit the hardest set
while you're still fresh.

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 TRAINING
101
SPECIFICS

REST INTERVALS
TEMPO

PROGRESSION

INTENSITY
VOLUME FREQUENCY

EXERCISE SELECTION

QUALITY OF MOVEMENT

Here is a summary of what needs to be prioritized in training in any

fitness level, most importantly, as a beginner. First, let's talk about
quality of movement and exercise selection as these two
components are connected.

Quality of movement refers to the quality of how you perform your

repetitions for a given movement. As they say, its not about the
weight that you lift but rather how you lift it. A movement has three
basic parts, concentric, eccentric, and isometric. Being able to master
these three types of contractions in a movement must be priority 1. If
you cannot perform say a barbell squat with good quality, then maybe
you must select an easier variation of a squat.

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 TRAINING
101
Proper exercise selection will allow
SPECIFICS
you to master the fundamentals of a
given movement—allowing your body
REST INTERVALS
TEMPO to slowly ease into a movement
PROGRESSION
pattern and as you grow stronger and
adapt over time, you may progress to
INTENSITY
VOLUME FREQUENCY
a harder variation of movement.
Exercise selection also allows you to
EXERCISE SELECTION
figure out what works for your body
and what doesn't—and also, what's
QUALITY OF MOVEMENT
optimal.

Intensity is basically how taxing your training is based on what you

feel. It is determined by the repetitions, sets, and/or weight of a given
training program. This is also connected to volume frequency as
this determines the amount of volume you do (which is detemined by
weight x reps x sets) and the frequency of which you do it (in a given
week).

Progression is how you apply the principle of progressive

overload in your training. Prior to progressing, you must ensure that
you have the previous components checked out. A stronger base,
means a higher potential. Rest intervals, tempo, and the specifics
are the more serious parts of training. Rest intervals must be
depending on your fitness level and goals, and of course, how you
feel. Tempo is the ability to perform a movement whilst being able to
control its tempo. For example, being able to squat 315 pounds fast
is impressive, but being able to squat 315 with a 5 second eccentric
tempo is even more spectacular. Specifics are the more in depth
things a more serious athlete does. As a casual, you must focus on
building a strong base, follow a consistent and smart training
program, and to progress accordingly.

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 TRAINING
101
TIPS FOR TRAINING

There are two types of movements, compounds and

accessories. Compounds are exercises that require multiple
muscles, and multiple joints. Barbell bench, barbell squats, and
barbell deadlifts are examples of compound exercises.
Accessories are basically everything else that is a non-
compound exercise. ALWAYS start with your compound
exercises prior to doing your accessories as this will allow you to
maximize your performance in your multi-joint movements—these
movements are what require the most of your energy.

There are two kinds of sets, warm-up sets and working sets.
Always utilize the warm-up sets to practice form and to prepare
your body for your working sets which are the actual sets that are
counted.

Select a volume frequency that allow you to recover effectively

and still train each of your muscles twice a week. There are things
called workout splits that basically shows the muscle groups you
will be training for each day of a week. For example, push, pull,
legs split, Arnold split, upper/lower split, or a mix-and-match.
Select one that fits your schedule, your goals, and your
preference.

In terms of volume a good rule of thumb is to train all muscle

groups at least 10-20 sets in a week. This means, during your
sessions, you should not be doing 7-10 exercises. Choosing 4-6
exercises is more than enough. Just ensure to still challenge
yourself in the sets you are doing.

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 MACROS
101

You cannot out train a bad diet. Even if you are training
the smartest way you can or giving your all into training.
Everything will go to waste if you don’t mind what you
eat. Fitness is 30% training and 70% nutrition. In order
to maximize your fitness, you have to understand the
basics of tracking your macronutrients and your calories.

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 MACROS
101
Here is a quick run through of the energy balance you
need to set and to meet on a daily basis depending on
your fitness goals.

Ene
rgy
Inta
ke

Ene
Exp rgy
end
itur
e
Weight
gain

n e r gy
E
d i t u re
x p e n
E

e r g y
E n
a k e
Int
Weight
loss

Energy
Energy Expenditure
Intake

Maintenance

25
 MACROS
101

The diagrams above display the necessary energy balance you

need to meet in order to achieve your fitness goal.

Energy intake refers to the food you consume or the calories.

Energy Expenditure refers to the calories you burn from exercise,
daily movement, or your resting calories/resting metabolic rate.

Weight gain requires you to eat more calories than you burn.
In order to achieve a HEALTHY calorie surplus, you must eat 200-
500 calories more than your caloric maintenance.
Weight loss requires you to burn more calories than you consume.
In order to achieve a HEALTHY calorie deficit, you must eat 200-500
below your caloric maintenance.
Weight maintenance requires you to balance the calories you consume
and the calories that you burn.
In order to achieve a weight maintenance, you must eat at your
caloric maintenance.

As you start your fitness journey, do not worry too much about the
specifics of your macros. The most important to keep note of are calories
and protein as they are the primary muscle drivers. For your protein,
make sure to intake around 0.5-1 gram of protein per pound of
bodyweight. So if I weigh at 150 pounds, I must eat roughly around 75-
150g of protein.

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 FINAL
WORDS
This has been a project made to explore the beauty of the art of
bodybuilding, the art of physical training, and the beauty and strength of
which the human body is capable of. I hope throughout a few pages, I
was able to provide knowledge about the world of fitness, sports
exercise, and nutrition. I have always been fascinated with the sport of
bodybuilding as I appreciate the idea of molding one self into a Greek
god. The proportions and symmetry one must possess to look like a
god.

As someone who's in the fitness industry, I truly believe everyone

should train and when I say train, I don't mean everyone should
practice bodybuilding. Bodybuilding is just one speck of dust in a
universe full of movement and sports. There's boxing, basketball,
volleyball, yoga, dancing, biking, running, swimming, wrestling, etc.
There's an entire universe to explore! The important thing is to move as
the human body was designed to move.

My advice to someone who wants to start a fitness journey is to choose

a sport/activity that they like. Why? Simply because choosing
something you love doing would mean enjoyment and from enjoyment
would mean adherence—consistency.

I hope this project moved something inside of you (the reader) that you
may want to embark on a journey of your own...or perhaps
bodybuilding is for you! If not, maybe just casual weight training. If so,
here is a free workout program that would assist you if you do want to
start training. If you are already active, you can still try this out as you
can customize it based on your fitness level.

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 WORKOUT
PLAN

Here is the link! Please do apply the things you've learned in this
short book if you do plan on following this program as this will
allow you to have an understanding on how exercise
programming works and also for you to be able to customize the
program into your own liking.

http://tiny.cc/FreeWorkoutPlan

That is all for my Math 10 Project, I hope you enjoyed this read!

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 REFERENCES
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Eugen-Sandow
https://coach.nine.com.au/fitness/bodybuilders-before-
steroids/f5988e8b-06b0-4465-9f40-f21e6ab47f1e
https://legionathletics.com/ideal-male-body/
https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/the-gods-of-the-gym-5-
inspirational-icons.html
https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/the-pyramid-of-
muscle-building.html