Quote (Toskirak @ 5 Dec 2016 10:35)
So PPL sounds like my best bet?
That is not what I was saying. I was saying that PPL is fine, but what followed was a pair of perspectives on why it's not optimal. If you follow the Excusemem8 & tommyd323 v Tear discussion in this topic, you see some of the principles of aesthetics in outline.
Whereas Tear is saying hype worked best for him, the other two gym mates are saying that frequency is better. I'll just throw in the idea that the kind of hyp Tears is doing is probably upper scale for frequency, dipping into high volume training, a popular (i.e., the most popular) formula for building muscle. On this view, the road to aestheticism is basically all about hitting the muscles you want to hit enough to encourage growth without doing so much as to wipe out your CNS, crush your protein synthesis, or otherwise interfere with growth. You grow muscles and therefore become more aesthetic.
What the other two guys are saying is that if you hit PPL 2x each week, you'll make gains because that's your road to higher frequency--without overtaxing your body.
The big difference in how your frequency is "counted" is that in PPL, you're doing a lot of "main" lifts and maybe some accessory stuff, whereas on a hyp program you're going to do more isolation work (closer to accessory stuff) to make up more of the bulk of your workout volume.
To bring the contrast home to what I had posted, I'm saying that regardless of the program, your best bet is to use some of the ideas I had about cutting corners. I think that hyp will get you faster results, and you probably read into my point about squats doing more good than hitting abs, which by extension is saying that either PPL or a "hyp" program that includes mains as a focal point is your best bet for a quality physique. The reasoning there is that it would be easier to maintain program volume.
If you have time to do a hyp program and if you have the energy to cut corners as I had described, I think that's the most effective route.
However, PPL with a good diet can get you results so long as your frequency is high enough.
It also comes back to what size you wish to obtain to be "aesthetic". You haven't said what you envision as aesthetic, and until you do, there's no way to demarcate the best path. It's so much easier to be ripped @ 165 than @ 195 @ 5'11 if you have an average build. Literally, I could drop from 195 to 165 in a couple of months and look shredded as hell, but I'd be fatigued, depleted, de-motivated, sore, and angry at myself for conducting such a cruel experiment on myself. I could get it done with a version of fasting, cardio, playing more hoops than I already do, and changing up my workout to go lighter and do hype. That's why I think if being aesthetic is your goal, you can just go that direction and get it done with. But I think it's better to figure out what works for you, go out and get some books and watch some videos, and earn a more impressive physique. If you can do 165 in a few months at max, you can work your way up to 175 and possibly 185, maybe more. Assuming you'd have the build I used as an example.