You know…there’s a very specific reason why you don’t see pictures of pumped up overly muscular men in clothing stores.
It’s because the majority of people (women especially) are turned off by people with bodybuilder esque physiques.
Sure, we all say “Damn look at that guy” when we see massive men like Ronnie Coleman or Kai Green walking around, but that’s the extent of it.
My guess is that only about 5-10% of guys actually want to look like a bodybuilder. Most other guys would be perfectly content with physique akin to an Abercrombie model.
Am I wrong?

Abercrombie workout
The Abercrombie workout below is split up into 2 parts:
- Part 1: Increase muscle tone without putting on size and lose body fat
- Part 2: Gain muscle without fat
Part 1
The first part of the Abercrombie workout focuses on losing body fat. Ideally, you should be at least 10% bodyfat before moving on to the Phase 2.
Check out the following articles is you help on losing body fat:
During Part 1 of the workout, your goal is not to build muscle. Instead you’re going to focus on increasing muscle tone without increasing the actual size of your muscles.
This will give you really hard and dense muscles without actually getting bigger, similar to Bruce Lee.
And how do you increase muscle tone without getting bigger? Most people would tell you to lift light weights for high reps (15+ reps) but this is a huge mistake. The secret to increase muscle tone is by lifting heavy weights for low reps.
There are 2 golden rules you must follow when you want to increase muscle tone without size:
- Lift heavy weights for low reps
- Don’t lift to failure. Stop at 1-2 reps short of failure.
So for example, if you can lift a weight for 7 reps, you should stop at 5. The key here is to do more sets while avoiding fatigue in your muscles.
A workout following these principles would look something along the lines of this:
Note: For a complete step by step blueprint on how to lose fat and get ripped, check out Superhero Shredding.
Mon (chest & back)
For each exercise below, choose a weight you can only do for 7 reps max (that means you fail at 7 reps), and only do 5 reps. Perform 3 sets per exercise.
- Incline dumbbell press
- Dumbbell row
- Bench press
- Weighted pull-ups
Wed (shoulder & arms)
For each exercise below, choose a weight you can only do for 7 reps max (that means you fail at 7 reps), and only do 5 reps. Perform 3 sets per exercise.
- Standing military press
- Barbell curl
- Close grip barbell press or weighted dips
Friday (lower body)
For each exercise below, choose a weight you can only do for 7 reps max (that means you fail at 7 reps), and only do 5 reps. Perform 3 sets per exercise.
- Front squat
- Deadlift
- Bulgarian split squat (exception: do 3 straight sets of 6-8 reps per leg)
Part 2
Now you’re done with Part 1.
And by now you should look pretty good. Your abs should be defined and you muscles should be showing plenty of definition.
But your job is not over yet.
It’s time to move onto phase 2 of the Abercrombie workout.
Phase 2 will focus on gaining muscle with minimal amounts of fat. To accomplish this, you’ll need to focus on a higher rep range (8-15 reps) as well as eat in a slight caloric surplus.
The diet is relatively simple.
You’ll simply be eating at your maintenance level every day and on the days you lift weight, you add an extra 500 calories. This will allow for lean muscle growth with minimal amounts of fat.
The sample workout for Part 2 looks something like this:
Monday(Push day)
- Flat dumbbell press – 4 sets x 8 reps
- Incline dumbbell fly – 3 sets x 10 reps
- Standing military press – 4 sets x 8 reps
- Dumbbell lateral side raise – 3 sets x 13 reps per arms
- Skullcrushers – 2 sets x 12 reps
- Parallel bar dips – 2 sets x failure
Tues (Pull day)
- Weighted pull ups – 4 sets x 8 reps
- Cable rows (close grip) – 4 sets x 12 reps
- Barbell curls – 4 sets x 8 reps per arm
- Dumbbell curl variation – 4 sets x 12 reps
- Pull ups – 2 sets x failure (with body weight only)
Thurs (Legs/calves)
- Back squat – 3 sets x 8 reps
- Reverse dumbbell lunges – 3 sets x 10 reps per leg
- Seated calf raise – 3 sets x 12 reps
- Standing calf raise – 3 sets x 12 reps
Friday (shoulders/traps/arms)
- Seated military press – 3 sets x 8 reps
- Shrugs – 3 sets x 10 reps
- Tricep extension – 3 sets x 15 reps
- Curl variation – 3 sets x 15 reps
The workout above is based on Visual Impact For Men, which is hands down my favorite workout routines for building a non-bulky physique. Check out the video below to learn more about it.
What to do after the workout?
So what do you after the 2-part abercrombie workout?
Well obviously, the first thing you should do is to go the nearest bar and take advantage of any lonely cougars with your newly sexified body.
Oh, you mean with regards to your workout and diet, my mistake. In that case, it really depends on your overall physique goals.
Do you simply want maintain your new body? If that’s the case, you can just do 3 full body workouts each week. That’s plenty enough to maintain muscle.
If you want to gain even more muscle, you can repeat Part 2 again.
Fitness models for life
Walk up to 1000 random women on the street and ask them “Who do you find more attractive, bodybuilder or an Abercrombie model?”
My guess is that 90-95% of the women will choose the Abercrombie model.
Bodybuilders reading this article probably already hate me but that’s cool, I’m ready for your hate comments.
Do you have any recommended supplements?
depends on your goals. What are they?
Part 1, how long should you rest between sets?
no more than 2 min.
hi i wanted to ask how much protein we should consume during phase 2
Around 0.8 grams per pound of bodyweight.
I’m 18 and basically wanting to look good for the opposite sex whilst generally improving my fitness/health.
Would you recommend I try this workout out in order to achieve an aesthetically pleasing body?
Thank you! and great website by the way
yes give it a shot.
Hi.
I’m 6″0 and weigh 140lbs and have approximately only 9-10% body fat.
1) Does that mean I go straight to Part 2 or do I start with Part 1 first?
2) Is increasing muscle tone without size absolutely essential?
3) If I do have to do Part 1 first, are there any substitutes for the following exercises: weighted pull-ups, weighted dips, bulgarian split squat.
1) yes you can skip part1
2) No you can just focus on building muscle.
3) in your exact order: lat pull down/assisted pull up, close grip bench, goblet squats/splitsquats
How long shall I do each part?? 1 month 2 month?
depends on your current physique, typically a few months at least.
What is meant precisely by a full body workout and do you have any links to some good ones?
Thanks.
I lay out the workout in this article.
hey what can i do instead of a cable row as a substitute?
barbell row, dumbbell row
hey, im totally new on fitness , 19 years old, 64 kg and 188 cm long, what supplement should i use?
you don’t need supplements to get in shape. Stuff like protein powder helps but only if you can’t get enough via real foods.
Hey, im 20 bodybuilder due to injury from road accident lost all my gains but still muscular but with some fat can i use your program just as my recovery routine and also some give some food advice im veg.plzz..
If you’re recovering, you should try to just rest and also since I don’t know the extent of your injuries, I’m not comfortable recommending this or any program right now.
Hi I’m 22 years old, 6ft tall and weight 12 stone. I am very out of shape atm and would love to get into shape. Would you recommend just going straight into part 1 of the workouts? Also If I haven’t git access to these weights is there another way I could get into shape with just Dumbbells? Thanks.
I’d follow this guide instead – https://www.fitmole.org/beginners-muscle-building-guide/
More detail on building muscle. Yes you can use all dumbbbells granted you have enough weight. If you only have 10-20 pound dumbbells, its quite difficult to optimally pack on muscle.
Hi Keith,
Good work brother. I am 172 cm height and weighs about 85kgs. I have started with ur program. Do u recommend a diet strategy and how long you think I will have to do part 1.And how does we know if we are at 10% fat?
I am using treadmill daily 20 mins and other ground exercises also to reduce my fat, how do you see this ?
Thanks
Please refer to the article for diet info.
You can measure BF via calipers.
Treadmill can help with fat loss but it isn’t necessary. Use your diet instead.
I’m 21 and 60kg. I want the models workout schedule. please help me
Huh? you can follow this plan, what more help do you need.
Hi Keith I am 17 years old 6 foot 2 and weight around 172 pounds, I play sports and already have a decent amount of muscle but I want to go the extra mile for the definition and toneing. How long would you reccomend doing part one for? And how long to be part 2
Focus on lifting heavier weights, fewer reps. So focus on part 1 more.
where is abs exercise in part 1?
There are none right now, but you can add some in if you want.