This is the biggest exercise mistake that South African male models make, according to an agent

This article forms part of the archives of Business Insider South Africa, which was published as a partnership between News24 and Insider Inc between 2018 and 2023.

Amsterdam based model and influencer Dylan Hasselbaink, represented by Kult in South Africa. (Instagram: @kultsouthafrica)

• Male models should not have chests smaller than 98cm and larger than 100cm.
• Overtraining the chest should accordingly be avoided for male models.

Aspiring male models should avoid "overtraining" their chests, says Wendy Brown, Model Agent at Pulse Models. 

“Most aspiring models make the mistake to specifically train the chest, which easily creates a bulky look for guys which clients want to avoid,” Brown told Business Insider South Africa. 

The chest of a typical male model is between 98 to 100cm, waists between 81 and 84cm and a height starting at 183cm. 

One of South Africa's most successful male models Dave Rosenberg (Instagram: @kultsouthafrica)

A typical South African model can earn anything between R25,000 and R60,000 a month. 

But Jason Smith, model agent at Kult Models, says the road to becoming a successful male model is paved with hard word.  

“If it was easy to look as good as a model or celebrities, everyone would look good… you need to keep your body and face in the best condition 24/7,” Smith says. 

“Sport stars work years to be at the top of their game – the same applies to 98% of the models in the world.” 

South African male model Manyano Mahlakata (Instagram: @kultsouthafrica)

Nasco Mihaylov from Cape Town-based Grace Models says good male models are usually “charged with positive energy”.

“They need to have a good personality to work good with potential photographers and clients,” he says. 

He encourages aspiring male models to audition at an agency, even if they might not fit the mould of a typical model. 

“What some people consider to be a flaw, the clients would consider a great feature,” Mihaylov says.

“Gap in the teeth, freckles, ginger hair - these are all awesome features to have and many people are ashamed of them and try to cover them with makeup or hair dye.”