# Ladies, what level of muscularity is just right in a man? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 29, 2005, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-level-of-muscularity-is-just-right-in-a-man/296735 "2005-03-29T04:52:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-level-of-muscularity-is-just-right-in-a-man/296735/21 "2005-03-31T19:43:04Z")
Well god dammit, are us muscular men considered to be the lowest of the low or something or is it just this board? This sucks, I guess i’ll have to develop a good personality now if I want to attract women. ---
**Author:** ![raz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@raz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raz)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-level-of-muscularity-is-just-right-in-a-man/296735/22 "2005-03-31T22:19:40Z")
I generally am most attracted to guys that have a little meat on their bones. I’m not attracted to the “ripped” muscular look that a lot of guys want to have. A guy with abs isn’t particularly going to catch my eye. I like average-to-chunky guys with a little muscle definition about the arms. Biceps are good but it’s kind of hard to find a guy that doesn’t have at least _some_ arm definition. So basically average = good. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-level-of-muscularity-is-just-right-in-a-man/296735/23 "2005-03-31T23:51:34Z")
> [@Wesley Clark](#): > > Well god dammit, are us muscular men considered to be the lowest of the low or something or is it just this board? Kidding aside, I just have to wonder about that. I mean, I see how women respond to Olympic gymnasts, underwear models and other very muscular guys… yet at the same time, I keep hearing women say that they don’t particularly go for well-muscled men. Something doesn’t add up, and it confuses me. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-level-of-muscularity-is-just-right-in-a-man/296735/24 "2005-04-01T00:21:24Z")
Me, I’d pretty much have to pick my husband (I unabashedly consider him Hottest Man Alive ;)). He is about Brad Pitt’s size but not so much definition -16" biceps, 44" chest but he has a very very cute little belly that he keeps trying to get rid of. I thwart his attempts by cooking his favorite meals. Works like a charm. But anyways, I like muscular to an extent. Man-pickiniess #1: I am a larger-framed woman (my ideal weight being in the 135-140 range and getting close to that again finally - I’m 5’5") and don’t like men that look like I could break them in half over my knee. My husband never could understand why I wasn’t attracted to Axl Rose (he has 3 sisters who love the guy). Well, cause he’s shorter than me and I’d probably crush the dude. Petite I ain’t. However, the ‘ripped’ look I don’t care much for - it just seems to me that guys with that look probably spend too much time lifting weights in front of a full-length mirror. Which leads me to man-pickiness #2: they can’t be prettier than me. Naturally, other people’s mileage varies a great deal. This is just one woman’s opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-level-of-muscularity-is-just-right-in-a-man/296735/25 "2005-04-01T01:38:56Z")
> [@The Sausage Creature](#): > > My husband never could understand why I wasn’t attracted to Axl Rose (he has 3 sisters who love the guy). Well, cause he’s shorter than me and I’d probably crush the dude. Petite I ain’t. LMAO. the fact that Axl has a history of abusive relationships and mental instability isn’t even a concern for anybody. God I have to become famous someday. The shit you can get away with is faaaantastic. Not bathe, have a criminal record, a history of abusive relationships, be very mentally unstable but stand on stage for more than 2 consecutive minutes and you are an american icon and sex symbol. I’m actually a bit jealous of that lifestyle and how powerful it is and how much you can get away with, but who wouldn’t be. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-level-of-muscularity-is-just-right-in-a-man/296735/26 "2005-04-01T01:43:54Z")
> [@JThunder](#): > > Kidding aside, I just have to wonder about that. > > I mean, I see how women respond to Olympic gymnasts, underwear models and other very muscular guys… yet at the same time, I keep hearing women say that they don’t particularly go for well-muscled men. Something doesn’t add up, and it confuses me. [http://cms.psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-19941101-000022.html](http://cms.psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-19941101-000022.html) Men and women also parted company in the domain of male muscle mass. Men value muscle mass, while women are less interested in oversized biceps and pecs. In ranking male body types, women gave first place to “medium with moderate muscle mass,” while “medium with competition music mass” came in a lowly fourth. When men estimated women’s preferences, however, competition body build narrowly missed second place. We asked women directly, “how important it is for you that [a man] have noticeable muscles,” and we asked men how important muscles were to them. The differences were striking: twice as many women as men said that male muscles did not matter at all. Elsewhere I found this demeaning/depressing news: Weight worked much the same way. Overweight men were clearly less desirable to women. Thirty percent of female respondents found men more than 10 pounds overweight unacceptable as dates; 70 percent found more than 20 pounds overweight unacceptable; and at 40 pounds or more overweight, men were unacceptable to 90 percent of respondents. God how sad that 20 pounds is such a major factor to women. Not even men care that much about 20 pounds in my experience. I hope most women aren’t really like that, but how can 960 individual women getting surveyed all be full of it? ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-level-of-muscularity-is-just-right-in-a-man/296735/27 "2005-04-01T01:49:38Z")
> [@Wesley Clark](#): > > LMAO. the fact that Axl has a history of abusive relationships and mental instability isn’t even a concern for anybody. LOL, I didn’t even know about his history til you said something just now. I never followed GnR much (a little before my time). However, that just makes him that much more unattractive to me now that I know. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-level-of-muscularity-is-just-right-in-a-man/296735/28 "2005-04-01T01:52:01Z")
> [@The Sausage Creature](#): > > LOL, I didn’t even know about his history til you said something just now. I never followed GnR much (a little before my time). However, that just makes him that much more unattractive to me now that I know. I just find it interesting how much power being famous and/or a musician has for women. You can do everything ‘wrong’ as far as sex appeal goes (have bad hygiene, be a drug and alcohol addict, be ugly, be violent, be mentally unstable) but if you are a musician you are a sex symbol and none of that matters. I used to play trombone in junior high btw. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-level-of-muscularity-is-just-right-in-a-man/296735/29 "2005-04-01T01:56:57Z")
My husband is a guitarist. In a heavy metal band (well, they just broke up after about 10 years of BS). Musicianship certainly helps to get chicks. My husband won’t deny that one (I am not going to say that it wasn’t part of the attraction I had for him but it was certainly not the only thing and was in fact pretty minor - which is why we’re married). If being a drunk musician is the only thing getting you chicks, well, you ain’t exactly gonna get marriage material for a woman. Of course I understand that most of those guys (well, a lot of guys in general) are not out looking for that. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-level-of-muscularity-is-just-right-in-a-man/296735/30 "2005-04-01T01:58:10Z")
They are all too built for me. give me Colin Firth (please!) or someone with a build like Honeycutt on MASH… I like 'em lean and lanky and a lil absent minded. Glasses are OK, too. Married a stocky, built guy (go figure-women are inexplicable). I really dislike body builder guys–get over yourselves already! and take a shower to get rid of all that oil… ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-level-of-muscularity-is-just-right-in-a-man/296735/31 "2005-04-01T02:04:46Z")
> [@Wesley Clark](#): > > [http://cms.psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-19941101-000022.html](http://cms.psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-19941101-000022.html) > > Men and women also parted company in the domain of male muscle mass. Men value muscle mass, while women are less interested in oversized biceps and pecs. In ranking male body types, women gave first place to “medium with moderate muscle mass,” while “medium with competition music mass” came in a lowly fourth. When men estimated women’s preferences, however, competition body build narrowly missed second place. > > We asked women directly, “how important it is for you that [a man] have noticeable muscles,” and we asked men how important muscles were to them. The differences were striking: twice as many women as men said that male muscles did not matter at all. Yeah, but my point is that this doesn’t appear to jibe with the way I observe women react to well-muscled celebrities and underwear models. I know that many women say that muscles don’t count for much. I can’t help but wonder how closely this reflects reality, though. People can say one thing, but do another. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-level-of-muscularity-is-just-right-in-a-man/296735/32 "2005-04-01T02:06:25Z")
> [@JThunder](#): > > Yeah, but my point is that this doesn’t appear to jibe with the way I observe women react to well-muscled celebrities and underwear models. > > I know that many women say that muscles don’t count for much. I can’t help but wonder how closely this reflects reality, though. People can say one thing, but do another. They could just be pretending. Women and men pretend to care about stuff they don’t really care about for fear of looking different. Maybe the women really don’t care and just pretend to when others are watching. ---
**Author:** ![Jaade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@Jaade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaade)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-level-of-muscularity-is-just-right-in-a-man/296735/33 "2005-04-01T02:28:06Z")
> [@JThunder](#): > > [ul] > [li]Jean Claude van Damme?[/li][li]Dean Cain?[/li][li]Nick Lachey?[/li][li]Tyson Beckford?[/li][li]LL Cool J?[/li][li]Brad Pitt?[/li][li]Matt LeBlanc?[/li][li]A young Tony Danza?[/li][li]David Chokachi?[/li][li]Nicholas Brendon?[/li][/ul] Nick, Brad and David from that particular list. I don’t find guys with huge muscles attractive. I also have to say that there is nothing wrong with the stockier guys. Everyone you picked has less than 10% body fat, I’d wager. Jean, Tyson, and LL are too muscular. The other guys just don’t do much for me generally. The picture you posted of Matt LeBlanc is horrid. Even if I did like his body the picture of David Schwimmer attached to his crotch is a bit of a turn-off. My preferences trend towards a man that is at least a little taller than me (not too hard to achieve, I’m 5’6") that I feel could protect me if we ever got into a bad situation. I prefer a man that has rather wide shoulders and a chest that is proportional to that. I like legs that are decently developed without being grotesquely oversized. Six-packs are cute and sexy but by no means necessary. I guess that all says average guy. Too many overgrown muscles aren’t attractive IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-level-of-muscularity-is-just-right-in-a-man/296735/34 "2005-04-01T02:30:31Z")
> [@The Sausage Creature](#): > > Me, I’d pretty much have to pick my husband (I unabashedly consider him Hottest Man Alive ;)). He is about Brad Pitt’s size but not so much definition -16" biceps, 44" chest but he has a very very cute little belly that he keeps trying to get rid of. I thwart his attempts by cooking his favorite meals. Works like a charm. (snicker) I doubt Brad Pitt has 16 inch biceps. More like 14, 15 at the utmost max. In fact, I don’t consider many of the people above muscular at all. Some of them could easily be said to be athletic, but most of em are just skinny or ripped. Being a straight guy, muscular is “The Rock,” and too muscular is bodybuilders like Ahnold. I am glad I don’t work out to please women. Of course women on this board aren’t exactly the best sample of opinions. They tend to be quite a bit less “shallow” than the norm. Of course, I think they overcompensate by being “reverse shallow.” You know, hating pretty people because they are pretty, which is pretty much just as ignorant as hating ugly people for being ugly. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-level-of-muscularity-is-just-right-in-a-man/296735/35 "2005-04-01T02:53:10Z")
> [@Epimetheus](#): > > (snicker) > > I doubt Brad Pitt has 16 inch biceps. More like 14, 15 at the utmost max. . Hehehe, I don’t have a very well-developed eye for 1 inch bicep differences. Actually, I’m pretty bad about eyeballing measurements in general. But having perused some pics from _Fight Club,_, yeah I see where you are coming from. My husband has a quite a bit of muscle on Brad. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-what-level-of-muscularity-is-just-right-in-a-man/296735.md?page=1)