Hey guys - lean or bulky? - What look are you going for?

The reason I have addressed this thread to the guys on the forum, is because there aren't any women who lift that want to bulk up. Whereas there are two different trains of thought for men when it comes to lifting. Some lift to get bigger, and others lift to get a lean, more defined look. It seems like the mentality of weight training has changed a lot. Back in the day, it was more popular to get as big/bulky as possible, whereas nowadays it has become more popular to get a leaner and more defined look. When you lift, are you trying to get bigger, or become leaner? Personally, I have never been a huge fan of the bulky bodybuilder look myself. I would prefer to get as strong as physically possible, while maintaining a leaner and more defined look.

* It would be great to get a women's perspective in this thread as well in regards to what you find more attractive.

Hee, hee!  From a woman's perspective, what looks best is a fat wallet!  (Sorry, had to get that out there)

Personally, and I'm a woman, I prefer a lean look.  Not wiry, but with good muscle definition in the arms and legs.  Really defined six packs actually look a little weird, though a trim waist looks nice, and I definitely don't like huge (those guys actually look limited physically, like they'd have a hard time putting lotion all over their body).  (Did you see the episode of Malcom in the Middle where Hal befriends a group of beach body builders??)  A bit between wiry and big, I guess.  Someone who looks like they do a lot of physical activity (athletic), but don't spend a lot of time looking at their muscles in the mirror.  Mostly, I want a guy who looks like he could take care of me, not that I need it, but it's a nice feeling, and that guy doesn't have to be super trim, just capable.

It's not the size of the boat but the motion of the ocean...  ;)

Cut and lean turns my head all the time!

I'm attracted to all types of guys, but usually I don't go for the bulked up look.

A little pudge is nice..

whenever i see a big and bulky guy, the first thing that comes to mind is "Meat Head"...Not attractive at all....Lean and cut is where its at!

i train to be as strong as possible, my physique is just a by product of my diet. training regime and god given genetics. my muscles grow easily and very quickly but standing at 6'3" makes me appear a bit more lean rather than bulky. i've never had the desire to get a six pack!

i think most men want to look muscular and cut.

Cut and lean for me, too.  The kind that looks a bit skinny until he takes his shirt off, and then *wow* those pecs those delts those biceps those abs... and so on. 

Just a matter of my personal taste, though--nothing anyone needs to worry about, since I'm happily married (to a guy who's still very much *wow*).

what would y'all consider as bulky? and when you say athletic, what do u mean?

athleticism cannot be judged on looks. look at some of the heavyweight olympic lifters with huge guts. dont look to athletic do they? but these guys are fantastic athletes.

the grecian ideal is a very interesting concept, i was chatting to my girlfriend about it the other day. the idea is that your bicep, forearm, neck, calf, thigh, waist and chest should be a certain measurment for your given height which would make you look more attractive and appealing. i read that there was an experiment on men who were viewed as attractive to women, and the vast majority fitted the grecian ideal concept!

i think bodybuilding was originally judged around this concept.

I will go with bulky.

I will also go so far as to say that the statement "...because there aren't any women who lift that want to bulk up" is probably not entirely accurate. I will agree, though, that not all women who lift, are looking to bulk up.

 

The lean/cut/athletic look in my perspective is that of a NBA player.  I personally like that over the bulky look.

Like in Fast and the Furious, I found Paul Walker's body to be far more attractive than Vin Diesel. 

HIM.

http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/famecrawler/20 07/10/23-End/david-beckham-nude-cc.jpg

http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/12_02/B ECKHAM101207_468x342.jpg

When I said athletic, I meant in the form of a male gymnast or swimmer.  Basketball players tend to be too wiry, possibly because they are so tall.  Vin Diesel probably has the max bulk I would find attractive, but to be honest, it is more in how they carry themselves than the actual form of the muscle. 

I agree, the Grecian statues are beautiful human forms, and they were made to display perfection.  And they pursued it as much as we do in our time!

Hmmm..Daniel Craig?  Yup.  Muscles but not bulky. Six pack- uh huh.  :)

Same goes for women.  But the only women I have seen that are really bulky are juicing. 

But for the real world, man on the street: An athlete of any shape, except heavy lifters and roman wrestlers, are much more attractive than Joe beer gut, or pasty flabby exec. 

The sexiest bodies belong to Tyrese & Ryan Reynolds! Oh baby!!

Definitely lean. I don't like the idea of gaining lots of unnecessary bulk just to say I can lift more. I do like improving strength with a more lean frame though. I'd like to be able to bench 200+ lbs while weighing in the mid 130s for example. Just a good solid muscular base that's not huge or anything is enough IMO.

I am an overweight woman who is looking to eventually bulk up, not just be lean.  I want big strong arms and abs!  I also prefer bulky men  - but there does come a point when it gets too much - like when, as a previous reply mentioned, it gets in the way of life and makes ordinary tasks difficult. 

I think I'd like the leaner look over a big ole body builder. Once your muscles get all big and veiny... that's just gross. Definitly don't like the old Ahnold look.

 

Women can't bulk unless they're on steroids. And I'm not, so I can put on as much muscle as I can without having to worry about that :] and that's my plan!

Yeah, I'm thinking Ed Norton in "Fight Club" for my lean-but-cut ideal. 

The Ahnold-type bulkiness is interesting to look at, but doesn't ring my bell.   At some point it just looks synthetic, or makes me wonder if the guy is compensating for something.  Not my thing, but YMMV.

Something else I find quite interesting is have you ever seen when someone's in shape, low body fat and muscular, but yet they still look kinda odd and you don't know why?

I think again, that's down to the grecian ideal thing.  Like guys with good biceps but small forearms and narrow shoulders always looks kinda strange to me.  Or a very common one you see in every gym is a guy who puts in a lot of time on his upper body, but has stick thin legs because he's only interested in the "mirror" muscles.

Original Post by littlesimongeorge:

 Or a very common one you see in every gym is a guy who puts in a lot of time on his upper body, but has stick thin legs because he's only interested in the "mirror" muscles.

ugh i got soooooo sick of that, that i now judge a man's physique by his legs and bum. i could care less about arms anymore.

I like bulky.  Daniel Craig is nice, but Jason Statham is nicer. 

I don't necessarily want huge muscles like some body builders get, but I like a broad chest/shoulders and some meat on a man. Lean and cut doesn't do it for me.