What’s the ideal body for a man? Some guys obsess over visible abs, while others want barrel chests, sleeve-stretching arms or granite quads.
Depending on the period and civilisation you look at, there have been a number of different ideals celebrated throughout history. “The ideal body is a social and cultural construct,” explains Professor Neil Carter, a specialist in sports history at De Montfort University in Leicester. “This means it’s forged by whatever factors are driving the collective consciousness at a particular time. In no particular order these have been survival, conflict, religion, aesthetics, commercialism and competition.”