You Don’t Have To Be a Bodybuilder To Attract Women

When I started lifting weights in high school, it was for one reason only: I wanted to become irresistibly attractive to the fairer sex. (Hey, at least I’m honest!) I had it in my mind that women only wanted men with huge pecs, bulging biceps, and abs you could do laundry on. With so many other guys spending hours upon hours in the gym, I figured that this line of thinking couldn’t possibly be wrong.

But boy, was it ever.

It is deeply implanted in most guys’ heads that when it comes to muscle mass, bigger is better. Look at the cover of any men’s fitness magazine or book and you’re likely to see models who have 2-4% body fat and veins popping out all over the place.

Truth be told, we HAVE come a long way since the glory days of bodybuilding in the 70s, when most men looked at guys like Arnold Schwarzenegger as the pinnacle of health, putting in long hours at the gym and drinking lots of protein shakes in an effort to look like a champion bodybuilder.

But is it really true that when it comes to women’s preferences in men that beefier is better?

Scientists studying the psychology of physical attractiveness have found that women are most interested in men with these three characteristics:

• Broad chest, shoulders, and muscular arms.
• Narrow hips and muscular legs.
• A tight, muscular butt.

In other words, as long as a guy has a V-shaped torso and a lean, strong midsection, most women would find him attractive. Are there any non-bodybuilders that meet these criteria? Of course!

People Magazine, one of the most popular women’s magazines, chooses a new “Sexiest Man Alive” every year through an extensive judging process. And who are the most recent winners? Johnny Depp, Hugh Jackman, Matt Damon, and George Clooney. And Hugh’s the only one who really stands out as being a big guy.

Okay, so maybe since these actors are rich and famous the editors are more likely to give the award to smaller guys, right?

Well, another huge women’s magazine, Cosmopolitan, has an annual Bachelor of the Year award, where “regular guys” from all 50 states are voted on by female readers to find the most eligible and attractive single guy in the country. If you flip through a copy of this issue you’ll see that there are very few “beefcakes” among them. Most of them are slim and fit, but lack that huge bodybuilder look. (If you’re embarrassed you might run into one of your buddies at Walgreen’s looking at a women’s magazine, just find a friend who has a copy!)

My point is this. Once you’ve built up enough muscle to get your body fat percentage down into the low- to mid-teens, women are gonna find you to be as attractive as they ever will. It doesn’t matter if it’s your girlfriend, your wife, or the barista you’ve been flirting with.

Most of the guys who are looking to get a six pack are doing so for their own satisfaction. And the guys who are looking to build massive pecs are doing so primarily to impress and intimidate other guys. In other words, they’re probably putting more into it than they are getting out of it.

If you are a bodybuilder or an athlete who needs more muscle mass, by all means bulk up. But the rest of us would benefit from spending less of our lives pumping iron. So feel happy about spending as little time in the gym as possible, as long as you take that time to do intense and efficient compound exercises that are going to give you the most bang for your buck.

Tagged as: celebrities, glamor muscles, innate desires, power, women's preferences