Reader's Choices For Ideal Male Physique

Thanks everyone for a lively and eye-opening discussion about what constitutes the ideal male physique (original post here).  Although a smattering of consensus emerged, there remains quite an impressive variety of characters representing the ideal model.

My original list of suggestions to vote on was somewhat limiting, so I'm glad that so many of you piped up with your own suggestions for who else should have been included.  At the end of this post I've highlighted most of the alternate physiques, just so we can get an even better idea - a visual idea - of how people perceive the characteristics of a perfect male body.

But first the results.  I'll leave the poll open for fun, to see if things change over time.  But as it stands here are the winners.

1st Place - King Leonidas with 111 votes
2nd Place - Fight Club Brad Pitt with 75 votes
3rd Place - LL Cool J with 29 votes

I had a hunch that the King or Brad would come out on top.  But LL was a bit of a surprise.  I have to divulge the embarrassing truth.  I was a huge LL fan in high school.  So I'm secretly glad to see him in third.  But I would have thought that his physique would be too "processed" for him to place that well. 

I honestly thought one of the "athlete" physiques would end up in third.  But the more "refined" or "polished" physique has, it seems, not gone out of style yet.  There were a few more examples in the comments that we'll see below.  At any rate the votes, and especially the comments, seem to point to primal or functional bulk as the overall winner, but without unanimous consensus.

Reader's Choice Awards...

Here are some of the physiques that you thought should have been on the list:

Bruce Lee

Steve Reeves

Frank Zane

The David

George St-Pierre

Hercules and Cacus


Ryan Reynolds

Fedor

Wolverine (Hugh Jackman)

Daniel Conn (Autralian Rugby League)
My Note: I think I might have voted for this guy if he was on the list.  He's a "realistic" version of King Leonidas.

Will Smith
My Note: My wife "reminded me" not to forget Will...

PS Suggestions keep rolling in. Here's one from Ralph...

Deniro in Raging Bull

Comments

[Becker714td]

I gotta respect Will Smith seeing as he went from the scrawny kid on Fresh Prince to what he is today, very impessive

[AT22]

Not sure how I forgot Will. Thank your wife :) I thought he looked great in I Am Legend. Also, Christian Bale in Psycho. Hello!

Thanks for all the eye candy. It looks like there is a definite theme in the choices - for the most party lean and muscular, not bulky or huge.

[Dave]

After seeing the new additions I remembered that Jason Statham is also rock solid for nearly all of is films.

[Jordan]

I think I'm most inspired by physiques that look good, but don't look like they're impossible to maintain. David fits the bill, in that respect. But Ryan Reynolds is as close to the ideal if there ever was one.

[Ralph]

I'm surprised Robert Deniro in Raging Bull was not on here. They took a poll in Mens Health last year and he was on top.

Anyway, I think I'll have to say Ryan Reynolds when he was filming Blade 3. When I seen that picture on the magazine i swore it was fake but if you watch the movie....

[Adam Steer]

Hey Ralph,

Thanks for chiming in man! I don't read many of the mainstream fitness mags anymore. Thanks for the Deniro suggestion though. I'll plug him into the post... I really like that physique by the way.

Cheers,
Adam

[Graeme]

I voted llcoolj before I seen other,I would have picked Sandow!

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