1. Evidence of Ideal

Yes, the ideal male body does exist. And you can get it yourself in about 8 months. This guide is a compilation of hundreds of research papers to answer one question:

Many bodybuilders workout for years without ever achieving an amazing body. This guide will make sure that anyone who follows it has the ideal physique within a year.

A lot of the information here will go against many common fitness myths and beliefs. We'll break down why crunches alone won't get you a six-pack, why you don't need cardio to lose weight, and more.

Rest assured, every claim provided is backed by research papers linked in [brackets] that you can refer to.

The ideal male body is, as defined by this guide, the physique that is most attractive and healthiest. Let’s talk about attraction first.

According to the current research, both men and women find men’s physiques below most attractive [1, 2]. The males created the left model and the females created the right model.

Both groups had no influence on the other, but the results are surprisingly similar. Both men and women preferred similar arm sizes, small waists, well-developed legs, and large chest muscles.

This data is further supported by evidence that attractiveness is correlated with a waist-hip ratio (WHR) of 0.7 [1, 2]. In simpler terms, when the circumference of a person’s waist is 70% of the circumference of their hips, they are (on average) the most attractive to most people.

And this makes sense. Broad shoulders, a small waist, and a six-pack to boot have always been a symbol of attractiveness. Here are two examples of this effect:

Notice that both of these men have similar muscle development, height, and appearance. The main difference between them is their body fat percentage. Because the guy on the left has less fat on him, he has a lower WHR than the guy on the right. This makes him more attractive!

In most cases, body fat percentage is much more important than muscle mass when considering attractiveness [1, 2, 3].

In fact, in both studies #1 and #2 above, it was concluded that “men with a high muscular body composition were not the most attractive”, but rather just “a slight decrease of body fat and a slight increase of body muscle was optimal for men with normal starting BMI and body composition”.

The findings indicate that most people (both men and women) prefer male physiques to be around the BMI of 21 and rate men with “medium levels of muscle mass… to be more sexually desirable” [1].

Don’t worry about the specifics of your BMI, WHR, or body fat percentage right now. You'll calculate how much fat needs to be lost and how much muscle needs to be gained in the nutrition and training sections soon.

For now, take a mental note that most people do not desire an overly muscular or extremely thin individual. They want someone that has a balanced and lean physique, just like the one you are going to build!

As a happy coincidence, a BMI score of 21 is also within the range of a healthy weight. Any BMI score of less than 25 and more than 18 is associated with the highest metabolic health, lowest mortality rate, and successful aging [1].

Additionally, having a balanced physique has a measurable effect on reducing stress and anxiety [1, 2, 3, 4], preventing the development of mental health issues [1, 2, 3], increasing self-esteem [1], and having a positive impact on mood [1, 2, 3].

Besides these benefits, working out has the added benefits of increasing lifespan, fortifying your immune system, lowering depression rates, and more [1, 2, 3].

All the fancy words above boil down to one idea: Losing weight and gaining more muscle (but not too much) will help you live a longer, healthier, and happier life!