Many men who join a gym have the same goals in their head – they either want to lose weight and tighten up or they want to get big and put on muscle. If you ask the men who do women prefer, the lean fit guy or the big muscular guy, would their answer come out even? And which body type do women actually prefer their men to have? A recent survey carried out by Men’s Fitness Magazine of 3000 participants, both men and women, may shock you.
Add More Muscle
Compared to last year, when only 43% of men said they wanted to add more muscle, the 2008 survey revealed that a staggering 87% of men now want to add muscle and shape-up. When the women were asked the same question it showed that 58% preferred more muscle on a man. It won’t shock you to know then that when both were asked who their favourite celebrity body was, the answer for both was the same – Daniel Craig as James Bond.
“Muscular men are considered to be more dominant than weedy-looking chaps because being physically imposing implies you are more confident,” says Dr Kerri McPherson (Health Psychologist at Glasgow Caledonian University) when asked by Men’s Fitness.
Important to Have a Good Body
When it comes to whether or not it’s important to have a good body, it’s amazing how image-conscious the world has become. Out of the 3000 individuals surveyed, 97% said that it was important to have a good body, up by 10% when compared to the results in 2007.
Even though both side believe that having a great body is important, their views vary slightly when it comes to how far they’re willing to go to get that perfect body. 23% of the men would consider having plastic surgery, whereas 30% of women were open to the idea of going under the knife.
Just the Way You Are
Sometimes it’s good to know that you’re liked just the way you are. When the 3000 individuals were asked about their favourite body shapes, the results were as follows: 42% of men said they liked women to be curvy, 37% said athletic, 14% said slender and 7% said busty. When the women were asked the same question the survey revealed that 58% of women preferred men to be muscular, 21% said slim, 11% said chunky and 10% said cuddly.
It’s time to recognise that the gym, especially the weights area, is no longer just for athletes and for massive men who grunt and groan, it should be used by everyone if they want to reach their goal. The majority has voted – it’s time to hit those weights.
