Do women prefer men who work out? (1 Viewer)

[Paul_D]

All other things being equal, do you think men who work out are generally more attractive to women than men who don't? Casual opinions welcome!

 

[Tom Johnson]

Regardless of what they may say, women dig men with muscles and as I've recently learned from personal experience they also dig tattoos.

 

[MichaelPe]

, do you think men who work out are generally more attractive to women than men who don't?

I'm emphasizing the "all other things being equal" in your question, because that makes the answer obvious... Yes. Of course, the exception being that some women are turned off by bodybuilders whose muscles are "too big". In today's society a "fit" body is considered more attractive than an "unfit" body. I guess Darwin was right...

 

[Bill Eberhardt]

Yes, and women who work out are more attractive to men who work out - or so I've heard.

 

[Rob Gillespie]

I think it's more a case of women preferring men who 'look after themselves' a bit. Whether they prefer loads of muscles or not is their own preference (duuh, obviously!) but the fact that the man takes a bit of time to keep himself in trim probably has a lot to do with it.

 

[Paul_D]

In today's society a "fit" body is considered more attractive than an "unfit" body.

Certainly the theory of natural selection would suggest this. However, if you peer beneath the surface of today's society, there exists an underbelly (pun intended ), that believes obsessive fitness is unattractive... that it promotes vanity, and self-obsession. I myself know a couple of women who would not date a man who was higher-maintenance than they were. Food for thought, no?

 

[Pamela]

I prefer men who take care of themselves. That does not mean I dig muscles. I don't dig a big ol' gut hanging over their belt. Toned is nice.*

*This is only the view of the author and does not reflect the views of women everywhere.

 

[Paul_D]

...but the fact that the man takes a bit of time to keep himself in trim probably has a lot to do with it.

Oh absolutely. Keeping yourself in shape was all I meant by 'work out'. I didn't mean 'Do women prefer Arnold Schwarzeneggerish guys?' I think an overly developed physique can look rather distasteful.

 

[Philip_G]

am I the only one that finds it odd that in a thread about what women prefer, only one women has replied?

 

[Paul_D]

am I the only one that finds it odd that in a thread about what women prefer, only one women has replied?

Consider the ratio of female members to male members, and that mystification will fade right away.

 

[Philip Hamm]

Um... yes.

 

[Moe Maishlish]

Definately. Don't kid yourselves - looks do count.

I've had this kind of conversation with quite a few women, and ultimately physical appearance is a huge factor. Physical appearance does involve a healthy/fit body. It does not necessarily involve an overly-developed physique with more muscle-power then brain power.

The general point of view that I've heard is "Yeah, I like intelligent guys, but a nice six-pack wouldn't hurt".

Make no mistake... men are just as objectified in todays western society as women. Men will just have a harder time admitting it, for fear of damaging their "macho" male image.

Moe.

 

[SteveA]

Based on my observations, I think the majority of women prefer big, dumb jocks. Intelligence is only important to a small percentage of women.

Most women also seem to prefer guys that treat them badly. Nice guys don't have a chance with most chicks. This is a topic for another thread, though.

 

[Peter_A]

Most women also seem to prefer guys that treat them badly. Nice guys don't have a chance with most chicks

Amen to that. How many times have I heard "oh you're such a nice guy, can we be friends?" :rolleyes

 

[RobertR]

I think the majority of women prefer big, dumb jocks

Add the presence of a lot of money as a magnet to women. Put the two together, and you have a man who attracts women by the boatload (as evidenced by what happens with professional athletes), the personal protestations of some women notwithstanding.

 

[Janna S]

What I find attractive is men who have full, rich, busy lives, who have lots of interests, who can think beyond the ends of their own noses or their own, uh, equipment, who are engaged in efforts and thoughts and activities that benefit the world, the community, or the people in their lives, not merely themselves.

The more time a man spends working out or otherwise focusing on things that are related to himself, his body, or his appearance, the less interesting and the less attractive he is to me. Nothing drives me crazier than people who spend time and money and energy on solely selfish pursuits like working out.

If some ordinary level of fitness is achieved by daily activity, then that's nice. But if it is achieved artificially, it's not. And if he's paunchy or out of shape but his heart and his head are in full swing, the body is pretty much irrelevant.

Of the many men who have been in my life, I hold none in my memory or in my heart because of what they looked like (and there were some who were very good looking, and in great shape).

The truth is, it's harder to be a good person that it is to be a good looking person. And that's the accomplishment I admire and seek out.

 

[JonZ]

"Make no mistake... men are just as objectified in todays western society as women."

Amen.Women complain theyre unfairly compared to women in movies and magazines, but men are as well.

 

[Thomas Reagan]

I think you'll find that women are attrcted to men who are confident and self-assured. That being said, men who work out may and/or are physically attractive act more confident about themselves than those who don't.
In some cases, self-assuredness is demonstrated by guys treating their girlfriends like crap. The mystery is why women fail to see they are being treated like crap and dump 'em.
Thos.

 

[Pamela]

Some interesting views...

I've had this kind of conversation with quite a few women, and ultimately physical appearance is a huge factor.

Why should it be any different for women than it is for men?
P.S. I prefer men with good grooming and hygiene, myself. I'll take a guy who cuts his toenails and fingernails, plucks errant hairs from orifices, bathes regularly and dresses nicely over a well developed set of abs, anyday!

 

[Mike Broadman]

I don't understand the point of this thread: if we're talking about men who exercise to keep themselves healthy and not the steroid ape-men, why wouldn't a woman like that? Who wants to be with a big fat slob?