Do Women Really Like Muscular Guys? Readers Weigh In

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We asked readers which male body type is most attractive

Co-authored by Raven Minyard, BA Reviewed by John Keegan

Last Updated: August 5, 2025 Fact Checked

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• Are women attracted to muscular men?
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• Why Women Like Muscles
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• Most Attractive Muscles

|Show more |Show less

The results are in: do women actually like muscular men? We polled hundreds of wikiHow readers and consulted with experts to give you the ultimate answer on whether women are attracted to men with muscles. Keep reading to learn what women think of muscular men, why they’re attracted to muscles, and which muscles are most attractive on men.

Women’s Preferred Body Type for Men

Reader Poll: We asked 709 wikiHow readers how muscular they like a man to be, and 38% of them said moderately muscular. [Take Poll] While women’s preferences are subjective, research has shown that plenty of women do like their men with a bit of muscle (but not too much!).

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Section 1 of 3:

Are women attracted to muscular men?

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1. 
   Yes, many women find muscular men attractive. Of course, physical attraction is subjective, but studies have shown that women typically find lean, toned men to be more attractive than men with other body types. However, this doesn’t mean that women love big muscles—when we polled wikiHow users, only a few said they preferred men who are “bodybuilder level.” And, not all women even care about body type—roughly a quarter of responses to our survey were “doesn’t matter / no preference.”

   • Don’t feel like you have to change your body to impress a woman. The right person will like you just the way you are!
   • Is there a difference for short-term vs. long-term relationships? Yes, studies have shown that muscular men report having more sexual partners than men with other body types. The same study states that women are more willing to have short-term relations with muscular men. These men do not need to have the emotional characteristics the woman looks for in long-term partners.
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Section 2 of 3:

Why Women Are Attracted to Muscles

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1. 
   Muscles can be indicators of health and fitness. Studies have shown that humans tend to look for partners with exaggerated secondary sexual characteristics (like muscles) because those characteristics often signal that a person is fertile. Plus, muscles often signify that a person cares about staying active and healthy, which is important to a lot of people.

   • When women see a man with muscles, they may see that he takes care of himself and make the assumption that they won’t need to take care of him.
   • Muscles are also a stereotypically masculine feature, so some women may be attracted to muscular men if they’re looking for a partner who can protect them.
   • Having muscles may also boost a man’s confidence, which can make him more attractive to women.

Section 3 of 3:

Which muscles do women find most attractive?

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1. 
   Women tend to be most attracted to large muscles like abs and glutes. In a study conducted by the University of Texas at Austin, women generally preferred muscles that are harder to build than muscles that are easy to build. When asked to rate their preferences for large muscles, women’s top 5 muscles were as follows:

   • Obliques
   • Glutes
   • Abs
   • Biceps
   • Shoulders
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