Remember when Hollywood's action stars were massively muscular? Back in the 80's when Arnold Schwarzenegger was Hollywood's leading man, bodybuilding became mainstream for a short period of time. It led to a whole generation of guys who wanted to gain as much muscle as possible. It has been over 20 years since Terminator came out, and yet the fitness industry still feels the impact of that movie.

The Big Muscle Look Began to Die in the Late 90's

You see, although many guys wanted to get as big as possible, women had a different idea of what looked great. They wanted their men to look good in dress clothes as well as with their shirts off. Women are physically attracted to the GQ look or lean and slim toned guys, not massive freaky muscular guys. If you ever have seen a soap opera, you will notice that all of the men have average amounts of muscle but with exceptional muscle tone.

1999, the Year Fight Club Came Out, Was The Official Death of the Massive Look

Brad Pitt did women a big service in the movie Fight Club. He finally got the message through to many men, that women truly do like the lean and toned look. The year after Fight Club came out Brad Pitt was voted Sexiest Man Alive in People Magazine. The great thing about Fight Club was that it was kind of a soap opera for guys. Tyler Durden did crazy things that we thought were kind of cool in a weird sense. In fact I would say that Fight Club and Top Gun are movies really well written for guys. There is something about these movies that speak to us. So we paid attention to Brad Pitt in this movie. It was actually the first time I respected him as a guy's guy.

Actors Have Slimmed Down in Record Numbers Since 1999

How many women do you know who find Matt Damon attractive? About every single woman you know! He is the new action star and has a regular size build with great muscle definition. He has the build of a slim Navy Seal or Special Ops guy. These men are slim with functional strength. Someone like Arnold looks cool in the movie Predator, but in reality he would move slower and get shot due to his excess size. Mark Wahlberg is another example of a guy who used to be big, but created a sleek look. What about Johnny Depp? People forget he used to be bulky earlier in his career. Now that he has slimmed down, women can't get enough of this guy. He would look stupid if he added 30 pounds of muscle!

Are You Still Trying to Get Massive?

Want to look terrible in a suit or casual clothes, then aim for the bodybuilder look. Large muscles do not impress women at all. You may gain the attention from guys in the gym who are also trying to get big, but women won't give you a second glance. There are always exceptions to the rule, but those are just exceptions. You may actually want to open your eyes and observe what women find sexy. Hint, it isn't the large muscle look!