Here I think some of the best historical references for this question would be art depicting men. I'l admit to not being an expert, but many depictions of men, whether as leaders, heroes, gods, or just as being male - in the instances where they had their torsos exposed - usually showed them to have defined muscles and abs. They maybe weren't shown to be "chiseled" quite in the way we might think of the ideal male today, but they still showed the muscles of an individual with great strength, which is what one wanted from a man in those times.

Women, who were needed to be child bearing, didn't need defined muscles, or the slender form so often promoted today, so in art they often appeared plumper than in art of today.

Can an expert better support this amateur's assessment?