Oh goody, a question on Ancient Greece; my favourite!

The statues are likely ideals, representations of the gods as the epitome of the form, perfect and beautiful that they might stretch on throughout eternity as a testatment to the aesthetics of the Greeks. They likely had standing-models to base the general form off of but it isn't out of the question in the least to suggest that the sculptor would go out of his way to make the god perfect. Greek citizen males between the ages of 12-50 were likely in very good shape, especially on a functional level, but you generally don't give Jesus a beer belly and a harelip.

Now, as far as your subquestion regarding the fitness of the Greeks: To put it simply, people could get muscular in Ancient Greece by working out in ways surprisingly similar to modern methods.

First, let's consider the general state of athleticism and fitness in ancient Greece. For the sake of example, I'll focus on Athens, not Sparta because the Lacedaimonians were the ancient world's equivalent of the mustachio'd strongmen in leotards who spent all day lifting massive triangular weights. Athenians were, as one of the most important city-states in the Mediterranean, often involved in wars (especially in the 5th century BC, they were running into and throwing out fists for nearly the entire century) so you have a populace that, at the very least, was interested in maintaining itself for war if the time came. You also have several philosophers, physicians (Hippocrates, for example, always advocated working out for phycal health), poets that emphasize the glory of a well-maintained body, such as Socrates's famous quote: “No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.” Quotes like these serve as admonitions to future generations but they also serve just as well in the form of reflections of contemporary attitudes. Also consider the festivals, competitions, and Olympic Games, which were one of the few ways that even the lowest Greek on the social/fiscal totem pole could compete against the most famous of Greeks and emerge a hero lauded by his fellows. The reward for accomplishment and prowess in the field of athletics for the Ancient Greeks was nearly always incredible as it was usually either (a) some kind of massive, rich compensation or (b) that you didn't die when you went to war. It should be remembered that, for most Greeks, the Olympic Games would be the biggest gathering of their 'country-men' that any of them had ever seen so the pressure to do well and have an excellent body was intense.

Now, as far as techniques are concerned, I think you'll be surprised how modern they could be. For example, running whilst carrying weights, throwing heavy objects(a la shot-putt), and weight lifting were staples of a Greek athlete's regimen, as well as wrestling, boxing, etc. More than anything, though, the Athenian would put the majority of his training into running. Running increases endurance, prepares the body for marching, strengthens the legs, tones the body, and it's a pretty effective way of getting around, too. Pheidippides would not have made the first marathon had a Greek soldier's training featured running so heavily.

The last thing I'd urge you to consider is one that we often overlook, by which I mean lifestyle trends. Greek men spent time in the gym as a social function as well as an athletic one, hunting was popular, the Greek diet was fairly conducive to good body habits, farming was a major agricultural endeavor, etc. When we take into consideration that your average Greek basically busted his ass for fun to take a break from a day of busting his ass for work, it's relatively easy to see how they could be in good shape. And again, you have to free yourself of the mindset that pervades today's society of the intellectual who doesn't do pushups or the barely-literate gym monkey. I mean, you've got people like Platon whose name is literally "wide-shoulders" and was well-known for being a wrestler. ============= ============= ================ ====================== = ============= ============= ================ ====================== =

Sources:

Pretty much all of Homer.^[I've ^gotten ^a ^message ^regarding ^the ^decision ^to ^use ^Homer ^as ^a ^source ^and ^while ^I ^agree ^in ^principle, ^Homer ^teaches ^us ^a ^great ^many ^things ^about ^the ^Greeks. ^For ^an ^example ^strictly ^relevant ^to ^this ^question, ^the ^funeral-games ^of ^Patrokolus ^featuring ^pankration ^set ^the ^precedent ^for ^many ^boxing-related ^festivals ^and ^activities ^in ^Patrokolus's ^continued ^honour ^in ^Greece.)

Plato (who seemed to go back and forth on his opinion of exercise, putting the previously quoted words into Socrates's mouth at one point but later recommending a measured attitude towards hitting the gym in The Republic)

Herodotus (not strictly a source of training history per se but a valuable insight into festivals, competitions, games, military formations, medicine, etc.)

Craig's Sports and Games of the Ancients

Garland's The Greek Way of Life: From Conception to Old Age (one of my favourite texts of all time and one that I recommend to absolutely everyone interested in the Greece of antiquity)

Edith Hamilton's The Greek Way

Ian Jenkins' The Greek Body

I'm no expert, but I have been studying the classical period for the last 2 years and from what I understand there were professional athletes in Ancient Greece. They had the Olympics, but most city states also held festivals to honor their various gods that would include physical sports like racing and wrestling. The athletes would win jars of olive oil which at the time was equal winning a years salary because it was very valuable. So there were men that traveled the Aegean to compete in the festivals to support themselves and their families. Not to mention that most men were trained warriors to defend their Polis. I don't think it would be difficult for them to be in really great shape.