The statue that begged this question is the Farnese Hercules, as such a body would be hard to obtain even with todays knowledge about fitness and nutrition. Bodies such as portrayed in the [Discus Thrower](https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/discobolos-de- discuspottenbakker-rome-itali%C3%AB-89077360.jpg) seem far more believable to me because he seems far leaner and less muscular, which is something I can imagine a reasonably fit man obtaining without very specific resistance training and diet. My question therefore mainly focusses on the kind of body we today associate with bodybuilding, lifting and the fitness community in general.