Well, if you read up on the history of the Silver and especially Bronze Eras, they weren't purely bodybuilders as we think of them today. Many circus strongmen, Olympic lifters, wrestlers, gymnasts, what would eventually be called powerlifters, the majority of them were athletes from a ton of different worlds who took pride in their physique. Then we can see the evolution of what an ideal physique was through time, and at the end of the day it's subjective and heavily influenced by the current culture.
One of my idols who I try and base my physique goals on is John Grimek. That is a Herculean physique if I've ever seen one, with massive arms, a wide and thick back, and perfect proportions it was just a work of art. Not to mention his monstrous strength. And while there are some rumors the US Government tested out some PEDs on him to see if they could get a leg up on Russia, he was almost certainly natural for the vast majority of his career.
But if you want to learn about an absolute legend, Paul Anderson AKA The Mightiest Minister was probably one of the strongest pure natural men to have ever lived. And he did all his training in his backyard with shit he found in a junkyard. He was also, as you may have guessed, a minister. He was the ideal of a Christian man by all accounts, you can find his sermons online today, and his youth home is still up and running. Even if you aren't religious, the man is respectable.
Man, I'm such a nerd for this history.
