What happened to the muscle?

christotheman

Hey guys apparently Sean Connery was once a bodybuilder, but in FRWL when he is about to have a shower but gets distracted by the sound he looks average, here is a pic form his bodybuilding days:

walther p99

Ive wondered the same thing, FRWL came out in 1963? so was cirious when that pic was taken, either way Connery was never in great shape for his Bond films, But i believe his physique, along with Brozzers in GE (or a slighty heavier Brozzer in TND) was the body that Bond would have,not bodybuilder-ish, just in shape. niether of the Bonds were really in good shape (or bothered to push a few weights) except for Lazenby and Craig, even though in CR Craig pushed a few too many weights. the literary Bond weighs 167 (right?) and had a "tall slim build" so i think Brosnan in GE was the closest weighing 165 in GE.

Hardyboy

Connery with a shaved and oiled chest. It just seems so. . .wrong. . .

Alan_more

walther p99 wrote:

Ive wondered the same thing, FRWL came out in 1963? so was cirious when that pic was taken.

It was taken in 1950 when he was twenty for the Mr Universe competition.

Alex

Sheesh, Connery's Bond looks anything but "out of shape" to these eyes. Especially the first four films. If that's what you call "average" then todays standards must be extraordinarily high.

Thunderbird 2

Alex wrote:

Sheesh, Connery's Bond looks anything but "out of shape" to these eyes. Especially the first four films. If that's what you call "average" then todays standards must be extraordinarily high.

Actualy in an age of organic foods, frowning on smoking drinking and attempts to get people more active in general terms, standards - or at least peer pressure - is higher!

Personally whether it was right or wrong compared to the real MI6, CIA etc etc, I prefered Craigs' buff look in CR. It was said he wanted to look like a man who could kill without thinking about it. - He did!

I think Mr Brosnan deserves a special nod - I get the distinct impression from that he takes keeping healthly and in shape seriously.

Thunderpussy

What little knowlage I have of weight lifting from many years ago when your in compatition mode you keep your body fat low, and working out shows off your muscles,But in normal life your body fat increases and your musles don't show so you do infact look like most other people.I do know that many actors known for their bodies always work out before a photo-shoot.

Loeffelholz

I always thought that Connery's lean and sinewy build was just right, especially in the early pictures. By YOLT, one had the sense he wasn't as concerned...but in fact, the only film where he isn't 'quite there' is DAF, in my opinion, where his middle-age spread had started to get the better of him.

He looked pretty fit---for a Geezer Bond---in NSNA, as far as that goes; I hope I look like that with my shirt off when I'm 53 By that age, Sir Roger was (wisely) keeping his torso to himself.

Dan Same

Alex wrote:

Sheesh, Connery's Bond looks anything but "out of shape" to these eyes. Especially the first four films. If that's what you call "average" then todays standards must be extraordinarily high.

Indeed. I loved how Connery look in his first four (or five) films. I've always thought he looked exactly like an agent of Bond's calibre and skillset would look. He wasn't too muscular, but he was still in incredible shape. I feel the same way about Brosnan and Lazenby, and Moore to a lesser extent. I can't really comment on Dalton as I don't remember what his body looks like, as it's been a while since I saw TLD and LTK, however it should be noted that in all my complaints about Dalton, I've never complained about his physique. The one Bond whose physique I do have a problem with is Craig who is IMO too muscular, and unrealistically so.

Dan Same

Thunderpussy wrote:

What little knowlage I have of weight lifting from many years ago when your in compatition mode you keep your body fat low, and working out shows off your muscles,But in normal life your body fat increases and your musles don't show so you do infact look like most other people.I do know that many actors known for their bodies always work out before a photo-shoot.

Not quite. Out of competition, your body fat does increase and so you lose alot of your muscularity, but you still maintain a large physique. There is no mistaking a bodybuilder as even out of competition, they are with a few exceptions, still alot larger than the average person.

Loeffelholz

Thunderbird 2 wrote:

Personally whether it was right or wrong compared to the real MI6, CIA etc etc, I prefered Craigs' buff look in CR. It was said he wanted to look like a man who could kill without thinking about it. - He did!

I'm with you there. Craig's build in CR was IMO very appropriate for someone with his SBS background; someone with a discipline for staying fit. I've always thought that Craig's desire to look dangerous with his shirt off was a means of compensating for his shorter-than-the-average-Bond height. If he was too muscular in CR (which I don't necessarily concede), I think he's nearly perfectly built (to be Bond) in QoS, where his training focus was more on cardio and endurance---he was visibly less 'big' through the chest and shoulders. In the scene with Fields in the hotel room, Craig is built as much like Fleming's Bond as any actor ever has been---including Classic Early Connery.

Lazenby was also just about right, as was Dalton (if a bit on the thin side). Brozzer was a bit too slight in GE, but compensated with the distinctive panache of his movement. He was bigger in TND, which I thought served him well.

christotheman

The only reason that DC has a big buff body is because rugby is one of his pastimes and i remember reading somewhere that he used to play rugby(not professionally) .

FelixLeiter ♀

I do agree that DC's body looks the most suited to the the character. I think it certainly could have gone too far but it really didn't. I disagree with Chris that DC's physique would be only to rugby. You wouldn't be able to build up such a physique purely by playing; workouts would be necessary also.

thesecretagent

Connery in his youth was a tall, thinish man. His muscle was pumped and not natural. If he quit working out in such a way it would merely degenerate. Muscle does not turn into fat if not used. The lack of oxygenated blood cells caused through working with heavy weights simply softens and shrinks the muscle tissue. That ripped and muscled look comes from shedding fat by eating protien and working out. Then a dietry switch to carbohydrates and heavier weights pumps the body up. I did a lot of weights in my teens and early twenties and although my friends and I never got close to competing (neither bothered nor inclined to look like that) we did get big and muscular and tried many different techniques to get the best results naturally.
I think Craig looked un-naturally muscular in CR and better proportioned in QOS. My wife seconds my observation. I think I'll have to have words...

walther p99

thesecretagent wrote:

Connery in his youth was a tall, thinish man. His muscle was pumped and not natural. If he quit working out in such a way it would merely degenerate. Muscle does not turn into fat if not used. The lack of oxygenated blood cells caused through working with heavy weights simply softens and shrinks the muscle tissue. That ripped and muscled look comes from shedding fat by eating protien and working out. Then a dietry switch to carbohydrates and heavier weights pumps the body up. I did a lot of weights in my teens and early twenties and although my friends and I never got close to competing (neither bothered nor inclined to look like that) we did get big and muscular and tried many different techniques to get the best results naturally.
I think Craig looked un-naturally muscular in CR and better proportioned in QOS. My wife seconds my observation. I think I'll have to have words...

great post. and i agree with your statement that craig looked better in quantum of solace then Casino Royale, he fit the suits alot better and the muscular yet-not-in-the-gym-everyday look suits Bond better i think.

osris

If memory serves me well, I think only Connery exposed his whole body (apart from his private parts) in some of the Bond films. I can’t recall Lazenby, Moore, Dalton or Brosnan doing so. Moore only showed his chest and arms without a shirt on in TMWTGG.

welshboy78

christotheman wrote:

The only reason that DC has a big buff body is because rugby is one of his pastimes and i remember reading somewhere that he used to play rugby(not professionally) .

In Layer Cake he is not big at all. I think simply he keeps in shape for his films

Charmed & Dangerous

welshboy78 wrote:

christotheman wrote:

The only reason that DC has a big buff body is because rugby is one of his pastimes and i remember reading somewhere that he used to play rugby(not professionally) .

In Layer Cake he is not big at all. I think simply he keeps in shape for his films

You're right, Welshie. You can see from the Press Conference photos when he first got the gig, that he's naturally slim. He just trains hard before the films.

Chriscoop

DC is a naturally thin guy, not so much these days, SC was a big man, if he was 20 nowadays doing bodybuilding he'd be huge. Though very tall men never look as big as shorter guys.

MilleniumForce

Whilst I prefer Bond to be more of an average size, like Moore or Connery, I do think Craig being so built up suits him, as it makes him look more rugged, which is what his character is like.

superado

osris wrote:

If memory serves me well, I think only Connery exposed his whole body (apart from his private parts) in some of the Bond films. I can’t recall Lazenby, Moore, Dalton or Brosnan doing so. Moore only showed his chest and arms without a shirt on in TMWTGG.

PB did have that short scene in GE in the hotel pool wearing only trunks, whereas GL wore only his tidy whities and boots while horsing around in the snow...of course all behind-the-scenes!

Gassy Man

Tastes have changed considerably, too, at least for some people. It really wasn't until the 1980s that the overmuscled guy became more common in film.

My mother, who saw the original Bonds in the theater, said men with too much muscle looked odd, except maybe in movies about ancient Rome or whatever. They moved in a clumsy, lumbering way, and lacked the grace the hero should have. They didn't look natural. She didn't find it attractive nor did any of the women she knew.

To them, it was a weird, exaggerated body type, analogous to the ultra thin woman with gigantic fake breasts today. But, both have become commonplace today, so people are used to it.

I get it. I prefer the "Marilyn Monroe" body type to the stripper. But, to each their own.