Honestly this is the most realistic, though. The son of Zeus wouldn't need to look roided out to be strong (and most artists at the time probably had no idea what muscles so large would actually look like, since it's very difficult to get size like that naturally). It's always just been modern artistic license that depicts him that way.
It's like Superman having giant muscles, it creates this larger than life appearance but really there's no good reason for it.
KryptonianJesus t1_j68f4c3 wrote
Reply to comment by Egmilano in Ancient statue of Hercules emerges from Rome sewerage repairs by Rob-Study-8562
Honestly this is the most realistic, though. The son of Zeus wouldn't need to look roided out to be strong (and most artists at the time probably had no idea what muscles so large would actually look like, since it's very difficult to get size like that naturally). It's always just been modern artistic license that depicts him that way.
It's like Superman having giant muscles, it creates this larger than life appearance but really there's no good reason for it.