Top 10 Movies with TOO MANY Muscles
These movies features shirtless, buff actors to the point where it gets a little ridiculous! WatchMojo presents the top 10 movies that have an absurd amount of muscular beauty shots in them. But what will take the top spot on our list? The Expendables, Commando, or 300? Watch to find out!
These movies will inspire you to hit the gym. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 movies with TOO many muscles.
For this list, we’re looking at films whose characters are in amazing physical condition, with an almost excessive amount of screen-time dedicated to showing off their rockin’ bods. We’re restricting this list specifically to narrative-based films, so documentaries like “Pumping Iron” will not be eligible.
#10: “Enter the Dragon” (1973)
Literally kicking off our list is Bruce Lee’s ripped physique in this classic early-‘70s martial arts movie. While Lee lacked the size and overall muscle mass possessed by many of the actors you’ll see on this list, that’s not to say he wasn’t in excellent shape: chiseled, with muscular definition akin to that of a comic book superhero, Bruce Lee was one lean, mean fighting machine and it definitely showed during every nunchuck swinging action scene. Compared to many action stars that followed in his footsteps, Lee possessed the realistic form of an actual fighter, which, all things considered, is still quite a bit of muscle.
#9: “Fast Five” (2011)
When we’re talking about muscle in this movie, we don’t just mean the horsepower in the car engines. With this fifth installment of the long running action series, we guess the filmmakers found that having beefcakes like Vin Diesel just wasn’t enough… so they added Dwayne “actually a rock” Johnson for additional muscle madness. The two spend most of the movie’s runtime clashing with one another, with the tension between Dominic Toretto and Diplomatic Security Service agent Luke Hobbs practically oozing off the screen. So, whether you’re watching it for the fight scenes or the overall testosterone-fueled plotline, “Fast Five” isn’t shy about flexing its many muscles.
#8: “Gladiator” (2000)
The violent world of gladiatorial combat required its combatants to be in fighting form for the obstacles that awaited them and Ridley Scott’s historical epic depicted this flawlessly. Not only did Russell Crowe work out to get in solid shape to play the role of Maximus, but the many other fighters that would enter the fray were also in prime physical shape. Co-star Djimon Hounsou’s character had brawn to match his brains, and the many towering opponents they would both face off against appeared to be made of nothing but muscle. Gladiator matches are very much a test of strength, and with people as buff as this, we’re in for one heck of a match.
#7: “Pain & Gain” (2013)
For a movie with fitness and weight training at the forefront, you can be darn sure there’ll be tons of muscles shown off during its runtime. Add in the fact that the movie stars both a jacked-up Mark Wahlberg and Anthony Mackie, as well as an even more jacked up Dwayne Johnson (if that’s even possible), and you have a gratuitous amount of muscle shots to look forward to. Nearly every single scene features a character working out, walking around in a tank top, or performing some activity to show off their impeccable muscle mass. So grab some popcorn, endure the pain of Michael Bay’s directing, and maybe you’ll gain some solid workout tips!
#6: “Over the Top” (1987)
This movie follows Sylvester Stallone as a down on his luck truck driver trying to win back the love of his son by becoming a champion arm wrestler. Yeah, it was the ‘80s - movie plots were more carefree back then. Since the entire storyline is about arm wrestling, you can bet your bottom dollar there will be a barrage of close-up shots of biceps flexing. The arm wrestling scenes play out just as long and overdramatically as you can imagine, complete with lots of grunting, lots of sweating, lots of Kenny Loggins and lots of muscles looking about ready to explode.
#5: “Conan the Barbarian” (1982)
Hot off the heels of his achievements in the world of weightlifting, Arnold Schwarzenegger broke onto the film scene in a big way… emphasis on the word BIG. Being a barbarian, Conan exhibits a great deal of raw, brutal strength throughout the movie. He even knocks out a camel with his bare hands, which is no small feat. There’s also a scene where Conan’s practicing his technique with a sword while shirtless… because apparently, being shirtless makes you all the more formidable an opponent with a blade. Well, that and you can show off your big muscles and then [in an Arnold voice] “crush your enemies!”
#4: “Bloodsport” (1988)
Some might say Jean-Claude Van Damme doesn’t have much to offer in terms of impressive acting skills in this film, but boy does he make up for that with his extremely fit physical condition. Practically every time Van Damme lands a punch or a kick, he makes an overdramatic yell and flexes his muscles to the absolute maximum, showing off how well-toned his body is from head-to-toe. Plus, considering the movie revolves around an illegal martial arts tournament, Van Damme isn’t the only guy showing off his impressive set of quads, biceps, and triceps. “Bloodsport?” More like, “let’s show off our muscles while screaming our heads off… sport.”
#3: “Commando” (1985)
From the opening sequence to the energetic, explosive climax, “Commando” pulls no punches in showing off Arnold’s incredibly fit body. Nearly every set piece seems to be designed specifically to showcase the actor’s physical prowess. Arnold uses his formidable strength to carry around huge logs over his shoulder as if they were nothing, swings entire telephone booths over his head, and holds people upside down with one hand like paperweights. He even carries an entire arsenal of weaponry on top of him like a one-man army, sporting a sleeveless uniform to show off those giant guns while doing all that heavy lifting.
#2: “The Expendables” (2010)
We’ll put it this way: when Sylvester Stallone (an actor who already has enough muscles to go around) assembles an all-star cast of other buff dudes into one big action showpiece, things are going to get crazy. Joining Stallone through a bevy of explosions and smack downs are tough guys Jason Statham, MMA fighter Randy Couture, heavyweight wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Terry Crews’ gigantic biceps to boot. We even get a reunion between the Italian Stallion and Ivan Drago himself, Dolph Lundgren. And, as if all of these guys running around with massive machine guns and throwing ego-fueled quips at each other isn’t enough, good ol’ Arnie also joins the fray.
Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions…
- “Bronson” (2008)
- “Warrior” (2011)
- “Magic Mike XXL” (2015)
#1: “300” (2006)
Was there any doubt? All the movies on this list feature buff characters showing off their build. But “300” has… well, 300 muscly men running across the screen showing off their bodies for two hours. For the heck of it, let’s do some math here. It seems that to be a Spartan warrior, an eight pack is mandatory, so that’s 300 times 8, which is… 2,400 individual abs! Let’s not forget that all of these soldiers have rocking pairs of biceps, triceps, and deltoids as well. Yes, we just used math to explain how awesomely masculine this movie is. Numbers don’t lie, “300” is the muscle-iest movie ever.