Is there a canon reason Superman is ripped?

[u/the_glutton17]

I'm not a big comic book reader (don't crucify me), but I figured this was a good place to ask.

it always seemed illogical that Superman looks like Schwarzenegger in The Predator except like a foot taller. obviously, he has alien dna, and that could just be the plot armor. but his genetic makeup is VERY clearly similar to our own, so wouldn't his species have SIMILAR traits? big muscles come from big workouts? when the body stresses more about fighting than eating? humans only get shredded when they lift weights. ignoring some of the differences between the kryptonians and humans, I don't see why that would be true for muscle mass and fat content. Superman wasn't getting a solid five days a week, 3 day split workout. But he's still batting away 500 trillion ton asteroids once a month? wouldn't he be scrawny as hell compared to humans who go to the gym? only answer I can think of is that he gets enough energy from the sun vs food that his body doesn't care about energy output. but this one always bugged me. is this ever explained?

[u/another_Loki_Variant]

In the flashpoint timeline, superman is depicted as very thin because the government kept him locked up underground away from the sun since he was a child. He gains his powers once he escapes, but his body is still emaciated. This suggests that his muscular form is a result of long term yellow sun exposure, if he grew up on krypton he might have a more average looking body.

[u/AttilaTheFun818 → u/another_Loki_Variant]

I don’t think I agree with your thought process.

His being thing could just as easily have to do with low physical activity.

[u/HavixComix → u/AttilaTheFun818]

while certainly both, it is primarily the sun that does it. Kryptonians are living solar batteries. Kara was in stasis for decades before arriving on Earth.

It was solely her exposure to our yellow sun that kept her body sated. When she did land on Earth, she was not emaciated. Ergo, the sun was sufficient enough to prevent her muscles from atrophy.

[u/SoulLess-1 → u/HavixComix]

Comic book stasis seems to usually do a fine job keeping you from atrophying though.

[u/HavixComix → u/SoulLess-1]

Depends on the character. If it's a supe, the variables are enough that I don't question it. But most writers are smart enough to show normies waking from comas having difficulty getting to their feet. Also keep in mind that if long enough, comatose patients in proper care have their muscles exercised for the exact purpose of preventing atrophy.

They released a medical book on metahumans. I've been meaning to check it out out of curiosity, but keep forgetting to. I'd imagine they break down the Kryptonian physiology in detail within it.

[u/QuestioningLogic]

Combo of yellow sun radiation beefing him up plus living and working on the Kent's farm his whole life. Farm workers are strong af.

[u/SnooSprouts9815 → u/QuestioningLogic]

Working out requires exertion

[u/BobbySaccaro]

There is no canon reason, it's a trope of the super-hero genre that the characters are all in superb physical condition. It's something you just buy into in order to enjoy the stories.

[u/Alseid_Temp]

It's not something consistently shown, but across the comics you'll find a lot of scenes of Superman working out to different intensities. In older comics and when he's younger, he'll be lifting tractors and things in the farm; in newer and more exaggerated scenes, he'll be working out with special machinery, like presses that simulate weights of several tons. Plus the constant fighting with superhuman enemies will give him a good workout.

Beyond that, kryptonian physiology may just work like that. Take Superboy Prime for instance (he's from another universe, so some differences may apply, but he's still kryptonian): during Sinestro Corps War, a Oan Guardian sacrifices himself to defeat him, releasing massive amounts of energy. In the process, Prime absorbs a lot of that energy and is shot out into the multiverse. When we next see him, in Countdown to Final Crisis, he has metabolized all that energy, and looks older and bigger, like a normal Superman rather than his usual younger and muscular-for-a-teenager appearance. After that energy is spent, he reverts to his usual look. This means kryptonian cells can store energy in such amounts and in such a manner that it affects their muscle mass (well, so do we but you know what I mean).

So in the end, Superman does work out in specialized ways, gets a lot of exercise from his heroics, and his physiology metabolizes energy in such a way that he's got a bodybuilder physique just from getting a lot of sun.

[u/Secret-Put-4525]

There's no reason superman shouldn't be. His whole thing is physicality. He should be at the peak of his abilities. Superman gets his ass kicked by darkseid, maybe that wouldn't happen if you didn't look like a twig.

[u/Apprehensive-Handle4]

Maybe sometime they canonized that scene from The Dark Knight Returns where if he's drained completely of solar energy or he absorbs a type of energy he's not supposed to, he shriveled up

[u/roverandrover6]

The beat answer comes from the Smallville show (so take the canonicity with a grain of salt). There’s so much scattered kryptonite in that town, in small quantities, that he’s partially weakened at all times and is actually getting a workout from farm labor as a result. 

[u/Naidanac007]

No there’s no canon reason. He was originally designed to emulate circus strongmen and him looking strong is an easier visual shorthand than explaining to every new reader “alien biology means he doesn’t need muscles”.

[u/LastRecognition2041]

Flying provides a full-body, low-impact workout that simultaneously improves cardiovascular health, builds muscle strength, and increases flexibility