Language is always changing, isn't it? So is Japanese. It seems to be difficult to describe people's appearance properly. I have to keep learning! So it's safe to say Lee was athletic and ripped. And I guess Arnold means something more to your people in the same way as Lee to Asian people. Although maybe Japanese kids nowadays don't know Lee. The reason my son likes him is that his father adores Lee. His father also shows him "Fist of the North Star", which most of my son's friends don't know. For my son, Mr. Schwarzenegger has the same body type as Ken in the "Fist of the North Star". I didn't use Ken as the example because I didn't know how much "Fist of the North Star" was known overseas.

Personally I would use the phrase "Athletic" to describe Bruce Lee overall. You could say he was ripped as well. These days, athletic would describe someone a little bit heavier than Bruce Lee like maybe Hugh Jackman but in the 60's and 70's "athletic" would definitely be a good description. Bruce Lee was a "Lean, mean fighting machine!" I would not use the word "sturdy" for Arnold Schwarzenegger. Sturdy is mainly used for inanimate objects like furniture or a house. "The chair is very sturdy." I would not use "strapping" either to describe Arnold. The word "Strapping" reminds me of a charming, handsome and tough man. Strapping is an older word that is rarely used today. I don't know how to describe him other than The Arnold

Thank you very much! I checked every word and I think I have understood what you had meant. My son would say, "I would be a sinewy man like Bruce Lee" or "I wish I was as ripped as Lee!" and maybe "Mr. Schwarzenegger is ripped too but more strapping." Do they sound natural? I really appreciate your help.

In my mind (and that of my American co-workers …), the word “lean” means slender, thin or skinny, with a somewhat negative overtone of such a person being weak and not having a normal or average or healthy appearance (think Olive Oyl of the Popeye comic or Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones ...) I definitely would not use it to describe Bruce Lee. I feel a better description for him would be “sinewy” as its definition would aptly apply to him. For that matter, since it was mentioned later, IMO, calling him “ripped” could also apply. As for Arnold, I would describe him as being “brawny” or “strapping” as their definitions would also aptly apply to him. Using those words to describe those types of people will create the images that you want. As to Steve’s use of “jacked,” “swoll,” or “ripped,” I, too, think “jacked” means what you do, but that is that word’s more popular, more wide-spread, definition. Realize that he was using those words as they are used and understood within bodybuilding circles, not giving their literally definition. For example, the word “love” as used in tennis, means something quite different than it does in other context. That the beauty of, as well as the difficulty with, the English language. I hope that this helps you. J.