“All I know is that long before steroids Mantle had arms that looked like they were made of steel cable.”
It seems to me that muscles forged from real, back-breaking work, are often suprisingly strong for their size. I knew an iron worker that was about 5’7” with a slight frame, but he was strong as an ox. I think steroids and body-building might build muscle, but they don’t necessary build strength with the same effectiveness as real work.
I’m told Mickey Mantle in his off-season did actual farm work and worked in a rock quarry smashing rocks with a sledge hammer.
The purpose of bodybuilding is to shape the muscles into their maximum size and shape. It doesn’t build strength to the same degree that powerlifting would build strength.
“It seems to me that muscles forged from real, back-breaking work, are often suprisingly strong for their size.”
I concur. I was amazed he was only 5’11” and 185 lbs. The article says he was built like a running back, but these days, running backs of that height typically clock in at over 200 lbs. http://profootballhuddle.com/archives/1055 So to have that kind of hitting power in a frame that light implies incredibly strong muscles.