Dressing men by body type is mostly a matter of details and patterning with some specific style advice for each build.

A suit jacket is going to produce the same basic look on most men, though it will be more flattering on some and not others.

But there are a few bodies that are simply outliers — figures that fall outside the assumptions of human proportion most tailors work with. Extremely muscular athletes and bodybuilders are one such category.

Why Male Bodybuilders Have Clothing Issues

The specific muscle definition of weight-trainers and bodybuilders gives them a different frame from other men. Most men do not have a significant change in size from their waist to their chests.

The moderate narrowing is mirrored in the shape of the conventional suit jacket, which tapers slightly near the waist and widens again near the hip in imitation of the body's shape.

Heavily-developed men have a much more pronounced “drop” from the shoulders and chest to the waist.

Something similar happens below the waist, where the thighs and the buttocks are significantly bulkier than the legs below the knee.

Different regimens obviously produce different builds, but the difference will usually lie in proportion rather than fit — the relationship between one level of the body and the ones above and below it.

95% of off the rack clothing is not made to accommodate this – and the 5% is all ultra casual workout clothing. No wonder most muscular men dress so badly! The challenge for muscular men is to find clothing that doesn't hide the results of their hard work but doesn't exaggerate their already extreme silhouette.

Unaltered clothing that fits in the shoulders will almost certainly be so baggy around the lower torso that any definition is hidden. The same runs true for the thighs and the lower legs; loose enough to fit up high will be too loose to look attractive lower down.



Tailoring The Suit Jacket For A Bodybuilder

It's safe to assume that a bodybuilder's suit jackets and sport coats are going to need adjustment and the very least. Bespoke tailoring will offer the best look, but at the bare minimum plan on adjustments to the drape of the jacket. The “waist” isn't a band of cloth like it is on a pair of trousers, but the narrowest point on a jacket can be brought in still narrower, and men with heavily-muscled torsos will want it done. If you are buying a suit off the rack and planning on later adjustments, be sure to buy one that fits in the shoulders — these are the hardest part of the jacket to adjust. It's also very difficult to make a sleeve wider (longer is less of a problem), so don't buy anything that's too tight in the bicep or the forearm.