An interesting research paper comparing perceptions of different male human figures. There’s a lean muscular male figure (M-) and a muscular male with a belly (M+).
Here’s the paper - it’s open access so you can read the whole thing: Obesity as a Perceived Social Signal
Here’s the key table with the various traits and their associations: http://www.plosone.org/article/slideshow.action?uri=info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0003187&imageURI=info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0003187.t001
Being lean and muscular is perceived as physically aggressive, strong, not lethargic, not disease prone, rough and tough, confident, conscious about looks, not money minded, not a business risk avoider, not depressed, influential, dominating, status conscious, modern, brave, not friendly, not talkative, not stupid, not greedy, not selfish, not honest, not kind and not political.
Bulky and muscular appears not swift, not conscious about looks, not a physical risk avoider, not intelligent, not loving and not honest.
The difference in the length of the two lists is, itself, interesting.