Helmut Strebl is a popular fitness model carrying one of the leanest human physiques in the entire universe. According to the information available online, he maintains body fat levels under 5% while being well over 40 years of age.

Since the majority of the general population prefers his look over the mass monsters of today, Helmut Strebl has a large fan base consisting of people aspiring to reach his levels of leanness and impressiveness. As always, the question is – can you acquire a body like that without the usage of anabolic steroids or other PED (performance-enhancing drugs)?

In theory, the answer is yes, but there is more to the story.

While Helmut Strebl isn’t a mass monster, according to the modern standards, he is pretty big – about 200lbs at 6’3”. When you account for the fact that he is as lean as you can possibly be without disappearing from this planet, you would understand that he is actually enormous.

In theory, a natural bodybuilder can achieve Helmut Strebl’s level of leanness, but you can’t have both – his mass and his conditioning – at the same time. A good example of natural athletes with really low body fat levels would be Milko Georgiev and Bruce Lee. While they are both insanely lean, none of them possesses the quality mass that Helmut Strebl holds.

In general, the body does not like being in an ultra-lean mode for a very long time. The condition is not healthy and has a negative impact on your hormones and psyche. When you are that lean, your testosterone levels drop into the abyss. This makes you weaker and smaller.

To summarize: Natural bodybuilders can get very lean but cannot carry an appreciable amount of muscle mass in a similar state. Being on a constant diet designed to keep you at 5% body fat can have a negative impact on your hormones and will compromise your capabilities to build and maintain muscle mass. Consequently, natural bodybuilders who get as lean as Strebl rarely if ever showcase the quality and size of his musculature, especially at his age.