The strongmen of the 19th and earlier 20th century were leaner also because of the day jobs they performed.
Being a logger, stevedore, blacksmith, foundry worker, etc.... is far more work than an average man today would see.
Also it depends on how one defines ripped, some of the smaller strongmen were very lean. But once you jump in the 200lbs plus range, many were just average or rather porky.