Local men who guard Australia’s refugees in detention are some of the brawniest on the planet.

Manus Islanders have the most muscle mass on average of any population, an article recently published in Australian Science reported.

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One in 10 Manus males have a mesomorphy rating – a measurement based on height, bicep and calf muscles and body fat – of eight, University of South Australia  health expert Professor Timothy Olds wrote.

This is the type of body “that would attract every eye in a gym,” Professor Olds said.

“A guy you would think was really muscular at your local gym might be a seven.”

As a comparison, the average man is believed to have a rating of four.

Male athletes at the 2010 European Handball Championship had an average mesomorph rating of 4.76, which researchers described as “relatively well-developed musculature”.

Famous bodybuilder Ronnie Coleman, who weighs approximately 140 kilograms, reportedly had a mesomorphy rating of 13 at his best.

Manus Island is a province of Papua New Guinea. Australia re-opened its detention centre on the island in November 2012.