Hey weightlifters, what's a "big" arm?

[Noriaki]

Hey weightlifters, what's a "big" arm?

Obviously it's all relative. But I have no idea about these things.

If someone measures the distance around their upper arm what is big?

Is say 12 big? medium? small?
Is 14" big? medium? small?
Is 16" big? medium? small?
How about 18? 20?

I'm guessing 22" is getting into the pretty damn big range.

I remember hulk hogan used to brag about his like 24" or 26" arms. So I'm guessing that's pretty huge. That's almost as big my Thigh :Q

But I'm looking at intermediate weightlifters. Not novices, and no where near professional.

If it's not obvious, yes I'm measuring myself. I started in the gym a few weeks back, and I'm tracking progress by measurements, not weight. I'm just curious where I stand. Though I'm not posting anything, this is a not an "admire me because I have muscles thread". I just want to know to satisify my own curiosity.

I've got a pretty good idea of where I stand in terms of Shoulders, Chest, Waist and Thighs, but I have no idea what the numbers mean for Arms.

 

[MazerRackham]

Dude, I don't have a tape measure here so I can't check, but you should check your progress with the amount of weight that you can lift instead. I have certain goals, like being able to bench press 300 lbs by the end of summer (I'm at 275 now). But I weigh 210 lbs, so that's not much of a feat, but it's still a goal .

IMHO, I think nice tricepts and shoulders look better than huge bicepts, but again that's MHO. Nice traps and lats are hard to get, as are delts. I need to work on my calves more also, but that's another story...

 

[StageLeft]

I've generally thought that if you have 17" you can start saying you have big arms. Now 17" is way larger than average (unless you're fat), but to get there can take quite a while and you don't need 17" for people to know you work out.

 

[StageLeft]

IMHO, I think nice tricepts and shoulders look better than huge bicepts, but again that's MHO. Nice traps and lats are hard to get, as are delts. I need to work on my calves more also, but that's another story...

Triceps make up 2/3 of the arm's muscle and you're right. Ocassionally I see somebody who clearly does nothing but bicep curls all day and their arms look exceedingly stupid.

 

[Mill]

Hulk didn't have that big of arms. I think the biggest were 25-26.

 

[Noriaki]

Actually that's not a bad idea.

I just need to set my goal in terms of something other than bodyweight.

I did that Body Mass Index calculation thing the other day, and apperently a BMI of over 30 is considered Obese, and I'm like 36. I am not obese, that's ridiculous. I *am* overweight, but I'm not *obese*, and according to that for my height I should only be 88kg or less (that's about 194lbs), and that's just ridiculous with my frame, I'd have almost no muscle if I was that light.

So I want something other than that as my target.

Setting goals in terms of amount lifted could work nicely though.

 

[Novgrod]

BMI is poop, IMHO. The best way I've found to measure progress is to try to lift about 5% more each time. A really big arm is able to shoulder press 100+ lbs and do dips of up to 250-300 (with weight added if need be) each for 3x10

Then again, it could just be me.

 

[Angrymarshmello]

In terms of weight lifters Hulk was about average but in the WWE/WWF no one could match up to Hulk in terms of arm size, then and now. (He is clearly bigger than Brock and HHH - they stood face to face a couple of times)

I think overall symmetry is more important than big arms. Nothing is more ridiculous than a guy with huge arms but a small overall body. I kind of agree with Skoorb that 17"+ is "big"

Novgrod - shoulder presses are reliant on shoulders and not arms. I'd hardly have what you'd call big arms (< 16 in )but I can shoulder press 90 for 3x10, should be past 100 sometime soon

 

[SludgeFactory]

As Skoorb says, probably about 17" is where you can start talking about having big arms, at least to the average joe. Hogan may have bragged about 24" pythons, but I doubt he had that much. Arnold at his peak had something like a 21-22" arm. I don't know where the modern bodybuilders stand, they've taken it to new heights of freakishness that don't really interest me.

Note, all these numbers mean nothing if you're fat. Guys that brag about 20"+ arms when they're covered by a layer of goo are not impressive.

 

[CPA]

It is relative, but maybe not in the sense you are thinking of.

If I see a fat guy, my first thought is that his arms are fat, not big, even if they are 18 to 20". But a leaner guy, maybe 6% BF could have 16" ripped arms that look much bigger than they are. It's about deception. In this case the guy with low BF would make more of an impression in arm/muscle size than fatty with the measurably larger arms.

 

[Noriaki]

LOL @ the layer of goo comment.

My layer of "goo" is fairly thin. Though I'd like to thin it out a bit more.

And I know Hogan isn't *huge* compared to pro bodybuilders, but he's bigger than I ever want to be.

I just want to be in good shape, I don't want or need to be freakishly built.

Biggish arms are something to work towards.

And I've got decent shoulders and chest. It's not like I'm going to have 35" shoulders and 18" arms

Like I said, I know where I stand in terms of Chest, Shoulders, Wait and Legs, I just don't know where to place my arms on the scale. I think I have a rough idea now though. Thanks

Just so I can set some reasonable goals for myself. I'm not trying to look like a pro body builder or hulk hogan.

 

[Angrymarshmello]

Noraki - there's some weightlifting concept that says your neck, calves, and arms should all be the same size around. That's a general guideline of course and I forgot where I read it from (think it was Arnold) but not even Arnold himself at his peak was symmetric in that sense.

 

[bigben]

My pops had 18" arms and never lifted a day in his life. Worked on a farm for his whole childhood, then at a lumber mill, then threw shotput in college. Now that is a workout and a half. Screw sitting at desks all day and then busting your butt, just go blue collar and stay healthy naturally

 

[SludgeFactory]

Originally posted by: Noriaki
LOL @ the layer of goo comment.

My layer of "goo" is fairly thin. Though I'd like to thin it out a bit more.

And I know Hogan isn't *huge* compared to pro bodybuilders, but he's bigger than I ever want to be.

I just want to be in good shape, I don't want or need to be freakishly built.

Biggish arms are something to work towards.

And I've got decent shoulders and chest. It's not like I'm going to have 35" shoulders and 18" arms

Like I said, I know where I stand in terms of Chest, Shoulders, Wait and Legs, I just don't know where to place my arms on the scale. I think I have a rough idea now though. Thanks

Just so I can set some reasonable goals for myself. I'm not trying to look like a pro body builder or hulk hogan.

Hahaha, not trying to insinuate that you're a fatso. Don't worry about looking freakish either, that's genetics and lots of drugs.

 

[SludgeFactory]

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Noraki - there's some weightlifting concept that says your neck, calves, and arms should all be the same size around. That's a general guideline of course and I forgot where I read it from (think it was Arnold) but not even Arnold himself at his peak was symmetric in that sense.

I know what you're talking about, I've seen that too. Yeah, Arnold was generally more known for his upper body -- it was the strong point of his physique.

There's also the ideal proportions as envisioned by the ancient Greeks, I'll see if I can find a link.

 

[MonkeyloveGood]

i want big arms too! i have 11.75 inch guns now=( but i only weigh 112 and i'm 5'6" at 18...i'm not growing much anymore=( I'm not very symmetric either...haha...27 inch wasit, 35 inch chest. I can max 145 bench right now and my goal is 200 by the end of the summer and weigh in at around 135. Gaining actual weight has been the hardest problem for me and i've never tried any supplements or anything yet. should i? and my arms haven't gottena ny bigger either though i can lift a lot more thna when i started. why am i so small?=(


edit: my neck and calves are small too=( won't even bother meseauring but maybe a very smaall indeed=(

 

[SludgeFactory]

Originally posted by: MonkeyloveGood
i want big arms too! i have 11.75 inch guns now=( but i only weigh 112 and i'm 5'6" at 18...i'm not growing much anymore=( I'm not very symmetric either...haha...27 inch wasit, 35 inch chest. I can max 145 bench right now and my goal is 200 by the end of the summer and weigh in at around 135. Gaining actual weight has been the hardest problem for me and i've never tried any supplements or anything yet. should i? and my arms haven't gottena ny bigger either though i can lift a lot more thna when i started. why am i so small?=(


edit: my neck and calves are small too=( won't even bother meseauring but maybe a very smaall indeed=(

Eat a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, eat more calories than you burn during the day, lift big heavy weights, and get lots of sleep. The best and most effective supplement is some type of fast absorbing protein drink to consume immediately after the workout.


Here's a link to the Greek ideal proportions, there's an online calculator -- it's all based off of your wrist size. Note: if you're at work, there's a picture of an ancient statue of a couple of naked Greek dudes midway down the page. It seems ridiculous to me to even mention that, but if you think it'll be a problem opening it at work, there's your warning.

Ideal Greek measurements

 

[thebestMAX]

At my best I was about 160, 5"9" and my arms were pretty close to 16"

Didnt start to lift until I was in my 40s but I did see quite an improvement even then.

Now at 60 and after 10 years of inactivity my arms look like a teenage girls. Just about 14" now)

At least Im still in the 160s.

 

[CPA]

Originally posted by: MonkeyloveGood
i want big arms too! i have 11.75 inch guns now=( but i only weigh 112 and i'm 5'6" at 18...i'm not growing much anymore=( I'm not very symmetric either...haha...27 inch wasit, 35 inch chest. I can max 145 bench right now and my goal is 200 by the end of the summer and weigh in at around 135. Gaining actual weight has been the hardest problem for me and i've never tried any supplements or anything yet. should i? and my arms haven't gottena ny bigger either though i can lift a lot more thna when i started. why am i so small?=(


edit: my neck and calves are small too=( won't even bother meseauring but maybe a very smaall indeed=(

No secret - Just Eat More!

 

[MainFramed]

Originally posted by: MazerRackham
Dude, I don't have a tape measure here so I can't check, but you should check your progress with the amount of weight that you can lift instead. I have certain goals, like being able to bench press 300 lbs by the end of summer (I'm at 275 now). But I weigh 210 lbs, so that's not much of a feat, but it's still a goal .

IMHO, I think nice tricepts and shoulders look better than huge bicepts, but again that's MHO. Nice traps and lats are hard to get, as are delts. I need to work on my calves more also, but that's another story...

i have a goal to bench 150 by the end of the summer, i can do 110 now, summer dont end till november so i got time. (i weigh 120

 

[Jfur]

One thing that you should also consider is the length of th arm/muscle. Shorter muscles "look" much bigger even if they are not. Someone with longer arms may have deceptively large circumference, even if the arms don't look huge. As CPA notes, body fat is also a major determination in *apparent* size. So even a ripped, shorter 14" bicep could actually look rather large.

 

[scauffiel]

It's kind of funny, I'm six foot four inches tall, weigh 260 pounds and have nearly twenty inch arms - and I don't consider myself as having "big" arms.

So, my answers are: "It's all relative" and "Chicks dig it".

Steve

 

[MonkeyloveGood]

Originally posted by: CPA

Originally posted by: MonkeyloveGood
i want big arms too! i have 11.75 inch guns now=( but i only weigh 112 and i'm 5'6" at 18...i'm not growing much anymore=( I'm not very symmetric either...haha...27 inch wasit, 35 inch chest. I can max 145 bench right now and my goal is 200 by the end of the summer and weigh in at around 135. Gaining actual weight has been the hardest problem for me and i've never tried any supplements or anything yet. should i? and my arms haven't gottena ny bigger either though i can lift a lot more thna when i started. why am i so small?=(


edit: my neck and calves are small too=( won't even bother meseauring but maybe a very smaall indeed=(

No secret - Just Eat More!

i have tried to eat more but i can't! No appetite, not my fault! I've always weighed in at around 110lbs=(

 

[MonkeyloveGood]

Originally posted by: SludgeFactory

Originally posted by: MonkeyloveGood
i want big arms too! i have 11.75 inch guns now=( but i only weigh 112 and i'm 5'6" at 18...i'm not growing much anymore=( I'm not very symmetric either...haha...27 inch wasit, 35 inch chest. I can max 145 bench right now and my goal is 200 by the end of the summer and weigh in at around 135. Gaining actual weight has been the hardest problem for me and i've never tried any supplements or anything yet. should i? and my arms haven't gottena ny bigger either though i can lift a lot more thna when i started. why am i so small?=(


edit: my neck and calves are small too=( won't even bother meseauring but maybe a very smaall indeed=(

Eat a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, eat more calories than you burn during the day, lift big heavy weights, and get lots of sleep. The best and most effective supplement is some type of fast absorbing protein drink to consume immediately after the workout.


Here's a link to the Greek ideal proportions, there's an online calculator -- it's all based off of your wrist size. Note: if you're at work, there's a picture of an ancient statue of a couple of naked Greek dudes midway down the page. It seems ridiculous to me to even mention that, but if you think it'll be a problem opening it at work, there's your warning.

Ideal Greek measurements

i think the proportions are off cuz having biceps that are bigger than your calves just isn't right. My calves right now are 12inches and they are VERY small. It says my ideal calves are 12.8 inches and my ideal biceps are 13.57 with a5.8 inch wrist. I think the calves should be much bigger than biceps inroder for the proportions to look right. I'm just under for all my proportion except for the wasit which i'm at nearly exactly at 26.5.
My hips are supposed to be ideally 32 inches while in reality they're 29??..that's crazy too. I'm not gonna be able to make my hips get any bigger. haha. anyways, All that proportions things tell me is i gotta work harder=)

 

[Koing]

all relative to hight and build.

I am 5"10 and 170lbs and 11.7% bf.

Arms 14'
Chest 40'
Waist 32'
Upper leg 24"
calves 15"

I look deceptively bigger especially that I'm 18 and hardly anyone trains hard or as serious around here. I only do as I compete in Olympic Lifting. South East Champion U23 to my title @ 18 in England. My girlfriend loves my legs. Everyone notices that my legs and arms are big. I credit it to my diet, coach and hard work. Having not much fat helps a lot and also in England you don't have many tall guys that are 6"+!

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