Guess My Arm Size

Training Bodybuilding
121

[quote]DoubleDuce wrote:

[quote]Professor X wrote:

[quote]fd24 wrote:
Agreed, but posting pictures of mcdonalds arms and saying 14inch arms are impressive was a bit overboard[/quote]

LOL! How did the people here let that one slide?

Just a note, but if you really think a big weight lifter with off season levels of body fat with 20" arms looks LESS impressive than some really ripped guy with 14" arms, you likely are on the wrong website.

Yes, leaner arms generally look better, but this is bodybuilding so no one is cheering on some small guy with no muscle just because he got really lean.

Also, to one point made above, it often takes getting that softer 20" arm so you can have really lean 19" arms. Some of these comments come across like some believe that isn’t the case.[/quote]

I agree. The only reason I posted a picture of the McDonald’s arm was because there is a portion of people, who call themselves BBers, who essentially gorge themselves while not working hard in the gym and are so proud of their huge arm (and sometimes chest) measurements. When in reality, they are just fat. Some people get too absorbed with the tape measure when they should take a glance in the mirror every once in a while. I have seen fat guys with fat arms with no discernible muscle bragging about their 20 inch guns.

Like I said, it’s all relative on both ends of the spectrum. a 14 inch arm isn’t impressive over 5’4" and a 20 inch arm isn’t impressive over 40% body fat. No one statistic gives you the whole picture. And there are deluded people on both ends of the spectrum.[/quote]

40% body fat?

I know some of you are just throwing out numbers…but the extreme some of you are going to screams some sort of misconception of what the fuck the rest of us are talking about.

There may be deluded people on both sides, but we seem to get way more here acting like every big guy is just fat than the other way around. I have been as heavy as 300lbs…and at 5’10", carrying that much weight even carrying as much body fat as I was isn’t something you see everyday but people still acted like I was literally obese at that weight.

That is a part of this even if some like to deny it when it comes to really getting big in the first place for most people. It took me getting heavier and carrying more body fat to get to where I am right now. If people see that and act like someone is just fat simply because they are 20% body fat at some huge body weight (which to anyone who lifts would mean quite a lot of muscle), then they miss the point.

No one here is talking about becoming obese…and since when did carrying more body fat mean someone was “just fat” when they have 20 inch fucking arms?

I mean, really? 20" arms don’t ever look unimpressive unless the person is just obese…and since no one here is talking about that, why does it keep coming up?

Who here is over 25-30% body fat but acting like they are solid muscle?

Over 30% is literally obese. Quit acting like guys who bulk up fall into that category just because they aren’t ripped at the time.

122

[quote]Professor X wrote:

[quote]DoubleDuce wrote:

[quote]Professor X wrote:

[quote]fd24 wrote:
Agreed, but posting pictures of mcdonalds arms and saying 14inch arms are impressive was a bit overboard[/quote]

LOL! How did the people here let that one slide?

Just a note, but if you really think a big weight lifter with off season levels of body fat with 20" arms looks LESS impressive than some really ripped guy with 14" arms, you likely are on the wrong website.

Yes, leaner arms generally look better, but this is bodybuilding so no one is cheering on some small guy with no muscle just because he got really lean.

Also, to one point made above, it often takes getting that softer 20" arm so you can have really lean 19" arms. Some of these comments come across like some believe that isn’t the case.[/quote]

I agree. The only reason I posted a picture of the McDonald’s arm was because there is a portion of people, who call themselves BBers, who essentially gorge themselves while not working hard in the gym and are so proud of their huge arm (and sometimes chest) measurements. When in reality, they are just fat. Some people get too absorbed with the tape measure when they should take a glance in the mirror every once in a while. I have seen fat guys with fat arms with no discernible muscle bragging about their 20 inch guns.

Like I said, it’s all relative on both ends of the spectrum. a 14 inch arm isn’t impressive over 5’4" and a 20 inch arm isn’t impressive over 40% body fat. No one statistic gives you the whole picture. And there are deluded people on both ends of the spectrum.[/quote]

40% body fat?

I know some of you are just throwing out numbers…but the extreme some of you are going to screams some sort of misconception of what the fuck the rest of us are talking about.

There may be deluded people on both sides, but we seem to get way more here acting like every big guy is just fat than the other way around. I have been as heavy as 300lbs…and at 5’10", carrying that much weight even carrying as much body fat as I was isn’t something you see everyday but people still acted like I was literally obese at that weight.

That is a part of this even if some like to deny it when it comes to really getting big in the first place for most people. It took me getting heavier and carrying more body fat to get to where I am right now. If people see that and act like someone is just fat simply because they are 20% body fat at some huge body weight (which to anyone who lifts would mean quite a lot of muscle), then they miss the point.

No one here is talking about becoming obese…and since when did carrying more body fat mean someone was “just fat” when they have 20 inch fucking arms?

I mean, really? 20" arms don’t ever look unimpressive unless the person is just obese…and since no one here is talking about that, why does it keep coming up?

Who here is over 25% body fat but acting like they are solid muscle[/quote]

No, I was not talking about people like you.

I was talking about obese guys throwing around tape measure numbers. I never said anything about guys who are legitimately bulking.

I never said they were the norm or that they were common around here, just noting that they exist and that some people fall into that trap because they get obsessed with measurements with no regard for the mirror. There are some failed bulk threads around. All they care about is more pounds on the scale and more inches on their arms and it can lead them astray.

I agree most people should worry less than they do about putting on some fat, but there are guys that have the opposite problem too.

Personally, my arms are looking way better, now that I’ve trimmed down a bit, because I finally had to be honest with myself and recognize I was getting fat.

123

[quote]Professor X wrote:

[quote]fd24 wrote:
Agreed, but posting pictures of mcdonalds arms and saying 14inch arms are impressive was a bit overboard[/quote]

LOL! How did the people here let that one slide?

Just a note, but if you really think a big weight lifter with off season levels of body fat with 20" arms looks LESS impressive than some really ripped guy with 14" arms, you likely are on the wrong website.

Yes, leaner arms generally look better, but this is bodybuilding so no one is cheering on some small guy with no muscle just because he got really lean.

Also, to one point made above, it often takes getting that softer 20" arm so you can have really lean 19" arms. Some of these comments come across like some believe that isn’t the case.[/quote]

haha somehow the mcdonalds pic just went under the radar. Everybody keeps going to the extreme, like 20inch arm with 40% bodyfat lol…I’d love to have 20 inch arms, I would put on some fat without hesitation if I could reach that size, I think that some people just don’t understand how big and impressive a 20 inch arm is even with a higher level of bodyfat (again I’m talking about someone who lifts and takes bodybuilding serious and is willing to sacrifice abs for size).

124

[quote]DoubleDuce wrote:

No, I was not talking about people like you.

I was talking about obese guys throwing around tape measure numbers. I never said anything about guys who are legitimately bulking.
[/quote]

We have a LONG history on this site of newbs acting like every guy who isn’t sub-10% body fat is a “fat fuck” who no one should train like…even if the guy has 20" arms and can see delineation between the biceps and triceps. I am assuming you have seen some of these people here who are obese but throwing around tape measure readings…because otherwise, don’t act surprised when people ask who the hell you are talking about.

Most people that anyone cares to listen to here have pics in their profile…so WHO here meets the criteria you were preaching against?

125

[quote]fd24 wrote:

[quote]Professor X wrote:

[quote]fd24 wrote:
Agreed, but posting pictures of mcdonalds arms and saying 14inch arms are impressive was a bit overboard[/quote]

LOL! How did the people here let that one slide?

Just a note, but if you really think a big weight lifter with off season levels of body fat with 20" arms looks LESS impressive than some really ripped guy with 14" arms, you likely are on the wrong website.

Yes, leaner arms generally look better, but this is bodybuilding so no one is cheering on some small guy with no muscle just because he got really lean.

Also, to one point made above, it often takes getting that softer 20" arm so you can have really lean 19" arms. Some of these comments come across like some believe that isn’t the case.[/quote]

haha somehow the mcdonalds pic just went under the radar. Everybody keeps going to the extreme, like 20inch arm with 40% bodyfat lol…I’d love to have 20 inch arms, I would put on some fat without hesitation if I could reach that size, I think that some people just don’t understand how big and impressive a 20 inch arm is even with a higher level of bodyfat (again I’m talking about someone who lifts and takes bodybuilding serious and is willing to sacrifice abs for size).[/quote]

That’s the point…most of the people who make some huge issue about how smaller lean arms look better will NEVER get arms that damn big.

Yeah, focusing on a measurement alone may be an imbalanced way to see this long term…but this is bodybuilding and getting them big in the first place IS a necessity if you have this as a goal.

No, most people will not go from 15" arms to 20" arms without EVER going above 12% body fat. Yes, there may be some guys with the genetics for that, but you would know that by now if you could gain muscle like that while remaining extremely lean.

That is why these discussions sound retarded when they head in that direction.

Yes, lean arms look good, but if you are looking down on some huge guy in your gym just because his body fat is around 17% you are the one with the problem.

126

…wtf, I said 20 inch off season arms can often times look smaller than a contest ready 19 inch arm…it’s all about appearances, I was making the point that it’s easy to mistake someones arm size just because they have good shape and are very lean…

Nobody said 20 inch arms are not impressive.

127

avatar<— 5’7 @250

128

[quote]Professor X wrote:

Yeah, focusing on a measurement alone may be an imbalanced way to see this long term…but this is bodybuilding and getting them big in the first place IS a necessity if you have this as a goal.

[/quote]

This pretty much sums up the recent discussion.

Big lean arms look better than big soft arms(although they may be smaller)

And once someone builds a big respectable arm they tend to base their progress on how it looks rather than using measuring tape.

129

[quote]austin_bicep wrote:
…wtf, I said 20 inch off season arms can often times look smaller than a contest ready 19 inch arm…it’s all about appearances, I was making the point that it’s easy to mistake someones arm size just because they have good shape and are very lean…

Nobody said 20 inch arms are not impressive.[/quote]

OK, that’s great that you pointed that out…but guess what…the people who are serious already know this…and the ones who aren’t take it the wrong way which is why we then get Mc Donald arms posts and some guy acting like 14" arms lean are better than 20" arms. get it now? Those posts were right here in this thread.

So, once again thank you for pointing out what most of us should know already but you may want to not avoid making the point that getting them to that 20" off season arm should be the goal in the first place.

130

[quote]Professor X wrote:

[quote]DoubleDuce wrote:

No, I was not talking about people like you.

I was talking about obese guys throwing around tape measure numbers. I never said anything about guys who are legitimately bulking.
[/quote]

We have a LONG history on this site of newbs acting like every guy who isn’t sub-10% body fat is a “fat fuck” who no one should train like…even if the guy has 20" arms and can see delineation between the biceps and triceps. I am assuming you have seen some of these people here who are obese but throwing around tape measure readings…because otherwise, don’t act surprised when people ask who the hell you are talking about.

Most people that anyone cares to listen to here have pics in their profile…so WHO here meets the criteria you were preaching against?[/quote]

There are a couple people in this thread I’d say are pushing it. I’m not going to single out people and call them fat though.

But I wrote what I did in large part for the delusional newbs out there in cyberspace space.

131

[quote]Professor X wrote:

[quote]austin_bicep wrote:
it’s all about appearances, I was making the point that it’s easy to mistake someones arm size just because they have good shape and are very lean…[/quote]

OK, that’s great that you pointed that out…but guess what…the people who are serious already know this…

So, once again thank you for pointing out what most of us should know already but you may want to not avoid making the point that getting them to that 20" off season arm should be the goal in the first place.[/quote]

Herein lies the great T-Nation problem. So many newbs and morons don’t have a good base of knowledge to form a context around these discussions. From the complex discussion that Austin, Akuma, Maiden, X and others have brought up regarding how it is 1) Necessary to put on significant weight to grow arm muslce 2) A leaner arm will appear larger than something of equal diameter (with structure held constant. Newbs and Morons get:

“14-inch lean looks better than 19 fat”

A review for newbs and morons (though morons will be too focused on the minutia to make progress)

  1. You need to gain weight to build muscle, everyone gains a little fat (yes even Waterbury and CT)
  2. The leaner an arm the larger it appears, and in bodybuilding everything is about appearences
    2b) 19" lean is better than 18" lean is better than 17" lean…is better than 14" lean
132


My forearms are hopeless, lol.

Fatty 18.75
Whatever 17.3
Akuma 18.2
Synergy (omg) 19.5
Stu 17.5
Melted 17.4
Horse 17
Greg 16.5
Deat 17.5
Austin 18

That’s as far as I’ve got for now

133

FTR, I just measured and they are 17 exactly with no pump.

134

King beef, good work but try not using straps much MUCH less if you do now.

135

[quote]kingbeef323 wrote:
My forearms are hopeless, lol.

Fatty 18.75
Whatever 17.3
Akuma 18.2
Synergy (omg) 19.5
Stu 17.5
Melted 17.4
Horse 17
Greg 16.5
Deat 17.5
Austin 18

That’s as far as I’ve got for now[/quote]

Nice progress kingbeef, that’s one great looking bicep.

What poundages on your exercises are you putting up right now?

136

Kingbeef- 19 lol small forearms only make them look bigger

Undermost- hard to tell with that avatar pic ill say 16.5

137

[quote]kingbeef323 wrote:
My forearms are hopeless, lol.

Fatty 18.75
Whatever 17.3
Akuma 18.2
Synergy (omg) 19.5
Stu 17.5
Melted 17.4
Horse 17
Greg 16.5
Deat 17.5
Austin 18

That’s as far as I’ve got for now[/quote]

You have full, peaked bis… So it won’t matter if they flatten out a bit/end up longer if you change the way your palms face… Just turn your wrists so that your palms face the front (and down of course) or even a little outward, that way your forearms will look much thicker from the front… With palms pointing inwards your forearms will always look smaller… It’s just the angle… Even very large and thick forearms look oddly smallish from some angles, especially if the upper arms look great.
Your forearm bellies don’t seem to be going too far up to the wrist, but that’s fairly normal.

Also… Nice tricep sweep, way to go.

138

Beef, your arm looks unreal homie. Awesome shit

139

Thanks, guys.

I’ll try using straps less.

Also I don’t really like to talk about my lifts. It would just make people mad, lol.

140

Oh and Austin, I totally forgot about you… Your arms look a lot better these days man… And you’re finally beginning to fill out all around. Bis look great, especially the right side.

How long have you been training now?