Cool thanks for that. So what is the maximum size my arms can be as a 5'6" natural Luke?
Well... that's a tricky question.
Let me give you an example... when I was working construction I did a lot of traipsing up and down flights of stairs carrying these god-damn 150 lb glass wardrobe doors... 50 doors in a day; averaging 5 flights of stairs per door; it all adds up.
One day I measured my swollen calves first thing in the morning when I woke up...
Now remember, I'm the perfect genetic group for calf size: Irish; at least one red hair gene; short (5'5''); barrel-chested and dumpy; shortened shins, shortened forearms... add to this the best possible muscle shape: my gastroc extends a full halfway down my shin and my soleus muscle extends two thirds of the way to my heel; and my ankle measurement actually exceeds the length of my foot heel to toe (robust).
My calves measured 18.8''... so big that they rubbed together when I walked.
Now people think this means a natural bodybuilder my size with excellent
arm genetics could similarly achieve such a measurement round his upper arm: but that is not true. No 5'6'' dude has a 9'' wrist (what would be necessary to have 19'' arms naturally).
Western/Northern European whites (Brehin genetic group) can achieve a calf measurement an inch or two bigger than their maximum arm measurement (at a particular bodyweight), but that doesn't mean a central African black with more upper body muscle can reverse that ratio. Both groups tend to have similar maximum natural arms measurements at a given height... the black guys just tend to have calves one or two inches smaller than their arms, while the white guys tend to have arms an inch smaller than their (larger) calves.
Whites have robust calves... blacks don't have robust arms; they have gracile calves and gracile bone structure (small elbows/wrists). Both groups have roughly the same amount of upper arm muscle (in terms of cells) it just looks bigger on the small-framed black guys. Whites have more muscle cells in the calves (this is all in terms of averages), but this is usually accompanied by thicker hips and a larger pelvis (blockiness).
So even with 18+'' calves at 220 lbs at 5'5'' (fat with a pot belly) I'd never have an 18'' arm.
On a 5'6'' natural, I've only once seen an 18'' arm... and it looked enormous.
A better guide would be for a heavily built; thick-wristed natural to attempt to match the measurements of a slightly built; slender-framed pro who didn't megadose or manipulate insulin... Lee Labrada (5'6'' and 180-195 lbs) springs to mind: that's an 18'' arm offseason, 17 and change precontest, maybe even less.
Hope this helps (seriously).
Short answer: add 10 inches to your wrist measurment, there's your maximum natural arm.
The Luke
