Getbig.com: American Bodybuilding, Fitness and Figure
Getbig Main Boards => Gossip & Opinions => Topic started by: Raymondo on April 12, 2026, 03:54:05 AM
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Settle this once and for all, damnit!
(https://preview.redd.it/did-arnold-schwarzenegger-get-shorter-v0-8bz8e51oeosc1.jpg?width=1080&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=ff55a7a50f8b67b67243f5964d9464de5df8cb7a)
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I don’t care about the height. It’s a hair transplant SHOWDOWN! Bhanks is the only thing missing. Poof it out for maximum volume and coverage boys!
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I don’t care about the height. It’s a hair transplant SHOWDOWN! Bhanks is the only thing missing. Poof it out for maximum coverage boys
I think the odds that he is shorter than the 5'9" bhanks are pretty good.
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He’s probably 5’10 now, I’d imagine his discs have been compressed over the years. You’d think he’d be into yoga and other stretching activities to keep his height and posture better.
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If Matt C. was here he`d let us know for sure.
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Cutler is wearing lifts/booster shoes
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At his peak in bodybuilding he was 6'2". Now much shorter. Just look at those contest photos from the 80 Olympia. He looks like a giant among manlets.
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Cutler is wearing lifts/booster shoes
Jordan 11s -
(https://images.stockx.com/images/Air-Jordan-11-Retro-Low-Cement-Grey-Product.jpg?fit=fill&bg=FFFFFF&w=700&h=500&fm=webp&auto=compress&q=90&dpr=2&trim=color&updated_at=1738193358).
I figure Arnold is 5' 11" or so.
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At his peak in bodybuilding he was 6'2". Now much shorter. Just look at those contest photos from the 80 Olympia. He looks like a giant among manlets.
Good point, I think bodybuilding is bad for height in general longterm.
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I’d say 5’10 there and maybe 5’11.5”-6’ at peak.
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Without shoes ca. 5'6" - it's over for sellout-cels.
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Why can’t Jay have a normal haircut and dress in normal clothes?
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Why can’t Jay have a normal haircut and dress in normal clothes?
He reminds me of Tom Hanks in Big
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He reminds me of Tom Hanks in Big
LOL yes!
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LOL yes!
(https://hollywoodlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Tom-Hanks-Oscars-Slide-2.jpg)
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At his peak in bodybuilding he was 6'2".
lol, lmao even
He was never 6'2". 6'0" with shoes on in the morning, is how I'd bet.
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(https://imagez.tmz.com/image/88/o/2015/07/16/88e37210a196555ebba3e47904d3c39a_md.jpg).
Arnold's like the Hankins of height pics ;D.
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Arnold was just a shade under 6'2" in his prime.
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Arnold was just a shade under 6'2" in his prime.
If he was on Bhanky’s protocol he would be in the best shape of life right now, today.
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Good point, I think bodybuilding is bad for height in general longterm.
Upper body training does not influence height I guess
But Arnold did insanely heavy Reg Park style calf raises. And loads of heavy squats and deadlifts. All those must have taken a toll on his back / discs. And the normal shrinking because of old age. Arnold will turn 79 on July 30th
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Again, look at Arnold's torso in Red Heat age around 41 and then 25 years later any pic or video and ... it's incredible how much his torso has shrunk like 3 plus inches which is a lot for someone in his 60's ... bodybuilders shrink more and sooner than the average Joe
plus, Jay Gutler is wearing some Palumbo/Stallone shoes there
WoooSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
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Why can’t Jay have a normal haircut and dress in normal clothes?
People in general think of him as some Johnny Bravo gym goer, Jay seems to enjoy the resemblance
WoooSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
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Where's Vince Basile to tell us all about it ???
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lol, lmao even
He was never 6'2". 6'0" with shoes on in the morning, is how I'd bet.
If that's true Mentzer and Zane must have been 5'2".
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who gives a fuck how big he was
he´s now just a Globalist piece of excrement ::)
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who gives a fuck how big he was
he´s now just a Globalist piece of excrement ::)
True, but still gives back to the bodybuilding community and has a potentially great son.
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I’d say 5’10 there and maybe 5’11.5”-6’ at peak.
I've known two people who stood near Arnold when he was the Governator and both said he was maybe 6' in shoes at that time.
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5 ft tops. it's all about the angles.
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If that's true Mentzer and Zane must have been 5'2".
Not really. See pic, where Arnold is in shoes and Mentzer isn't. I'd buy 6'0" or 5'11" for Arnold if Mentzer is 5'7" - 5'8".
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Basile measured him, there's no reason to doubt the man, he has no reason to lie. Musclemag also measured him at 6'1.75" way back and just rounded it up in the mags
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I have been for over 20 years and people are still debating a guys height.
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Basile measured him, there's no reason to doubt the man, he has no reason to lie. Musclemag also measured him at 6'1.75" way back and just rounded it up in the mags
I agree and Vince hated Arnold , but I believe him when he measured his cockheight
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I have been for over 20 years and people are still debating a guys height.
Either Dorian vs Ronnie or 1980 Olympia
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Basile measured him, there's no reason to doubt the man, he has no reason to lie. Musclemag also measured him at 6'1.75" way back and just rounded it up in the mags
If anything, Basile would have claimed he was shorter.
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Maybe Arnold used the world famous Viagra shoe lifts when Vince measured him...
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Not really. See pic, where Arnold is in shoes and Mentzer isn't. I'd buy 6'0" or 5'11" for Arnold if Mentzer is 5'7" - 5'8".
Both Reg Park and Dave Draper were around 6' 1"
(https://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=528496.0;attach=1588890;image)
WoooSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Remain Vinatge
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Both Reg Park and Dave Draper were around 6' 1"
(https://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=528496.0;attach=1588890;image)
WoooSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Remain Vinatge
amazing how small he looked off the sauce
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Arnold at his best was 6'1" 1/2 and they just rounded it off to 6'2"
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Not really. See pic, where Arnold is in shoes and Mentzer isn't. I'd buy 6'0" or 5'11" for Arnold if Mentzer is 5'7" - 5'8".
Arnold isn't standing straight there.
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Arnold isn't standing straight there.
Bro :D
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Arnold at his best was 6'1" 1/2 and they just rounded it off to 6'2"
Has it occurred to anybody else that those measurements make zero sense at 6'2"?
Ronnie Coleman had measurements like that at 5'11" and nearly 300 pounds.
Bumstead is 6'1" and weighs in at ~240 or 250 pounds, and is nowhere even close to a 57" chest and 22" arms, lol.
But yeah, I'm sure they measured his height and weight accurately, just like they measured his 57" chest. ::)
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Has it occurred to anybody else that those measurements make zero sense at 6'2"?
Ronnie Coleman had measurements like that at 5'11" and nearly 300 pounds.
Bumstead is 6'1" and weighs in at ~240 or 250 pounds, and is nowhere even close to a 57" chest and 22" arms, lol.
But yeah, I'm sure they measured his height and weight accurately, just like they measured his 57" chest. ::)
They make sense when you consider both of them had much lower bodyfat than Arnold. If Arnold was as lean as them his measurements would be smaller.
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They make sense when you consider both of them had much lower bodyfat than Arnold. If Arnold was as lean as them his measurements would be smaller.
lol. lmao, even.
Those measurements at 235 pounds at 6'2" are absolutely physically impossible. 57" chest! Even offseason, fatter than usual, at 260+ pounds, Bumstead is nowhere close.
BTW, I'd swear that Dexter Jackson's chest was measured in his Olympia heyday -- around 2008 or 2009 -- and it was something like 48" or 49". He was around 220 pounds at 5'5!
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amazing how small he looked off the sauce
Arnold was just under 6'2" when juicing but 5'6" when off.
Ferrigno was 6'4" on and 5'8" off.
Mentzer was 5'9" on and 5'1" off.
Padilla was 5'2" on and 4'6" off.
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Has it occurred to anybody else that those measurements make zero sense at 6'2"?
Ronnie Coleman had measurements like that at 5'11" and nearly 300 pounds.
Bumstead is 6'1" and weighs in at ~240 or 250 pounds, and is nowhere even close to a 57" chest and 22" arms, lol.
But yeah, I'm sure they measured his height and weight accurately, just like they measured his 57" chest. ::)
They make perfect sense. Reg Park was 6 ft 1 in his prime and weighed 225 - 235 lbs in contest shape. About 250 lbs off season. Similar build as Arnold had in his prime.
Thanks to different and more drugs in the 1990s bodybuilders increased their muscles and weight. Bigger and bloated guts too, and way bigger legs and glute muscles.
Berry de Mey's contest weight in the late 1980s often was 225 - 235 lbs, and he is 6 ft tall
(https://www.x-rep.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Berry-de-Mey-Beach-Flex-Neveux.jpg)
Note: none of the bodybuilders of the 1990s and later trained harder than Arnold. They just used growth hormones / more and different gear.
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I believe Arnold was 6'2'' in his prime, measured first thing in the morning, nowadays he may be 5'10'', at the most
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They make perfect sense. Reg Park was 6 ft 1 in his prime and weighed 225 - 235 lbs in contest shape. About 250 lbs off season. Similar build as Arnold had in his prime.
Thanks to different and more drugs in the 1990s bodybuilders increased their muscles and weight. Bigger and bloated guts too, and way bigger legs and glute muscles.
Berry de Mey's contest weight in the late 1980s often was 225 - 235 lbs, and he is 6 ft tall
(https://www.x-rep.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Berry-de-Mey-Beach-Flex-Neveux.jpg)
Note: none of the bodybuilders of the 1990s and later trained harder than Arnold. They just used growth hormones / more and different gear.
Oh come on. Do you even lift? You obviously have no idea what a 57" chest looks like. The largest mass monsters, who weighed 50-100+ pounds more than Arnold at lower listed heights, might have had chests around 57". Like peak Dexter Jackson, de May probably isn't breaking 50".
De May's arms are also recorded at 19.5".
A 22" muscular arm is, again, mass monster territory -- not something that you'd ever expect to see on a guy like Arnold with totally flat and stringy triceps. Off-season Phil Heath, with a pump, is at 23", and in contest shape he's probably around 22". This is at ~270 pounds and 5'9", in a bodybuilder famous for his arms.
Roelly is also around 23" with a pump in the offseason, at around 280 pounds:
Ronne here in 2004 was at 21.5", closer to contest shape:
Ronnie's chest was also . . . 57".
B-but they have way bigger legs and glute muscles!!
Arnold claims 28" thighs. (lol!) Jay Cutler, much shorter and heavier, is listed at 30". No matter what his actual height, Arnold in his bodybuilding days was clearly much taller. If we take him at his word, he has as much leg muscle as Jay Cutler.
Tom Platz also had 28" thighs at 5'9" and 230 pounds: https://bretcontreras.com/best-legs-in-bodybuilding-history/#comment-11270
Those Arnold measurements are 100% bullshit: It's physically impossible for those measurements, height, and weight to be correct. It's all lies.
Unless you believe that Arnold's muscles somehow have a lower density than regular human muscles, you have to realize that you've been lied to. And if he's lying about his arm measurement (obviously) then what else is he lying about?
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Bro :D
Brutal but true.
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Oh come on. Do you even lift? You obviously have no idea what a 57" chest looks like. The largest mass monsters, who weighed 50-100+ pounds more than Arnold at lower listed heights, might have had chests around 57". Like peak Dexter Jackson, de May probably isn't breaking 50".
De May's arms are also recorded at 19.5".
A 22" muscular arm is, again, mass monster territory -- not something that you'd ever expect to see on a guy like Arnold with totally flat and stringy triceps. Off-season Phil Heath, with a pump, is at 23", and in contest shape he's probably around 22". This is at ~270 pounds and 5'9", in a bodybuilder famous for his arms.
Roelly is also around 23" with a pump in the offseason, at around 280 pounds:
Ronne here in 2004 was at 21.5", closer to contest shape:
Ronnie's chest was also . . . 57".
Arnold claims 28" thighs. (lol!) Jay Cutler, much shorter and heavier, is listed at 30". No matter what his actual height, Arnold in his bodybuilding days was clearly much taller. If we take him at his word, he has as much leg muscle as Jay Cutler.
Tom Platz also had 28" thighs at 5'9" and 230 pounds: https://bretcontreras.com/best-legs-in-bodybuilding-history/#comment-11270
Those Arnold measurements are 100% bullshit: It's physically impossible for those measurements, height, and weight to be correct. It's all lies.
Unless you believe that Arnold's muscles somehow have a lower density than regular human muscles, you have to realize that you've been lied to. And if he's lying about his arm measurement (obviously) then what else is he lying about?
Arnold's height and weight are perfectly credible and measured. Besides, Zane's contest weight at 5 ft 9 was around 190 lbs.
Lee haney at 5 ft 11 was 250 lbs or more at his final Olympia. So Arnold at max 240 lbs seems perfectly realistic.
Arnold had great genetics, perfect skin, excellent dedication and motivation. He had no weak points, and his arms and chest were exceptionel. Even by 2026 standards.
But it's possible Weider, for commercial reasons, added a few inches here and there to some muscle groups.
Google Arnold's arm size and AI gives 20 to 21 inches. At maximum pump just over 22. Since he was a genetic freak, it could very well be true.
https://simplyshredded.com/austrian-alps-arnolds-secret-arm-routine-revealed.html
(https://simplyshredded.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/arnold5.jpg)
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Google Arnold's arm size and AI gives 20 to 21 inches. At maximum pump just over 22. Since he was a genetic freak, it could very well be true.
Let's think about this.
1) Claimed height: 6'2".
2) Claimed weight 230-240 pounds.
3) Claimed arm size: 22".
4) Claimed chest size: 57" (!!!)
Compare vs. Ronnie Coleman.
1) 5'11"
2) ~280+ pounds
3) 21.5" arm.
4) 57.4" chest.
If Arnold's telling the truth about his chest, arm, and leg measurements, he'd need to be actually heavier than Ronnie -- because Ronnie has approximately the same measurements at a 3" height disadvantage. Rule of thumb is that 1" of height adds 7-10 pounds. So Arnold would need to be about 300-310 pounds, minimally.
The guys you flagged as being "similar to Arnold" in height and weight -- de May and Reg Park -- are nowhere close to those measurements. Reg Park's arm measurement is usually given as 18.5" to 19"!
So those "measurements" are lies, pure and simple. Seriously, the notion that his chest ever measured 57" is a howler to anybody who has any idea what average bodybuilder chest circumference measurements look like. In reality, if he was say around 240 pounds, it's most likely that his chest was 52" max, with a pump, and his arm was ~19.5 - 20". The latter is indeed what Arthur Jones measured: http://www.arthurjonesexercise.com/Bulletin2/36.PDF
The difference between a 20" arm and a 22" arm is like night and day.
And a 52" chest is very good for a high-level modern bodybuilder, whereas 57" is basically Ronnie Coleman tier, which only a small handful of post 1990s mass monsters have ever achieved. (And always at bodyweights approaching or exceeding 300 pounds.) Even Dorian Yates never claimed a 57" chest circumference.
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People are put together completely differently, big bones, light bone. Arnold easily had a 57" chest, it was ridiculously thick and is still big now at nearly 80. My chest is about 46, stretch another 10 on a tape measure, he easily have that on me.
You can't rely on bodyweight either everyone is unique
Let's think about this.
1) Claimed height: 6'2".
2) Claimed weight 230-240 pounds.
3) Claimed arm size: 22".
4) Claimed chest size: 57" (!!!)
Compare vs. Ronnie Coleman.
1) 5'11"
2) ~280+ pounds
3) 21.5" arm.
4) 57.4" chest.
If Arnold's telling the truth about his chest, arm, and leg measurements, he'd need to be actually heavier than Ronnie -- because Ronnie has approximately the same measurements at a 3" height disadvantage. Rule of thumb is that 1" of height adds 7-10 pounds. So Arnold would need to be about 300-310 pounds, minimally.
The guys you flagged as being "similar to Arnold" in height and weight -- de May and Reg Park -- are nowhere close to those measurements. Reg Park's arm measurement is usually given as 18.5" to 19"!
So those "measurements" are lies, pure and simple. Seriously, the notion that his chest ever measured 57" is a howler to anybody who has any idea what average bodybuilder chest circumference measurements look like. In reality, if he was say around 240 pounds, it's most likely that his chest was 52" max, with a pump, and his arm was ~19.5 - 20". The latter is indeed what Arthur Jones measured: http://www.arthurjonesexercise.com/Bulletin2/36.PDF
The difference between a 20" arm and a 22" arm is like night and day.
And a 52" chest is very good for a high-level modern bodybuilder, whereas 57" is basically Ronnie Coleman tier, which only a small handful of post 1990s mass monsters have ever achieved. (And always at bodyweights approaching or exceeding 300 pounds.) Even Dorian Yates never claimed a 57" chest circumference.
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People are put together completely differently, big bones, light bone. Arnold easily had a 57" chest, it was ridiculously thick and is still big now at nearly 80.
Peak Ronnie had a 57" chest. Dorian Yates never attained a 57" chest, except perhaps in the offseason at 300 pounds. Phil Heath's chest was reportedly just 54", and could have been even smaller. You have no idea how large a 57" chest really is.
Keep in mind that the size and thickness of your back also heavily influences your chest circumference, just as your triceps heavily influence your "bicep" measurement. Arnold's back was downright pathetic compared to all of the above-mentioned names.
Also: The US military keeps statistics on soldier measurements for making uniforms and equipment. The 99th percentile male soldier has a 50.24" chest at a weight of 275 pounds. The average, 50th percentile male soldier is at 41.57" and 186 pounds.
It's literally impossible to have a 57" chest at 240 pounds and a normal human male height, let alone 6'2". Muscle has certain density (1.06 gm/cc) which doesn't vary much between individuals (or even different species, even in non-mammals) and which you can't handwave away. The same goes for bone (1.5 gm/cc on average). You can build a model from those lying measurements, check its volume in cubic centimeters, and figure out what it would weigh. I'll give you a hint: It's >300 pounds.
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Peak Ronnie had a 57" chest. Dorian Yates never attained a 57" chest, except perhaps in the offseason at 300 pounds. Phil Heath's chest was reportedly just 54", and could have been even smaller. You have no idea how large a 57" chest really is.
Keep in mind that the size and thickness of your back also heavily influences your chest circumference, just as your triceps heavily influence your "bicep" measurement. Arnold's back was downright pathetic compared to all of the above-mentioned names.
Also: The US military keeps statistics on soldier measurements for making uniforms and equipment. The 99th percentile male soldier has a 50.24" chest at a weight of 275 pounds. The average, 50th percentile male soldier is at 41.57" and 186 pounds.
It's literally impossible to have a 57" chest at 240 pounds and a normal human male height, let alone 6'2". Muscle has certain density (1.06 gm/cc) which doesn't vary much between individuals (or even different species, even in non-mammals) and which you can't handwave away. The same goes for bone (1.5 gm/cc on average). You can build a model from those lying measurements, check its volume in cubic centimeters, and figure out what it would weigh. I'll give you a hint: It's >300 pounds.
Steve Reeves had a 52" chest at 215lbs at 6'1" it's entirely believable Arnold's chest was 57" at roughly the same height and 20-25lbs heavier. What separates Arnold from the others is the size & depth of his ribcage and his pec thickness.
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Steve Reeves had a 52" chest at 215lbs at 6'1" it's entirely believable Arnold's chest was 57" at roughly the same height and 20-25lbs heavier. What separates Arnold from the others is the size & depth of his ribcage and his pec thickness.
lol, if you believe that's a 52" chest and that those are 18.5" arms, in that pic, I've got a bridge I'd like to sell you. You guys really have no sense of measurements.
Two guys you mentioned previously -- Reg Park and Barry de May -- also had arms around 18.5" - 19.5", at 10-30 pounds heavier than that. Take another look at their pics again.
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lol, if you believe that's a 52" chest and that those are 18.5" arms, in that pic, I've got a bridge I'd like to sell you. You guys really have no sense of measurements.
Two guys you mentioned previously -- Reg Park and Barry de May -- also had arms around 18.5" - 19.5", at 10-30 pounds heavier than that. Take another look at their pics again.
Okay you've figured it all out 60 years later ::) NO ONE's measurements are accurate now ::) Believe what you want
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Back in the day it was pretty common to take expanded chest measurement. So fill up your lungs, hold your breath and measure your chest. This can add several inches
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I’ll give Arnold a 54-55” chest and 21” arms at 240-250 and 6’1 tops.
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I’ll give Arnold a 54-55” chest and 21” arms at 240-250 and 6’1 tops.
Yeah, and check out this video:
Literally nobody has muscular 22" arms. The top bodybuilders in that vid are all around 20.5 - 21", offseason and in at least a couple of cases at bodyweights much higher than Arnold's peak bodyweight.
As you can see in the video, there's a huge difference between a 17" arm and a 20" arm. There's likewise a large difference between 20" and 22". There aren't many bodybuilders who have ever attained such an arm circumference, and all of them are mass monsters famous for their arm development. (Ronnie, Heath, Kai Greene, Roelly, and maybe a few others like JP Fux and Kovacs.)
And by his own admission, Dorian had a 56" chest. See below. It's laughable to think that people take Arnold's 57" claim seriously. Even 53" is seriously pushing it, IMO.