Arnolds measurements

**LimitsAreNothing** · 03-22-2005, 12:42 PM

Well guys, I think most of us agree that if we could look like any bber it would be Arnie. So I went and found his measurements at the peak of his career.

At the peak of Arnold's bodybuilding career, these were his measurements:
Source:http://www.csua.berkeley.edu/~chihyu...es/MEASURE.HTM
* Height 6'2"
* Weight 235 pounds
* Arms 22 inches
* Chest 57 inches
* Waist 34 inches
* Thighs 28.5 inches
* Calves 20 inches

this is my goal.
Heres my current stats.
Im 6'2
220
arms 17,
chest 48,
thighs 26,
waist 36,
calves 16

**BodyMechanic** · 03-22-2005, 12:43 PM

I think his thighs should have been bigger, but that was the norm back then.

**BigJames** · 03-22-2005, 12:47 PM

Yeah...his thighs were weak and he even admits in the Bodybuilding Encyclopedia...something in the leg section about never having piled enough weight on the leg press machine.

His physique is my goal as well...

My Current stats:

Height: 6'1.5"
Weight: 230 lbs
Arms: 18.75"
Chest: 48.5"
Waist: 36"
Thighs: 27"
Calves: 17.5"

**LimitsAreNothing** · 03-22-2005, 12:51 PM

****. I cant imagine having 22 inch guns! my arms + 5 inches! ****. Id be wearing cutoffs year round

**TallB4Small** · 03-22-2005, 12:56 PM

22 inch guns look huge, especially on someone as tall as Arnold....

**LimitsAreNothing** · 03-22-2005, 12:59 PM

I wonder if these measurements are taken with or without a pump?

**maxmuscle187** · 03-22-2005, 01:01 PM

im guessing its with a pump

**Hed** · 03-22-2005, 01:02 PM

I always questioned how he could pack that much mass into only 235lbs.

**LimitsAreNothing** · 03-22-2005, 01:04 PM

he used black magic.....lol

**TallB4Small** · 03-22-2005, 01:06 PM

Originally Posted by Hed

I always questioned how he could pack that much mass into only 235lbs.

I would definately have to say becuase of his legs. They were good size, but considerably smaller in proportion to the rest of his body.
Also we are used to seeing Ronnie, Jay, Dex's legs. No one in Arnolds age even wanted legs like that.

**Sta11ion** · 03-22-2005, 01:12 PM

I M O I think his legs were preportion to his body considering that his calves were 2 inchs smaller then his arms but his quands were 6 1/2 bigger then his arms. His waist was 34 so that is only 5 1/2 less then his quand. To me it sounds perfect.

**lucabratzi** · 03-22-2005, 01:14 PM

what do u think his bf% was

**TallB4Small** · 03-22-2005, 01:17 PM

Well i was answering the question to how he packed all that mass into 235 lbs. Yes his legs werent totally outta proportion, but at the same time, there wasnt near the amount of muscle devolopment in them that most other guys have. They were long and smooth, not a whole lotta cut.
Arnold is my favority BB, myself being 6'4, he is one of the only guys that i have to compare myself to. (not that i would ever compare). So im not crapping on his body by any means, but thast the only thing i can think off that would keep him from weighing 265, muscle mass in his legs.

**TallB4Small** · 03-22-2005, 01:19 PM

I bet Arnold was no lower than 8%... I could definately be wrong, but he wasnt near as striated as say, a Columbo.... Not that many people were.

**9000rpm** · 03-22-2005, 01:44 PM

Originally Posted by LimitsAreNothing

Well guys, I think most of us agree that if we could look like any bber it would be Arnie. So I went and found his measurements at the peak of his career.

At the peak of Arnold's bodybuilding career, these were his measurements:
Source:http://www.csua.berkeley.edu/~chihyu...es/MEASURE.HTM
* Height 6'2"
* Weight 235 pounds
* Arms 22 inches
* Chest 57 inches
* Waist 34 inches
* Thighs 28.5 inches
* Calves 20 inches

this is my goal.
Heres my current stats.
Im 6'2
220
arms 17,
chest 48,
thighs 26,
waist 36,
calves 16

You are 6'2" and you only want 17" bi's? I am 5'5" and I float between 170 and 195 depending on whether I'm bulking or cutting. And my bi's average between 17.75 and 18.25". You should aim for about 19" bis in my opinion. Just remember, 80% of the size is in the tricep. Many people overlook that.

**Big Rig** · 03-22-2005, 02:10 PM

Originally Posted by 9000rpm

You are 6'2" and you only want 17" bi's? I am 5'5" and I float between 170 and 195 depending on whether I'm bulking or cutting. And my bi's average between 17.75 and 18.25". You should aim for about 19" bis in my opinion. Just remember, 80% of the size is in the tricep. Many people overlook that.

I think what he was trying to say is that his goal is Arnolds' stats...

**9000rpm** · 03-22-2005, 02:37 PM

Originally Posted by Big Rig

I think what he was trying to say is that his goal is Arnolds' stats...

Oh, I just read it again, and now I see. I'm retarded.

**nate3422** · 03-22-2005, 02:38 PM

arnold is da man!!!!

**j martini** · 03-22-2005, 04:34 PM

I would say that his measurements where exagerated. I know sergio oliva said that all the guys back then got together to try a high intensity training approach i think it was with arthur jones. Before they started the program he took their measurements cold most had 17-18 inch arms, while arnolds where 19.75 inches sergios arms taped out at 20.5 inches.
If you look at someone like Gunther Schlierkamp Who is the same height as arnold but competes at 300pound and has 21 inch arms it would not be possible for arnolds arms to be that big,

**Nicky B** · 03-22-2005, 04:45 PM

Arnie is my favorite BBer because he was a normal person. Yes he trained hard, took steriods , and ate very well and if you look at him in pumping iron he looks under 4% bf but he still had sex, smoked pot, and hung out with friends. And the reason i think for him only being 235-240 is because back they either took a low low dose of test or didn't use it at all. But as you can tell in one scene in pumping iron he loved Dbols.

**jollygreenGIANT** · 03-22-2005, 05:04 PM

Originally Posted by Nicky B

Arnie is my favorite BBer because he was a normal person. Yes he trained hard, took steriods , and ate very well and if you look at him in pumping iron he looks under 4% bf but he still had sex, smoked pot, and hung out with friends. And the reason i think for him only being 235-240 is because back they either took a low low dose of test or didn't use it at all. But as you can tell in one scene in pumping iron he loved Dbols.

hell yea hes the man, coming day and night.

**saluu** · 03-22-2005, 08:27 PM

i dont think arnie was 4 percent no way he had a massive physique but not cut his abs arent that great and he had wide hips . he has a great body but i guess his bodyfat is around 8 to 9 percent atleast franco was ripped so was frank zane those guys look like under 5 percent not arnold he was all mass.

**jbone30** · 03-22-2005, 08:46 PM

When you guys think he started the juice like 21 years old?..I got a pic of him at 19 in the arnold encyclopedia and hes huge

**fukkenshredded** · 03-22-2005, 09:01 PM

Bodyweight and measurements can be deceptive. Its all about proportion. Arnold had fantastic proportions, although I would never aspire to that kind of size.

But having said that for a long time, I stop and think. At my best condition these days I am 175 -176 lbs. That's at between 6% and 7% bf. Not the illusion percentage wish list, the real six percent. I have small-ish arms, with 17 inch upper arm measurements, and small thighs at 24-25 inches. My waist is 31, and I am just over 5'10" tall.

In the sauna, without a shirt, most people guess my bodyweight to be 190-200lbs, and I get asked all the time if I compete. I am TINY compared to bodybuilders, and when I am in clothes the only giveaway that I workout is a lean face and very developed forearms (there's another thing...my forearms are very large for my size, at 16 inches flexed).

Anyway, it is only when the entire physique is viewed that things work. If I were to listen to my measurements , I would not picture a muscular man. I would picture exactly what I am -- a skinny man.

Definition and bodyfat is everything in this game. Now that I am in my late thirties, I am considering tryin on a different look and going up ten pounds or so. On me, that would be gigantic, about 185lbs at five percent bodyfat. That is four pounds short of Zane at one inch taller.

To me, Zane looked perfect. So I think I am "gearing up" to try that look for a while, maybe just to see if I am capable of something like that.

Those of you who aspire to Arnold's look -- that is a good look. IMO, a much more asthetically pleasing look than, say, Coleman.

Today's best physiques, in terms of proportions, are Shawn Ray, Dareem Charles, and Dexter Jackson.

**Nutz56** · 03-22-2005, 09:29 PM

Originally Posted by fukkenshredded

Bodyweight and measurements can be deceptive. Its all about proportion. Arnold had fantastic proportions, although I would never aspire to that kind of size.

But having said that for a long time, I stop and think. At my best condition these days I am 175 -176 lbs. That's at between 6% and 7% bf. Not the illusion percentage wish list, the real six percent. I have small-ish arms, with 17 inch upper arm measurements, and small thighs at 24-25 inches. My waist is 31, and I am just over 5'10" tall.

In the sauna, without a shirt, most people guess my bodyweight to be 190-200lbs, and I get asked all the time if I compete. I am TINY compared to bodybuilders, and when I am in clothes the only giveaway that I workout is a lean face and very developed forearms (there's another thing...my forearms are very large for my size, at 16 inches flexed).

Anyway, it is only when the entire physique is viewed that things work. If I were to listen to my measurements , I would not picture a muscular man. I would picture exactly what I am -- a skinny man.

Definition and bodyfat is everything in this game. Now that I am in my late thirties, I am considering tryin on a different look and going up ten pounds or so. On me, that would be gigantic, about 185lbs at five percent bodyfat. That is four pounds short of Zane at one inch taller.

To me, Zane looked perfect. So I think I am "gearing up" to try that look for a while, maybe just to see if I am capable of something like that.

Those of you who aspire to Arnold's look -- that is a good look. IMO, a much more asthetically pleasing look than, say, Coleman.

Today's best physiques, in terms of proportions, are Shawn Ray, Dareem Charles, and Dexter Jackson.

got any pics??

**19inchpythons** · 03-22-2005, 09:43 PM

I personally believe that Arnold's arms were at the most 21"

Consider this:

Chris Cormier- 255 lbs, 22" biceps

Ronnie Coleman- 295 lbs, 23" biceps

Matt Duvall- 255 lbs, 22" biceps

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Everyone listed above looks a lot more massive than Arnold in his prime in my opinion...

**DrugsrGood** · 03-22-2005, 10:06 PM

it would not be possible for arnolds arms to be that big

It is, and they were...

**p0d0078** · 03-22-2005, 10:11 PM

His bodyfat % had to be very low, because 235 and look how big and tall he was.

**Nicky B** · 03-23-2005, 12:33 PM

In pumping iron he had vein webs on his chest and crazy veins showing in his calfs so i expected under 5% bf

**JdFlex** · 03-23-2005, 12:59 PM

I would say his bodyfat was in the 5% range. He was cut as hell. Could see many striations in all muscles. And his arms were huge. His triceps and biceps were massive. The peak on his bicep was especially high which would add to his measurements.

**TheNatural3456** · 03-23-2005, 01:29 PM

well pictures dont lie and i dont see how you could argue with these....he looks great in these pictures...arms are massive...chest is striated...

**19inchpythons** · 03-23-2005, 01:31 PM

good pics man- bump!

**LimitsAreNothing** · 03-23-2005, 02:11 PM

nice pics bro

**ire** · 03-23-2005, 02:11 PM

Alright its killing me I cannot remember.

Nevermind, its Lee Priest

**BigJames** · 03-23-2005, 02:35 PM

I think Arnie could have hit 22" arms...his bis are really thick and tall. Flexed, 22" easy. Compared to his bis, his tris were a little small, but everyone is stronger in one area than another. The current BBers look more massive (cause they are) but their mass is all over, not just in their arms. I also think that his measurements were taken when pumped, perhaps with a Dbol pump?

**BigJames** · 03-23-2005, 02:37 PM

Oh, and fukkenshredded, 16" forearms! Props bro...I am just coming up on 15" and I thought mine were pretty good! Back to the gym for me.

**p0d0078** · 03-23-2005, 02:47 PM

nice pics bro

**simonella** · 03-23-2005, 03:09 PM

That is enough to enthuse or activate even the laziest of as*es out there!! I’m printing these pics and then putting them up my freaken wall.

**Governor** · 03-23-2005, 05:00 PM

fukkenshredded looks better than 98% of this board. Hes also more intelligent than 98% as well.

That includes me on both accounts.

**Cheters** · 03-23-2005, 05:24 PM

I think it is crazy that he only weighs 235 @ competition and looks like he weighs a good 270. I am about 6'3" and 215 and look nothing close to how he looks