How you compare . . .

[RadRx]

Hey, guys:

Found this on MSN's Hotmail this morning. I feel [somewhat] better after reading it.

http://fitness.msn.com/articles/feed...704_averageguy

[Notbigenuff]

I love these kinds of articles, as they can sometimes be a real pick me up. Because, at the risk of sounding immodest, except for being "average" in bodyfat I usually come out way better than the average man.

My favorite one in this article is the mention that the average guy has arms like a soda can, but that with a little work you can have arms like a 2-liter bottle. Well, I had to take my tape measure out and discover that a 2-liter bottle is about 13.5 inches in diameter. So if a 13.5 inch arm is considered big--I wonder what how they classify the 15, 16, 17, and bigger arms!

[brent]

I like the fact that this article made me sound like I had huge biceps (mine are about 16") too. However, why does that place me to the right in their scale? I'd prefer guys with bigger arms were on the left. It would reflect the reality I've seen.

[ethernet_jock]

yeah - I'm not sure where they got that 13" average from. Granted it makes me feel really good about my own meger 16" but that doesn't seem to reflect reality in my experience either. I have the impression, anyway, that a 16" bicep on a guy my size is merely average if not slightly below average.

I don't really know tho... maybe I'm always just looking at the guys who are built to see HOW built they are and ignoring all the other ones that also fall into the average? My wife seems to think so... but then again... she's sort of obligated to try to assist my self-esteem. :P

Regardless - cool article. I question the part where it says that the average guy goes to the gym 115 days/year tho. That's about 3days/week... on average? I think maybe the average guy that goes to the gym probably goes about 3days/week on average.... but the average guy in general, doesn't go to the gym, at all.... I think (except maybe in January and February)

[Notbigenuff]

Originally Posted by ethernet_jock

I think maybe the average guy that goes to the gym probably goes about 3days/week on average.... but the average guy in general, doesn't go to the gym, at all.... I think (except maybe in January and February)

I think you are right--of the people in my circle I'm one of only two who goes to the gym with any regularity. Also, concerning the size of the average guy's biceps. I have found that other men's arms seem to be bigger to me than they really are! I don't know if it's an underlying insecurity issue or what--but I am usually surprised to find out how small most men's arms are.

Of course, I have to believe most men don't actually measure their arms so one has to wonder how the stats were collected.

[BigSteve6ft3]

I'm not sure whether or not this article is correct about what the "average" man's arm size is, but apparently there must be others who think the average is pretty small.

Recently, on a whim, I decided to try one of those blood pressure machines you see in supermarkets and shopping malls these days. On this particular model, the cuff is enclosed inside a plastic tube that you're supposed to stick your arm through. I stuck my hand through the hoop and immediately saw this wasn't going to work for me: I could to get my arm in about halfway up my forearm, and that was as far as it would go. No way was I going to get my arm in far enough to put the cuff around my upper arm.

Then I saw the sign:


"Warning: This machine is designed for adults with normal-sized arms only. Do not attempt to use if your arms are smaller than 9 inches or larger than 14 inches in circumference."

Now I know these are supposed to be for both men and women, but is 14" really the threshold beyond which one reaches the "abnormal" range? Mine are 18" so I must really be a freak by that standard.

Funny, my arms don't seem very freaky to me. In fact , I keep working out because I think they'd look much better if they were bigger. But finding out I was far beyond the "normal" range was a bit of an ego boost.

These numbers seem surprising, but I suppose a small average might help explain the pervasive notion that anyone who appears vaguely muscular "must be on steroids."

[Mdlftr]

This article about the average male arm size being 13" puts me in mind of those body mass index charts: you know, the ones that say you're "overweight" if you're bmi exceeds 25.

I'm 6'3", weigh 204#, and my bmi is around 25-26. According to those charts, I need to watch it, because I'm "overweight"! {I'm happy to say that my chest is Waay bigger than my waist (working on making it bigger too!) so I'm not overweight. (It's about proportion, which is what we strive for)

Also, another example, a pro bodybuilder (Mike Dragna for example, at 5'6" and 217# competition weight (HOT) is deemed "obese" at a bmi of 30!


Go figure---these charts and "averages" are based on old data, I'm sure, so they don't relfect accurately what people are currently like. And I'm not talking about those notorious "30% of Americans who really are overweight/obese/ saturated-fat-snarfing,non-exercising spheroids of blubber!" These charts don't reflect guys who work out, so I think they need to come up with new ones.

For instance:

Average arm size of guys who work out 3X per week:
Admitted sizes: 17" to 18.5"
Actual size: 15.5 to 16.5"

Average chest size of guy wwo3xpw:
Admitted size: 48" to 54"
Actual size: 44" to 47"

Average waist size of guys wwo3xpw:
Admitted size: 32 to 34"
Actual size: 36" to 38"

Average thigh size of guys wwo3xpw:
Admitted size: 28" to 34"
Actual size: 22" to 26"

Average "Equipment Size" (yes, *cough* down THERE) of guys wwo3xpw:
Admitted size: 12" to 16"
Actual size: 14" to 24"

My stats....???
--Modesty prevents me from sharing that!

Mdlftr

[ethernet_jock]

LMFAO

I love the "equipment size" section... hehehe... if only lifting weights allowed that to be true. I'll stick with my *real* average sized (but extra thick) equipment and be happy with it... it's always done the trick for me, thanks. :P

mdlftr - your impressions match mine pretty closely. I think it's a lot more fair and honest for us to compare ourselves only to other people wwo >= 3x/week. So yeah, basically just like I thought... at 16" (admitted AND real, why lie?) I'm perfectly average for the average guy who actually works out on a regular basis. and in my humble opinion, that puts me below average because of being 6'4" tall.... but hey... I'm working on it.

bigsteve - LOL damn... I haven't used one of those since I was a kid. That's hilarious. They really made a machine with the assumption that the average UPPER arm size of an adult human would be between 9" and 14"?? Shit, my wife's arms I bet are toward the top end of that range. LOL

NBE - that was my thought exactly. Of all my friends at work, I am the ONLY one who goes to the gym on any kind of a real regular basis. 2 or 3 claim to go, but only end up going maybe once or twice a month (every other time they always have excuses) and they never seem to want to go with me. That was definitely an average of how often guys go to the gym who actually go... unless they just took everyone's desperate lies. Additionally - yeah - I bet you're right. Whenever I see any guys' arms with even the slightest degree of definition or bulge I always feel like they must be bigger than mine. I have never walked up to someone and actually asked them what size they were to find out. And on that note, I will totally admit to having a major self-body-image insecurity issue. It's getting better as I get bigger, but it's definitely still there.

Thanks again guys! Awesome thread. :P

[Digibacker]

Speaking of blood pressure devices, I had an interesting experience at a recent checkup. My doctor put one of those traditional Velcro-wrapped bands around my arm. When she pumped it up, it kept coming undone! It, too, was made for an "average-sized" arm. She couldn't get enough Velcro to overlap to get it to stay on. We laughed a bit and I used my other hand to help hold it down.

Something like that is a big ego boost.

But I think, fellas, we all suffer somewhat from that condition that's the opposite of anorexia nervosa. I can't remember the name of it, but they're finding it's quite common among teenage boys. Our body perception is that we keep worrying that we're too small, weak or skinny. We don't realize how big we actually are.

I definitely have it. When I had an illness four years ago, people at work were complimenting me about how good I looked from losing weight (I had been a bit chubby before that), and it was the most depressing compliment anyone could've made to me. It really brought me down.

Now, when incidents like the blood pressure band happen, I really revel in it.

Regarding how we look compared to other guys: we often only see ourselves alone in the mirror. It's when you have another average guy standing next to you that you can really tell there's a difference.

That's something I noticed a few weeks ago at a restaurant. I was in the restroom washing my hands. They have a really big mirror there. Of course, I was checking myself out () and thinking about how "so-so" my progress was coming along. Then another guy entered from the door behind me, and the difference between us became readily apparent.

So I smiled quietly to myself and then headed back to the table, feeling somewhat happier at that point.

[RadRx]

Hey, Digibacker:

I think the technical term is body dysmorphic syndrome. That's a catch-all for someone the doesn't percieve their own image the same as others perceive them. For BB's, the term 'bigorexia' has also been coined to describe someone that never sees themselves as large as the actually are.

[Marco_ukmus]

Originally Posted by Digibacker

But I think, fellas, we all suffer somewhat from that condition that's the opposite of anorexia nervosa. I can't remember the name of it, but they're finding it's quite common among teenage boys. Our body perception is that we keep worrying that we're too small, weak or skinny. We don't realize how big we actually are.

I definitely have it. ...

Yeah, I definitely suffer from this as well. I mean i've had complments before but when it comes down to it it seems that regardless of what others say, the hardest person to convince is infact yourself. And like you say, when you see yourself in the mirror every single day, its hard to actually notice changes, or more poignantly, how big the changes are and how big your actually getting because you don't have that reference there... average joe.

Can't wait until i have to have my blood pressure taken and have issues with the arm strap...

Marc

[brent]

Yeah, I think anyone at this site probably suffers from that. I think I do, because I think I'm small, then people make comments. Like the other day my mom was telling me that one of the male nurses at her eye place kept going on an on about "that big guy that was with you last time"...

[LittleArm]

I have to question that article... it says the average guy has 13" biceps. I don't think that's true. I believe that the "average guy" is overweight and has a lot of fat on his arms which would exaggerate their arm size. My arms are a bit under 13" and they look significantly smaller than those of my friends and co-workers.