By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
http://tinyurl.com/65tnyx
I’m often asked what my body measurements are and/or what are the
ideal measurements for a bodybuilder or a classical muscular male
physique. Believe it or not, there are actually many formulas for
determining the “ideal body proportions.” On the other hand, you might
want to take them with a grain of salt…
QUESTION: Tom, there is one thing that I really would like to know –
your measurements. You have a physique that (in my opinion) is ideal
and your photos are a real inspiration to me. I am able to move up in
weight gradually with my workouts, so I know I am building muscle, but
I never have a measurement to shoot for – e.g. biceps, chest, waist,
hips, etc. Also, it seems like certain ratios (for example, chest to
waist ratio, and maybe there are others?), would be helpful also. My
thinking is that if my waist and hips are “growing” faster than my
chest, then that might be an indicator that I am gaining fat where it
likes to show up first (hips and waist). The measurements I have of
myself are: chest, waist, hips, biceps, forearms, thighs, calves.
Thank you.
ANSWER: Personally, I no longer take my measurements, although I did
regularly when I was a teenager. I do, however think it’s a great way
to chart progress. Circumference measurements give you feedback about
how well your training (and nutrition) regimen are working and let’s
you catch yourself if certain body parts are lagging behind others, or
in the case of waist and hips, if you’re gaining body fat.
The waist measurement is an important one, because when your waist
circumference is going down, you know your overall body fat is going
down. Also, when your waist shrinks even a little bit, it tends to
completely change the way you look – even if you don’t gain any
muscle, a narrow waist creates an illusion of broader shoulders.
Abdominal fat and a large waist measurement is also a health risk.
There have been all kinds of different formulas proposed over the
years for the “ideal proportions”, but I never aimed for a certain
measurement myself. Bodybuilding is a very visual sport. The judges
don’t come up on stage and measure your arms in a bodybuilding contest
– you are judged on appearance.
I’ve always gone after a certain “look” as opposed to a certain
measurement. I cut out photos of bodybuilders whose physiques I admire
and want to emulate and rather than having a measurement in mind, I
always have a picture of my ideal in mind.
On top of a solid base of muscle size, I simply work towards symmetry,
so all muscles are developed equally, with no single muscle groups
that are out of proportion compared to others - for example, a huge
chest and rib cage with small arms looks silly - huge arms and small
legs looks un-symmetrical as well.
I’m not all that hung up on weighing a certain amount either, although
I do weigh myself regularly. The main reason I monitor my weight
closely is because in the off season, I’m always interested in gaining
more lean body mass and prior to competition I have to make a weight
class (middleweight has a 176 1/4 lbs cutoff. )
I’m 5’ 8” tall and I weigh 174-176 for competitions. That is very much
a “false” weight, however, because I easily lose 6-10 pounds of water
weight in the three days before a contest. By the Monday after a
Saturday contest, my weight is usually back up to 180-184 or so. Off
season, I weigh about 195-200 lbs. My off season body fat is usually
around 9-10% and before contests it’s around 4%.
Years ago I do remember measuring my arms and they were 17 1/2” cold
and 18” pumped. That was a long time ago. I would imagine they’re bit
larger now, but who knows. My waist is 31-32” most of the year, even
smaller before contests (last notch on the lifting belt!)
These are somewhat typical off season / pre contest height, weight and
body fat measurements for a natural bodybuilder. In the professional
and open federations (not drug tested), those weights and measurements
might be considered “small.” However, a 17-18 inch arm on a lean and
proportionate body can look very impressive.
Steve Reeves for example, was known as one of the most symmetrical and
aesthetically pleasing bodybuilders of all time, even though he was
not “huge” by today’s standards.
Reeves wrote about ideal measurements frequently and was always
striving for his idea of perfection in this regard (and came close to
achieving his own personal ideal). One of his criteria for ideal
proportions included having his arms, calves and neck measure the
same.
Steve Reeves Measurements:
Arms: 18.5 inches
Calves: 18.5 inches
Neck: 18.5 inches
Thighs: 27 inches
Chest: 54 inches
Waist: 30 inches
In his “classic physique” book, Reeves said his formula for “ideal
proportions” was as follows:
Muscle to bone ratios:
Arm size= 252% of wrist size
Calf size= 192% of ankle size
Neck Size= 79% of head size
Chest Size= 148% of pelvis size
Waist size= 86% of pelvis size
Thigh size= 175% of knee size
Steve Reeves’ height and weight chart for a bodybuilder (natural)
5’5” 160lbs
5’6” 165lbs
5’7” 170lbs
5’8” 175lbs
5’9” 180lbs
5’10” 185lbs
5’11” 190lbs
6’0” 200lbs
6’1” 210lbs
6’2” 220lbs
6’3” 230lbs
6’4” 240lbs
6’5” 250lbs
In the book Brawn, Stuart McRobert published the old “John McCallum
formula for “challenging yet realistic” measurements for “hard
gainers. His formula is based on wrist measurement and was also
published in the book Super Squats:
John McCallum’s realistic measurement ideals for hard gainers
1. 6.5 times your wrist gives chest girth
2. 85% of the chest girth produces the hips
3. Take 70% of the chest girth for the waist
4. 53% of the chest gives the thigh girth
5. The neck size is 37% of the chest
6. 36% of the chest produces the upper arm girth
7. The calves come out a little less at 34%
8. The forearms get 29% of the chest measurement
Incidentally, McRobert’s book Brawn has an entire chapter called
“expectations” which discusses the truth about measurement claims.
I find all these measurement ideals very interesting, but personally I
take them with a grain of salt.
Be careful with some of the formulas for “ideal measurements”, because
if they were based on steroid using and or pro bodybuilders, you may
get discouraged by trying to pursue an impossible goal for a natural
bodybuilder or the measurements of someone with a totally different
bone structure than you have.
Measurements - especially arm measurements - are also frequently
exaggerated. Twenty inch arms, for example, are rare and when you
actually see them in person, you realize just how massive they really
are. But somehow beginners and natural athletes get the idea in their
head that bodybuilding success means 250 pounds and a 20 inch arm.
The truth is, a 17 to 18 inch arm on a ripped 175-180 pound physique
with excellent balance, symmetry and proportion can look much larger
than it really is – it’s an optical illusion of sorts.
Some of these guidelines for “ideal proportions” are the “Grecian” or
“classical” ideals while others are ideals for bodybuilders. In either
case, keep in mind they are subjective – they’re just someone else’s
opinion of what is an ideal measurement. The only opinion that matters
in the end is your own.
Train hard and expect success,
Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
Lifetime Natural Bodybuilder
http://tinyurl.com/65tnyx
The Ideal Body Measurements 
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