In prehistoric times, people developed muscles unconsciously. Hunting and protection from predators required remarkable physical strength from men. In ancient times, the development of the body became mandatory along with studies in science and art. The first exercise equipment appeared 3 thousand years ago, and fitness dates back to the 19th century. During this period, the first gyms opened, and already in the 20th century, from the 1920s, competitions were organized between bodybuilders, the volume of individual muscles was assessed: chest, triceps, abs, calves. Read more about those who had the largest biceps in history in the 24SMI article.
Larry Scott
The American was born in 1938 and had a fragile physique as a child. Larry started bodybuilding as a 16-year-old teenager. The young man’s biceps girth was 28 cm. Scott made a name for himself after entering college, taking third place in the Mr. Los Angeles competition. After a successful performance, the bodybuilder participated in “Mr. California”, becoming the best.
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The name of Larry Scott became known in the world after winning Mr. Olympia in 1965. The bodybuilder repeated the result in 1966. The athlete's weak point was considered to be narrow shoulders, so the American focused on his biceps. Scott's biceps brachii had a girth of 54 cm.
Anthropometric data of Larry Scott:
- height - 170 cm;
- hip circumference - 64 cm;
- chest circumference - 128 cm;
- waist circumference - 76 cm;
- weight in the off-season - 102 kg;
- competition weight - 94 kg.
How to choose a design and what looks best?
It is important to take into account that the peculiarity of the male body is such that it looks better on the biceps; it looks quite large. It is he who will be the most harmonious.
Before deciding what the final image will be, it is advisable to select several sketches on your preferred theme. In this case, you can choose the optimal pattern.
Of the most popular style trends, it is recommended by tattoo parlor artists to take a closer look at:
- A variant of biomechanics or so-called cyberpunk. In this case, the ornament will combine elements of the machine with the human body (protruding muscles, vascular pattern, drops of blood, etc.).
- If you want to make a good drawing, masters recommend taking a closer look at realism. A fairly popular trend lately that displays animalistic images with photographic precision. Naturally, it is better to do it in color - this way you can express the similarity even more. Predatory cats, eagles, owls, crocodiles, and sharks are carried onto the body. They do this together with the animal’s habitat to achieve greater effect,
- For style connoisseurs, geometry with strict lines and clear shapes is suitable. The engraving and graphics in black and white look laconic.
- Various ornaments and inscriptions in different languages are in demand. But it is necessary to remember the secret meaning.
The design of a biceps tattoo can extend beyond this part of the body. This is relevant when the scale of the ornament is monumental, and the composition requires a transition to the chest, shoulder blade or torso.
When applying for a tattoo, you need to find a professional artist who will embody the most daring ideas into an ideal composition on the body. In this case, the effect will be 100%. First you need to look at an array of photos to understand what the final pattern on the biceps will look like.
Dorian Yates
At the age of 13, the British man was left without his father, who died of a heart attack. At 19, Dorian was jailed for six months for participating in riots. In a correctional facility, a young man became interested in bodybuilding. When free, Yates went to the gym and competed. He made his debut in Mr. Olympia in 1991, taking second place. A year later, Dorian won and repeated the result 5 more times (1993–1997).
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Before his last triumph in Mr. Olympia, Yates tore his triceps. Before this, the bodybuilder was recovering from a biceps rupture, the girth of which was 54 cm.
Anthropometric data of Dorian Yates:
- height - 178 cm;
- weight in the off-season - 131 kg;
- competition weight - 121 kg;
- chest - 145 cm;
- waist - 86 cm;
- hip - 76.5 cm;
- shin - 56 cm.
Liu Hua is a big and unpleasant problem
The world learned about a young man from China thanks to an illness that caused him a lot of inconvenience. Even at birth, Liu received an injury to his left limb, as a result of which it began to grow greatly and reached simply incredible dimensions. The disease is called local gigantism, in which not the entire human body grows, but a separate part. The left limb weighed about 10 kg, the length of the fingers varied:
- thumb - 26 cm;
- index - 30 cm;
- average - 15 cm.
Fortunately, doctors recently performed an operation, removed 5 kg of the arm, bones and tendons, leaving 2 fingers on the palm. Liu Hua really hopes that surgical intervention will help him live a normal life, because with such complexity it is completely inconvenient to work, do everyday things, and outwardly Liu is not like everyone else. This upset the man; sometimes those around him were frightened by his terrible hand. The operation took 7 hours, and after some time he will have to go under the knife again. He will no longer be able to fully use his arm, but its weight has become less and life has become easier.
Sergio Oliva
In 1967, the Cuban supplanted Larry Scott on the pedestal of Mr. Olympia. The bodybuilder repeated his success in 1968 and 1969. During his third triumph, the bodybuilder beat debutant Arnold Schwarzenegger.
In his youth, Oliva was involved in weightlifting and was a member of the Cuban national team. Sergio dreamed of leaving the country and in 1961 the athlete settled in Miami, USA. The bodybuilder spent his free time in the gym. The classes required money, so Oliva took on any job and for some time repaired televisions. Sergio served in the police for 25 years and retired with the rank of officer.
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In 1986, Oliva experienced a family scandal. A bodybuilder's wife shot her husband five times. One bullet hit the athlete's stomach. The bodybuilder’s wife claimed that she was defending herself, and Oliva called the situation an accident. Sergio died in 2012 from kidney failure at the age of 71.
Anthropometric data of Sergio Oliva:
- height - 175.26 cm;
- weight - 108.8 kg;
- chest - 147.32 cm;
- biceps - 54 cm;
- forearm - 39.5 cm;
- waist - 71.12 cm;
- hip - 73.66 cm;
- calves - 47 cm.
Phil Heath
The American played on the student basketball team and dreamed of making it to the professional league. But the 175-centimeter Heath was not helped by hard training. At the age of 23, the athlete assessed the chances of a career in basketball and gave up trying. Phil was in good physical shape, so he took up bodybuilding.
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Jay Cutler helped the newcomer with training. In 2011, Heath won the Mr. Olympia competition for the first time. The athlete repeated his success 6 more times (2012–2017). In 2020, Phil took part in the competition after two years away and finished third.
Anthropometric data of Phil Heath:
- competition weight - 114 kg;
- weight in the off-season - 127 kg;
- neck - 47 cm;
- biceps - 56 cm;
- waist - 73 cm;
- hip - 81 cm;
- chest - 140 cm;
- caviar - 50 cm.
Jeff Dabe - a handy guy from the USA
The man has very large hands; he decided to turn his peculiarity into an advantage and has been engaged in professional arm wrestling for many years. The American has a huge number of victories. After the examination, specialists did not identify any health problems, elephantiasis or gigantism. Jeff is completely healthy, it’s just that his arm muscles are unusually large. But this only helps him in everyday activities and sports. The volume of his forearm is 50 cm, and he can pick up a basketball with his hand without any problems.
In arm wrestling, Jeff is simply a legend, despite breaking his right arm in 1986 during a fight, he continues to do what he loves; in competitions the man uses only his left limb. In everyday life, an American works a lot physically, chops wood, digs soil, and operates heavy equipment around the house. He doesn't even need to train before fights. He doesn’t have a specific technique, he simply presses forcefully on his opponent’s wrist.
Jay Cutler
Cutler was interested in chemistry during his school years and received two awards. Jay played American football professionally. The young man developed an interest in bodybuilding in college. But the athlete ignored competitions during his studies. The American won the Mr. Olympia title in 2006 and repeated the result three times.
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Anthropometric data of Jay Cutler:
- height - 176 cm;
- waist - 91.5 cm;
- biceps - 57 cm;
- neck - 50 cm;
- hip - 76 cm;
- calves - 49.3 cm;
- chest - 145 cm;
- competition weight - 125 kg;
- weight in the off-season - 145 kg.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Schwarzenegger started lifting at the age of 15. The young Austrian considered his idol Reg Park, a British bodybuilder, actor and businessman. The path to the Mr. Olympia title took Arnold 5 years. But the bodybuilder did not deny that he accelerated the process with the help of steroids. However, Schwarzenegger emphasized that he achieved extraordinary success while serving in the army. Arnold was a tank driver and found time to train even during exercises. The athlete got up an hour before the general ascent and swung with a homemade barbell right in the tank.
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Schwarzenegger won Mr. Olympia seven times. Since 1988, the Terminator star has organized the Arnold Classic competition.
Anthropometric data of Arnold Schwarzenegger:
- height - 188 cm;
- chest circumference - 144 cm;
- biceps - 57.6 cm;
- hips - 68.5 cm;
- shins - 47 cm;
- neck - 46 cm.
Sultan Kösen - the biggest hands and tallest height
A man from Turkey topped several ratings, including “The Tallest Man in the World” and “The Biggest Hands.” The length of the Sultan’s palms is as much as 27.5 cm and the span of his upper limbs reaches 3 meters. The man plays basketball professionally, where his height and large limbs come in very handy. Kösen was an ordinary child until he was 10 years old, then he underwent brain surgery to remove a pituitary tumor and the boy’s height began to actively increase. Already at the age of 26, his height was 2 meters 46 cm. Of course, such an unusual height attracts the attention of many people. He got married not long ago; his wife barely reaches his elbow. All his life, Kösen worked with his father on the farm; he was unable to receive an education due to his abnormal growth.
Today the guy’s height is 251 centimeters; thanks to his fame, specialists from the Medical Institute of the University of Virginia decided to study him. Since 2010, the man with the world's largest limbs has been undergoing treatment, during which doctors monitor growth hormones. They managed to bring hormone production back to normal and stop Sultan’s growth.
Ronnie Coleman
He was fond of American football and worked as an accountant. Ronnie became a professional bodybuilder in 1991. Seven years later, the athlete received the title “Mr. Olympia” for the first time. Coleman has eight victories in the prestigious competition. The athlete did three exercises as the basis of his training: squats (380 kg), bench press (260 kg) and deadlifts from the floor (365 kg). When performing the leg press, Ronnie used weights of over a ton.
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Anthropometric data of Ronnie Coleman:
- height - 180 cm;
- competition weight - 133 kg;
- weight in the off-season - 149 kg;
- biceps in the off-season - 63 cm;
- hip - 86 cm;
- chest - 146 cm;
- waist - 95 cm.
Mustafa Ismail
The Egyptian became famous at the age of 24, getting into the Guinness Book of Records. Mustafa surprised the audience with the size of his biceps, the girth of which was 79 cm. Ismail said that he achieved the result without synthol and steroids. The young man called a high-calorie and balanced diet, regular training, and self-discipline the secret of success.
Mustafa became famous not in Egypt, but in the USA. The athlete moved to America, where he worked two jobs to pay for training and a varied diet. At the peak of the athlete’s popularity, they wrote that Ismail lifts 225 kg with his biceps. The man said that he eats 3 kg of protein food, 4 kg of carbohydrates a day and drinks 11 liters of water. But it turned out that the bodybuilder deceived the judges of the Guinness Book of Records by hiding information about the use of synthol.
Triceps and its role in arm volume
The opinion that the biceps shapes the volume of the arm is erroneous. Because the bulk of the muscle mass is occupied by the triceps muscle, which is called the triceps. Thanks to the developed triceps system, powerful arms are formed. But some people, thinking about it, do not pay attention to its development. As mentioned above, the amount of muscle mass in the triceps is greater than in the biceps muscle. Therefore, if you make efforts to develop both, the result will not take long to arrive.
In addition to strength training exercises to increase muscle mass, athletes can use various sports supplements to have 40 cm biceps. This is normal if you intend to train seriously. If you have experience and an initial base, you can pay attention to some of them. List of additives:
- Creatine.
- Protein.
- Vitamins C and E.
- ZMA.
- Phosphatidylserine.
These drugs can be purchased at specialized sports nutrition stores. Vitamins are sold in pharmacies. All of these elements help increase strength. For example, protein is used before and after training at a ratio of 3 to 1, where 3 is grams and one is a kilogram of weight.
Greg Valentino
The press wrote that the American Greg Valentino had the largest biceps - 84 cm. The bodybuilder received a scandalous reputation in the world of bodybuilding. Greg not only trained, but was also involved in the drug business and was in prison.
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Valentino convinced the public that he pumped up voluminous “cans” in the gym. But it turned out that Greg was injecting synthol, which affected the American’s health. The athlete’s arms could have been amputated, but doctors pumped out the harmful fluid and pus in time.
Top 10 people with the biggest hands
- Sultan Kösen is a Turkish giant.
- Leonid Stadnik - huge hands and great height.
- Robert Wadlow is a world record holder from the Book of Records.
- Liu Hua is the world's largest left hand.
- Hussein Bisad is a kind and cheerful giant with big hands.
- Duangjey Samaksamam is a woman with huge limbs.
- Jeff Dabe is strong and resilient.
- Denis Tsyplenkov - the strongest hands in the world.
- Denis Sester - unrealistically large biceps.
- Greg Valentino - in pursuit of huge hands.
Largest natural biceps
Greg Kovacs at the peak of his career had biceps of 65 cm. Before joining bodybuilding, the Canadian had a choice - to play football or hockey. But the interest in bodybuilding was stronger, so at the age of 20 the young man made his debut in a pitching competition. The first performance was unsuccessful: the 130-kilogram Kovacs lost to a guy who weighed 85 kg. Greg was inferior in definition and posed awkwardly on stage.
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Kovacs won the Canadian national championship and competed in the Night of Champions and Arnold Classic competitions. The athlete’s life was cut short at the age of 44 in 2013.
In the 1990s, a native of Nigeria, Victor Richards, showed promise. The athlete was called the greatest bodybuilder in history. Victor, with a height of 175 cm, weighed 135 kg, which was considered unusual in the late 1980s. The volume of the Nigerian's biceps, which he pumped naturally, was 64 cm. Body industry officials expected Richards to become a new sports star. But Victor did not realize his potential, remaining a “gray horse”.
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Duangjey Samaksamam - the big problem of life
Fame all over the world is, of course, good, but for a resident of Taiwan this is a real problem. She gained her fame in the world because of a serious, incurable illness that accompanied her throughout her life. As a child, Duangjay avoided meeting others, did not play with children on the street, and was very shy about her huge hands. Gradually she got used to the pathology and began to try to lead a normal life. Experts studied the woman’s limbs, and doctors around the world became interested in her. Many even tried to reduce their limbs through surgery, but little success was achieved.
The problem is that a thick layer of fatty tissue is deposited in the area of a woman’s arms from the shoulders to the hands. If you remove it, it will still accumulate, so the operations did not bring anything good. The limbs always look excessively swollen and weigh about 20 kg. Today Duangjay is 65 years old and works in her parents' store. Doctors cannot help her, and she does not want to undergo amputation, because it is better to live like this than without any limbs at all.
Natalya Kuznetsova
Natalya was born in 1991 and took up sports at the age of 14. Kuznetsova planned to train in the gym to improve her health. But the Russian liked the exercises with dumbbells and barbells more. At the age of 16, the athlete received the title of champion of the Trans-Baikal Territory and won several adult competitions. The woman's height is 170 cm, weight 93 kg, biceps volume 48 cm, waist - 76 cm, hip circumference - 72 cm.
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Hand exercises
It is known that muscle mass grows depending on the amount of working weight. This means that the more weight you work with, the better results you will get. The process of increasing arm volume is long-term: you won’t be able to quickly pump up 40 cm biceps. This is a lot of time and effort spent, which you must put into the basis of building a beautiful body.
One of the effective exercises for strengthening arm muscles is the French press. After this exercise, you will see real changes over time. But it is worth thinking about the correct execution, since this system is very traumatic for the elbow joints.
Alexander Fedorov
Fedorov began his journey in bodybuilding at 14. Alexander won his first victory at the age of 17, when he became the champion among youth. The athlete was trained by his father, who was involved in bodybuilding. Fedorov participated in Mr. Olympia, but took 19th place.
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Anthropometric data of Alexander Fedorov:
- height - 185 cm;
- weight at competitions - 128 kg;
- weight in the off-season - 145 kg;
- biceps volume - 59 cm;
- chest - 150 cm;
- waist - 97 cm;
- hips - 82 cm;
- shins - 56 cm.
