# Genetics: large chest/small arms



## Kon

This was brought up in another post so I thought I would resurrect it. While people vary in their builds, I've noticed that 2 types that seem pretty common in some guys. 

1. Chest grows easily but limb muscles (arms and especially lower legs) grow very little.

2. Have big limbs that grow easily but chest/back grows with more difficulty.

I'm of the former (1). Do you think it's possible to change that type of build? If you think it's possible, what's the best way to do it? Is it better to do more direct leg and arm work and minimize progress on chest or is it still best to do basic compound (multiple joint) movements like bench press, squats/leg press, chins/pulldowns for people that are the (1)-type? Please vote and add input.


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## rockguitarist89

From what I've seen the major differences are either you have a great chest, but small triceps or a small chest, but great triceps. 

If somebody has a large chest, but small arms, it is probably due to them having a hard time getting their triceps to grow. (Triceps make up more than half of your arm size)


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## Kon

rockguitarist89 said:


> If somebody has a large chest, but small arms, it is probably due to them having a hard time getting their triceps to grow. (Triceps make up more than half of your arm size)


That's true. I think I have small triceps and biceps. My arms are very long for my height. I have over a 6'2" wing span but I'm 5'11". It makes them look even thinner. I really like Daniel Craig's look (for an older guy). He has a high chest with big limbs (see first pic). I have a low chest with long thin arms (see second pic). I've improved them from when I was young but still can't get them there no matter what I do. I've never hit much more than 14.5". I even tried pressure cuffs (vascular occlusion) to try to make them grow. But it was only temporary growth. If my chest was higher up it would look more proportional but there's nothing one can do about insertions.


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## rctriplefresh5

small chest small arms.


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## Kon

rctriplefresh5 said:


> small chest small arms.


If that's your pic on the avatar you arms look on the muscular side, to be honest, and proportional. My guess is easily over 15" unless you're short.


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## sanspants08

Kon said:


> That's true. I think I have small triceps and biceps. My arms are very long for my height. I have over a 6'2" wing span but I'm 5'11". It makes them look even thinner. I really like Daniel Craig's look (for an older guy). He has a high chest with big limbs (see first pic). I have a low chest with long thin arms (see second pic). I've improved them from when I was young but still can't get them there no matter what I do. I've never hit much more than 14.5". I even tried pressure cuffs (vascular occlusion) to try to make them grow. But it was only temporary growth. If my chest was higher up it would look more proportional but there's nothing one can do about insertions.


It's funny you should bring up the Daniel Craig look--I was wondering how he got to look that way too. By chance, I watched an early movie he starred in, just before a 007 flick, and thought man, it must be nice to have a personal trainer :roll.

Since I'm thinking this thread may have stemmed from mine about having a similar problem, I can relate. Oddly though, my chest and back tend to grow outward, rather than broadening like yours appear to have done. I wonder if that's a function of the different types of training we're doing  Also, when you say 14.5", is that flexed? I have a 6' wingspan, so each of your arms is an inch longer than each of mine, despite the fact that we're the same height.

Edit: Are you a lot more comfortable in winter clothes, too?


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## Kon

sanspants08 said:


> Since I'm thinking this thread may have stemmed from mine about having a similar problem, I can relate. Oddly though, my chest and back tend to grow outward, rather than broadening like yours appear to have done. I wonder if that's a function of the different types of training we're doing  Also, when you say 14.5", is that flexed? I have a 6' wingspan, so each of your arms is an inch longer than each of mine, despite the fact that we're the same height.


Yep. They're 14.5" flexed. My calves are just slightly bigger. My shoulders are pretty small also. My chest was always more wide than thick even before I started training. I think it's a function of skeletal structure. I doubt it has much to do with training? I tried every imaginable routine I could think of to get my arms and especially calves to grow. Nothing has really worked. My arms and calves always lagged behind my chest and upper legs. I would guess that having a thicker chest (grows outward) + smaller arms may make it look even more disproportional?

I did experiment for a few months doing very little chest work and concentrated just on arms and legs. I didn't see any major aesthetic or measurement changes but I've been thinking of doing such a program again but keep at it for much longer. Maybe do 1 set of bench press once weekly to just maintain. I tend to do more abbreviated routines. I never noticed any better gains with higher volume routines but I'm willing to try anything that may grow my calves and arms.


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## rctriplefresh5

Kon said:


> If that's your pic on the avatar you arms look on the muscular side, to be honest, and proportional. My guess is easily over 15" unless you're short.


i'm 6'2...bit genetically i have small arms and small everything. when i started lifting weights at 15 i couldnt even benchpress the 45 pound bar or do a pushup and i weighed 115

i think my avitar makes me look bigger than i am...here''s a vid of mehere





 i was 177


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## sanspants08

Kon said:


> I did experiment for a few months doing very little chest work and concentrated just on arms and legs. I didn't see any major aesthetic or measurement changes but I've been thinking of doing such a program again but keep at it for much longer. Maybe do 1 set of bench press once weekly to just maintain. I tend to do more abbreviated routines. I never noticed any better gains with higher volume routines but I'm willing to try anything that may grow my calves and arms.


I'm looking at your arms and noticing the similarities to mine. I'm guessing that when your biceps develop, they seem to grow "taller" rather than "wider," right? Also, does your tricep make a real "v?" Mine doesn't--rather, the inside seems to connect much closer to the elbow. It's as though the insides of our elbows are too narrow to allow muscle to widen.










Trying to show you the odd shape of the inside of my arm, but I have to hold it outwards to get it under the light here.










^ pic looks gay now that I look at it lol. Was trying to duplicate the angle of your pic, leaned too far. But as you can see, similarly skinny arms. My chest isn't broad at the base, so I sorta have some moobs :sus


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## Kon

sanspants08 said:


> I'm looking at your arms and noticing the similarities to mine. I'm guessing that when your biceps develop, they seem to grow "taller" rather than "wider," right? Also, does your tricep make a real "v?" Mine doesn't--rather, the inside seems to connect much closer to the elbow. It's as though the insides of our elbows are too narrow to allow muscle to widen.
> 
> Trying to show you the odd shape of the inside of my arm, but I have to hold it outwards to get it under the light here. But as you can see, similarly skinny arms. My chest isn't broad at the base, so I sorta have some moobs :sus


You arms look significantly bigger. You have a bigger bicep/tricep ratio than myself. My triceps make a "v" shape and my arms are quite vascular as I carry very little bodyfat in that area.

I agree, your chest is thicker and higher up, but less broad and the gap at the centre is greater. I think physique/strength trainees are just more picky/judgemental/vain/insecure/shallow *******s, not gay. I'm guessing many of us have BDD issues and we'll never be satisfied with our physiques. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. It prevents us from over-eating and makes us obsessed about taking care of bodies (exercising, nutrition, etc).

My favourite pdf article on nutrition is this piece:

http://www.gregdavis.ca/share/paleo-articles/academic/The%20Ancestral%20Human%20Diet%20by%20S.%20Boyd%20Eaton.pdf

My favourite strength training guideline review:

http://www.goldmedalsquared.com/documents/blog/Winett_StrengthTrainingMyths_2002.pdf

I'm still not sure though if all their conclusions are "true"?


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## rctriplefresh5

rctriplefresh5 said:


> i'm 6'2...bit genetically i have small arms and small everything. when i started lifting weights at 15 i couldnt even benchpress the 45 pound bar or do a pushup and i weighed 115
> 
> i think my avitar makes me look bigger than i am...here''s a vid of mehere
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> i was 177


lol noone looked at my post..wasted time rofl


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## Kon

rctriplefresh5 said:


> lol noone looked at my post..wasted time rofl


I looked at it a few times. You got a pretty good bench for a guy your height. Having long arms is a disadvantage in bench. And you look like you have long arms? Plus your arms still look bigger than 15" but you're right, you look bigger but shorter in the avatar.


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## rctriplefresh5

Kon said:


> I looked at it a few times. You got a pretty good bench for a guy your height. Having long arms is a disadvantage in bench. And you look like you have long arms? Plus your arms still look bigger than 15" but you're right, you look bigger but shorter in the avatar.


yeah my arms are around 6'2 wingspan. i can touch an 8 foot ceiling barefoot with ym pinky.


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## sanspants08

rctriplefresh5 said:


> lol noone looked at my post..wasted time rofl


Actually I was thinking that was an impressive lift. It just goes to show that it doesn't take massive-looking muscles to have considerable strength.



Kon said:


> I'm guessing many of us have BDD issues and we'll never be satisfied with our physiques. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. It prevents us from over-eating and makes us obsessed about taking care of bodies (exercising, nutrition, etc).
> 
> My favourite pdf article on nutrition is this piece:
> 
> http://www.gregdavis.ca/share/paleo-articles/academic/The Ancestral Human Diet by S. Boyd Eaton.pdf
> 
> My favourite strength training guideline review:
> 
> http://www.goldmedalsquared.com/documents/blog/Winett_StrengthTrainingMyths_2002.pdf
> 
> I'm still not sure though if all their conclusions are "true"?


Interesting reading. I agree that we're probably way too critical of ourselves...and I know I have issues with it from getting picked on a lot in high school. But yeah, at least we're going to stay healthy in the long-term :yes.

Lifting at the gym at this stage is kind of weird, because there don't seem to be any other medium-size, or medium-ability guys around.


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## cinnamon girl

rctriplefresh5 said:


> i'm 6'2...


I remember in one of your earlier posts that you'd mentioned that you're 5 10" and wished that you were taller.


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## Kon

sanspants08 said:


> Lifting at the gym at this stage is kind of weird, because there don't seem to be any other medium-size, or medium-ability guys around.


Steroid use is almost epidemic and gyms/strength training tends to attract a lot of genetically-gifted guys who tend to be big even before they start. Personally, I think some of them look kind of unaesthetic like gorillas but they're usually pretty quiet/shy and nice guys. I prefer the slimmer look like Daniel Craig. When I was young I was obsessed with Miles O'keefe's build (see below). What's kind of funny is I always thought he was huge but everybody now thinks he looks like just a fit, slimly muscular guy probably because everybody is huge, nowdays. Or maybe being a skinnier or smaller guy just makes me think everybody is huge. I'm not sure.


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## rctriplefresh5

cinnamon girl said:


> I remember in one of your earlier posts that you'd mentioned that you're 5 10" and wished that you were taller.


i havent been 5'10 since freshman year of highschool lol...

i think u have me confused with someone else

im the guy who complains he's ugly all the time


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## Kon

Of all the bodybuilders my favourite physique was Frank Zane's (see pic and video). He was still taking 'roids and is way too big for me but he didn't look bloated like most modern bodybuilders. I met him in real life. In clothes, and when he's off the 'roids (I'm guessing) you can't even tell he works out. He looked good though when I seen him many years ago after he retired. Mike Mentzer on the other hand, who died a few years back was obese.


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## rctriplefresh5

frank zane was a skinny toothpick..how is he too big


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## Kon

rctriplefresh5 said:


> frank zane was a skinny toothpick..how is he too big


I mean, he's bigger than I ever wanted to be. He still looks too much like a bodybuilder. My ideal physique is somewhere along the two pics I posted before and even those two builds are beyond my potential (at least drug-free). I just don't find that big look very aesthetic. Not that I could ever get close to that size. Most women hate that bodybuilder look (assuming one cares what women think). They have Zane listed at 5'9"

Off Season Weight: 200 lbs.
Competition Weight: 185 lbs.

I doubt he was 5'9". He looked more like 5'8". A guy walking on the street weighing around 200 lbs at that height would not be considered a skinny toothpick. That may not be the case with some bodybuilders who are always striving to get significantly more muscular despite being huge.


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## tigersqb94

I'm 18, 5' 6" and weigh about 155 lbs. and I have a nicely built chest. I can bench 290 on max. but my arms are uncharacteristically small and I want those nice big arms.. how do I change that?


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## GotAnxiety

It probably just hour's you've spent developing you haven't put in enough on your arm's. Like for me I spent more time developing my biceps so naturally my triceps are smaller and my shoulders are abit underdevelop I'm still playing catchup it will come with time. I've already seen improvement its been 2 week since starting the gym.


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## XairoN

My chest and bicep grows easily but not my tricep. I find having a strong chest is better than a strong tricep on the benchpress though , getting some good speed from the start of the lift makes it easier for the tricep at the top of the lift. Also have short leggs for my height but loong upper body witch is benifical for sqats & deadlifts etc....


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