How is it that I see some guys that look like they should weight clean over 200 pounds but only weigh like 180, then there are guys that look smaller than them that weight almost twice their size?(speaking in terms of muscularity with low body fat).
You have eye cancer.
Lack of knowledge.
Im a fat guy, Im used to judgeing progress through fat. Some people cant judge muscle mass unless it has veins and serrations poping out of it.
Ever seen a 250 lb highschool line backer hex deadlift 500lbs for a set of 10 and then have a 160lb kid come in with abbs and have all the girls think hes huge?
I have, its just a lack of knowledge.
I’m a case example for this thread. I’ve always looked maybe 200 lbs, but I weigh 232. I’m only 6’ tall, and when I tell people how much I weigh, they’re like “yeah bullshit, you’re maybe 210”. The scale doesn’t lie. I was told when I was younger though that I have a heavier frame/skeleton though.
i size people up by looking at their shoulder girdle and thighs, mostly traps though.
but it’s true, bodyfat makes people “seem” smaller than they really are, i know the strongest guys in my gym just look husky and fat, and the weakest ones have teh hawt abz
As an above poster mentioned, I actually have the same type of problem. I think part of it has to do where the weight is concentrated. Walking in street clothes, people see me and think I’m in the 170 - 175 range. Usually, I’m sitting around 195. Part of it is my legs seem more developed than the rest of my body.
When I was around guys on my cross country and track team, they all thought I was around 200 or so. I think it’s just a matter of how good people are at eyeing up weights.
To the OP, those guys that look huge and weigh less, usually they have smaller legs, just an observation.
I keep reading here on T-Nation that if you ain’t 200 pounds then you’re a small bastard.
That may be well and good for a 6 foot tall guy but what about some who’s 5"6’ - me for instance?
Just how big should they be? I’m starting to get afraid of getting ripped and looking like a weenie.
I’m currently just shy of 155 and I can:
Bench: 165
Squat: 210
Dead: 265
Give it to me straight. Am I a small bastard?
You need to weigh well over 300lbs. Look at Lee Priest.
Ya, looking at your lifts, you have a lot more work ahead of you.
But, 5’6 and 200 ripped is competitive bodybuilder level size. Guaranteed you will look good at even 175.
[quote]Thomas Gabriel wrote:
Ya, looking at your lifts, you have a lot more work ahead of you.
But, 5’6 and 200 ripped is competitive bodybuilder level size. Guaranteed you will look good at even 175. [/quote]
Well, that sucks. I didn’t bother mentioning my puny arms…
Lucky I enjoy the journey as much as the destination…
This is an interesting observation, one I have made myself. Take a look at Stan McQuay… Dude competes as less than 200 pounds I believe(185-190 I think) and looks enormous. Huge round chest and full arms, even Thibs has noted this.
I think thats what makes some people excel at bodybuilding is their ability to look like 215 pounds and only weigh 180 pounds.
It would be interesting to see some photos of different bodybuilders at contest time and compare guys at the same weight (give or take a few pounds) and note the differences in what they look like.
[quote]Spry wrote:
I keep reading here on T-Nation that if you ain’t 200 pounds then you’re a small bastard.
That may be well and good for a 6 foot tall guy but what about some who’s 5"6’ - me for instance?
Just how big should they be? I’m starting to get afraid of getting ripped and looking like a weenie.
I’m currently just shy of 155 and I can:
Bench: 165
Squat: 210
Dead: 265
Give it to me straight. Am I a small bastard?[/quote]
You may be smaall, but you’re spry.
I know someone whose a good guy, but he’s one of those guys who never works out his legs. He can Bench 275 at a bodyweight of 145 but he looks like he’s at a bodyweight of 185. The most work he does on his legs is maybe 200 pounds on the selector leg press.
[quote]FightingScott wrote:
I know someone whose a good guy, but he’s one of those guys who never works out his legs. He can Bench 275 at a bodyweight of 145 but he looks like he’s at a bodyweight of 185. The most work he does on his legs is maybe 200 pounds on the selector leg press. [/quote]
but hey… he’s a good guy.
I thought I posted on this earlier but it seems I’m to dumb to press submit.
The the person asking about how much they should weigh at x height. I think the best indicator of thickness is lbs/inch of height. For a leanish type physique anything above 3.0 you would be pretty big. Off season Ronnie Coleman(at 330 or so lbs) on I think 5’10 comes in at about 4.7,so that’s a big boy haha.
There are severals factors that contribute to how much someone looks like they weigh. Number one I would say(especially in clothes) would be structurally how wide the clavicle is vs waist. Even in clothes you can see it and it makes someone appear much more massive if the shoulders are very wide, with our without a ton of muscle. If you are narrow shouldered and or have a wide waist you won’t have the same imposing look as somone of the same weight who does. After that what is developed plays a role, my traps forearms and calves are strong points and therefore I look pretty big in shorts and a t shirt. Currently I’m about 207 but most people think I’m 230. If someone has tree trunk legs and a weak upper body in clothes they are going to appear to weigh much less than someone with a massive upper body and smaller legs.
Now when the clothes come off there are other factors on top of those. Most important without a doubt is leanness and that should be fairly self explanatory. Joint size is also very important, you put a 17 inch calf on a guy with huge ankles and knees and it looks solid, you put that same calf on someone with tiny ankles and knees and it looks like a football was inserted in there. Same muscle, much different looks. Also muscle belly length and fullness contributes greatly to the look. You put full muscle bellies with small joints on a lean well developed individual with good bodybuilding structure and you’ve got someone who will look really damn impressive with our without clothes on.
You can’t change some of those things like muscle belly length or joints or for the most part your clavicles etc, but the things you can control are muscle size(espeically in the right spots) and leanness. In my opinion people can’t(without SEO or other site injection protocals) overdevelop side delts or upper lats, and you can’t have too small of a waist.
[quote]Spry wrote:
That may be well and good for a 6 foot tall guy but what about some who’s 5"6’ - me for instance?
[/quote]
I’m 5’6", too.
[quote]FightingScott wrote:
I know someone whose a good guy, but he’s one of those guys who never works out his legs. He can Bench 275 at a bodyweight of 145 but he looks like he’s at a bodyweight of 185. The most work he does on his legs is maybe 200 pounds on the selector leg press. [/quote]
I think this is something different entirely. By never working out their legs they pack on all the mass they gain on their upper body (Think Thibs Superhero workout, where the shoulders and chest are accentuated). The 20 pounds they gain that should be spread over their entire body is now being put all on the upper half.
The other “syndrome” is guys that just have bigger muscles at the same bodyweight as each other. Using my Stan McQuay example again, he could diet down to my weight and just blow me out of the water if I were able to achieve the same bodyfat percentage.
[quote]Zap Branigan wrote:
Spry wrote:
I keep reading here on T-Nation that if you ain’t 200 pounds then you’re a small bastard.
That may be well and good for a 6 foot tall guy but what about some who’s 5"6’ - me for instance?
Just how big should they be? I’m starting to get afraid of getting ripped and looking like a weenie.
I’m currently just shy of 155 and I can:
Bench: 165
Squat: 210
Dead: 265
Give it to me straight. Am I a small bastard?
You may be smaall, but you’re spry.[/quote]
Could not have said it better myself. 
Just benched 80kg yesterday! Booya! Almost got a 100kg squat as well but fell over again. Squats are hard…
[quote]malonetd wrote:
Spry wrote:
That may be well and good for a 6 foot tall guy but what about some who’s 5"6’ - me for instance?
I’m 5’6", too.[/quote]
Just looked at your profile. Bodyweight of Pi? Is it sad that I find that funny?
You and me are giving short people a bad reputation!
[quote]Spry wrote:
malonetd wrote:
Spry wrote:
That may be well and good for a 6 foot tall guy but what about some who’s 5"6’ - me for instance?
I’m 5’6", too.
Just looked at your profile. Bodyweight of Pi? Is it sad that I find that funny?
You and me are giving short people a bad reputation![/quote]
Ha. I forgot I changed my profile some time ago. I’m actually around 215.