How to measure biceps?

[puqdew]

Cold or pumped?

Flexed or unflexed?

Arm straight or bent?

 

[Ktulu]

I always assumed it was flexed cold.

 

[presidentender]

Pumped, flexed as hard as you can, bent to be as large as possible, at the point of greatest diameter. That way it's unambiguous.

Really, you're measuring your upper arms, not your biceps. Your triceps and brachialis are important too.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: presidentender
Pumped, flexed as hard as you can, bent to be as large as possible, at the point of greatest diameter. That way it's unambiguous.

Really, you're measuring your upper arms, not your biceps. Your triceps and brachialis are important too.

Technically, that's not correct. You never measure anything pumped. "Pump" can be subjective based on what kind of lifting you're doing and never quite pans out the same. The pump measurement is for those who like to cheat on their bicep size for bragging rights. To measure correctly, you measure the largest part of your upper arm, arm bent and flexed - never pumped.

By the way OP - don't worry about your bicep atm. Don't become one of those guys that bases his sense of self worth on his arms. Exercise, work out, whatever. That alone should make you feel better about yourself.

 

[shubh09]

Obviously you want to measure the highest peak on the bicep muscle and the lowest peak on the tricep muscle. You start with your arm fully extended and wrap the tape measure around it. Now make a fist and tense your biceps and triceps as hard as you can. Take the measurement from the biggest point in your upper arm.

 

[conorvansmack]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged
By the way OP - don't worry about your bicep atm. Don't become one of those guys that bases his sense of self worth on his arms. Exercise, work out, whatever. That alone should make you feel better about yourself.

But will that get me teh sweet bicept p33k? Curls get the girls?

 

[presidentender]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: presidentender
Pumped, flexed as hard as you can, bent to be as large as possible, at the point of greatest diameter. That way it's unambiguous.

Really, you're measuring your upper arms, not your biceps. Your triceps and brachialis are important too.

Technically, that's not correct. You never measure anything pumped. "Pump" can be subjective based on what kind of lifting you're doing and never quite pans out the same. The pump measurement is for those who like to cheat on their bicep size for bragging rights. To measure correctly, you measure the largest part of your upper arm, arm bent and flexed - never pumped.

By the way OP - don't worry about your bicep atm. Don't become one of those guys that bases his sense of self worth on his arms. Exercise, work out, whatever. That alone should make you feel better about yourself.

I (more respectfully than usually) disagree with measuring cold for most purposes. Boxers (and, I assume, other fight athletes) tend to be measured cold; bodybuilders tend to be measured pumped (they're also pumped on stage). Someone asking about measuring his arms is probably not motivated by athletic success as much as appearance, and there's a psychological boost that comes from big numbers, in measurements as well as lifts.

Getting pumped does depend on the exercise, which is why a lifter looking to measure his arms (or any other body part) should specifically pump them as hard as possible beforehand (alternating sets of preacher or concentration curls and triceps extensions work well here).

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: presidentender

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: presidentender
Pumped, flexed as hard as you can, bent to be as large as possible, at the point of greatest diameter. That way it's unambiguous.

Really, you're measuring your upper arms, not your biceps. Your triceps and brachialis are important too.

Technically, that's not correct. You never measure anything pumped. "Pump" can be subjective based on what kind of lifting you're doing and never quite pans out the same. The pump measurement is for those who like to cheat on their bicep size for bragging rights. To measure correctly, you measure the largest part of your upper arm, arm bent and flexed - never pumped.

By the way OP - don't worry about your bicep atm. Don't become one of those guys that bases his sense of self worth on his arms. Exercise, work out, whatever. That alone should make you feel better about yourself.

I (more respectfully than usually) disagree with measuring cold for most purposes. Boxers (and, I assume, other fight athletes) tend to be measured cold; bodybuilders tend to be measured pumped (they're also pumped on stage). Someone asking about measuring his arms is probably not motivated by athletic success as much as appearance, and there's a psychological boost that comes from big numbers, in measurements as well as lifts.

Getting pumped does depend on the exercise, which is why a lifter looking to measure his arms (or any other body part) should specifically pump them as hard as possible beforehand (alternating sets of preacher or concentration curls and triceps extensions work well here).

All the bodybuilders I've ever seen measure their biceps cold. If they do measure it pumped, they specify that. That shows that it's not quite the norm. They'll say something like:

Chest: 42
Biceps:17.4 (pumped)...

Everything should be measured cold. It's a consistent measurement. If it's actually getting bigger, you'll have a better idea by measuring it cold.

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: Ktulu
I always assumed it was flexed cold.

This is what I have always heard as well.