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When it comes to the average bicep size, where do you measure up and what are some of the best ways to build bigger biceps.
Why not grab your tape measure and find out.
The biceps brachii is a two headed muscle group that gives your upper arms an overall larger appearance, especially when muscle mass is increased.
Recommended Reading – 6 Bicep Long Head vs Short Head Exercises For Intense Arm Growth
This is despite being smaller when compared to your triceps.
That being said, muscle isn’t always the overriding factor when it comes to the size of the biceps.
For example, someone with a higher BMI (that’s body mass index) could have bigger arms simply due to the amount of body fat they carry.
Other variables that could impact the average biceps size are things like height, age, gender, and genetics.
Average Bicep Size For Males & Females
Below you’ll see the average size of biceps for males by age range.
| Age Range | Average Bicep Size In Inches |
| 20-29 | 13.66 |
| 30-39 | 14.13 |
| 40-49 | 14.01 |
| 50-59 | 13.70 |
| 60-69 | 13.54 |
| 70-79 | 13.07 |
| 80 + | 12.12 |
Irrespective of height, race, and body mass index the average bicep size of males aged 20 years and above is 13.5 inches and for females is 12.5 inches.
The age range that has the largest bicep muscles for males is between 30 and 39 years with an upper arm circumference being just above 14 inches.
After which there is a gradual decline with the smallest biceps noted in males over the age of 80 and being just over 12 inches.
Now let’s look at the average size of biceps for females.
| Age Range | Average Bicep Size In Inches |
| 20-29 | 12.40 |
| 30-39 | 12.91 |
| 40-49 | 13.11 |
| 50-59 | 12.91 |
| 60-69 | 12.76 |
| 70-79 | 12.60 |
| 80 + | 11.54 |
For females, the largest bicep size is noted in those between the ages of 40 and 49 and stands at just over 13 inches.
As with the male group of 80 years and over, the same is found with females with the bicep size decreasing to an average of 11.5 inches.
This information is based on data obtained from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) between 2015 and 2018.
The data is also based on individuals who reside in the United States.
It’s worth noting that someone with big arms doesn’t necessarily mean bigger muscles or stronger biceps.
As mentioned above, if a person carries a higher amount of bodyfat (a high BMI) this could be the reason for them have a larger upper arm measurement.
How You Can Increase The Size Of Your Biceps…And Fast
With the right exercises, a bit of hard work and plenty of protein there’s no reason you can’t build larger biceps to rival those of Arnold Schwarzenegger (maybe!).
Below are some ways to get you on the right path to a bigger bicep measurement.
Focus On Your Back Muscles
That’s right, by making sure you do plenty of rows, chin ups, and lat pulldowns during your back day training you’ll also be working your biceps to a great degree.
Don’t overlook the importance of the big compound exercises that target your back to help you build big biceps.
The back and biceps involve pulling exercises and this is one of the reasons many people train their back and biceps on the same as the muscles work together to complete the movements.
With that in mind, don’t be tempted to crank out as many hammer curls as you can without putting your back through its paces too.
Do Your Biceps Isolation Exercise With A Full Range Of Motion
Your biceps muscle is relatively small when compared to other muscles in the body and often people perform something like barbell curls without moving through a full range of motion.
By doing this, you’ll limit muscle growth as you won’t be fully stretching the muscle under load.
Be sure that when doing something like a bicep curl, you allow your elbow joint to fully extend for maximum muscle stretch at the bottom of the movement and for each and every rep.
Also, choose your isolation exercises wisely and do them with proper form.
Pick exercises that will ensure you can achieve this full stretch, movements like the incline dumbbell curl are ideal for this.
Consider Increasing Your Training Volume
While you need to be careful of overtraining, the biceps are a muscle that can comfortably be trained around 3 time per week.
However, if you’re new to training you should monitor this and if you feel over worked drop it back a little.
If training 3 times each week, you could gradually increase your reps or sets over the weeks, keeping a close eye on performance of reps and how your muscles feel.
For mind muscle connection, really squeeze your biceps for each rep you do.
Increase Your Protein Intake
A healthy and balanced diet goes without saying but when you’re looking to build your biceps (or any muscle), you’ll want to ensure you consume enough grams of protein to help repair and build your biceps.
The recommended amount of protein for someone that regularly undertakes strength training is between 1.6 to 2.2g of protein for each kg of bodyweight per day.
So, make sure you’re getting enough protein for muscle building and maintenance. This does vary depending on your body composition and energy demands.
What Size Are Bodybuilders Biceps?
As you’d expect, the size of bodybuilders biceps are going to have an above average arm circumference.
Below are the reported upper arm sizes of the most famous male bodybuilders when they were pumped and at their biggest.
- Frank Zane – 18 inch biceps
- Franco Columbo – 19 inch biceps
- Rich Gaspari – 19 inch biceps
- Sergio Oliva – 20.5 inch biceps
- Dexter Jackson – 21 inch biceps
- Lee Haney – 21 inch biceps
- Dorian Yates – 21 inch biceps
- Arnold Schwarzenegger – 22 inch biceps
- Lee Priest – 22 inch biceps
- Kai Greene – 22 inch biceps
- Flex Lewis – 22 inch biceps
- Jay Cutler – 22.5 inch biceps
- Flex Wheeler – 23 inch biceps
- Phil Heath – 23 inch biceps
- Lou Ferrigno – 23 inch biceps
- Kevin Levrone – 24 inch biceps
- Markus Ruhl – 24 inch biceps
- Roelly Winklaar – 24 inch biceps
- Ronnie Coleman – 24 inch biceps
- Greg Kovacs – 27 inch biceps
Who Has The Biggest Biceps In The World?
As of writing today the biggest biceps in the world belong to Moustafa Ismail measuring a circumference of 31 inches.
However, his biceps size is not down to muscle fibers but rather extensive use of a substance known as Synthol.
This often results in an unnatural appearance and carries the potential for adverse side effects.
Summing Up
Whether you’re looking to increase your biceps size or not, we’re sure you now have a better understanding of the average arm size amongst males and females.
When it comes to bodybuilders, their bicep size is usually attributed to a huge amounts of strength training, lots of food and perhaps help from other substances.
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