ideal size

[stepstam]

you see two guys at the gym lets say they are six feet tall the first guy is shredded at 180lbs(like 5or 6 percent body fat), and the next guy is a bulky 250lbs. I cant really think of what is the dominate build. On one hand lots of people are naturally 180lbs but it dedication every day to be shredded. But on the other hand the 250lb guy it would for most take years to build up to that weight but he had to do very little diet change or cardio to get there. I think there should be some sort of weight that everyone aims for given your height. What should that weight be?

[stevemckenna]

The guy that lifts more, which I can assume is the 250 guy. 6'0'' 180 lb shredded is your typical A&F model wannabe. I'm closing near 200 lbs and I barely look like I lift.

[chazzy1864]

This is subjective. Different strokes for different folks and all that.


6' @ 180 w/ 5% is definitely a great feat. That isn't your typical A&F model. Most of those would be like 6' @ 180 w/ 10%. If you were actually 5% with those height/weight stats, you'd definitely look like you lifted. But.... since it is improbable to maintain that bf% and since most just completely overestimate theirs and others BF%, I'm guessing OP didn't actually mean 5%. In that case, if the guy he had in his head was actually 10%, then the 250 guy definitely has the more ideal/impressive physique.

[kanis999]

This is subjective. Different strokes for different folks and all that.

Exactly, because I completely disagree with this:

The guy that lifts more, which I can assume is the 250 guy. 6'0'' 180 lb shredded is your typical A&F model wannabe. I'm closing near 200 lbs and I barely look like I lift.

I'd much rather look like a model than a fat weight lifter. Cuts and proportions >>> sheer size imo.

OP no matter what you do, there are going to be haters out there. If you were the 180 lb guy, some people would make fun of how 'little' you weigh and how much you can lift. If you were the 250 lb guy, some people would make fun of how poorly defined you would probably be.

[speedjason]

whatever floats your boat.

[klaery]

I would ask the 180lb guy if he even legs. I weighed about 180lb at age 18 back when I was kickboxing and would have been about 8-9% bodyfat (I guess it was about that, had a pretty mean 8 pack). Sure I looked ripped with a shirt off but when I put a shirt on I looked like a skinny weakling, and I was.

I might have heavy bones or something but I think it would be hard to look muscular (all over) and have any kind of strength at that weight and height.

[T3hGiggles]

Totally thought this was a penis thread. Left disappointed.

[ironwill2008]

350

[MrRIP]

It's totally personal preference. At the end of the day you have to be comfortable with your body. Whichever look gives you the most confidence is the one you should strive to attain and keep.

I for one want to look like I lift in a shirt. It's going to take some years though lol

[magic15]

350

never go against ironwill

[stepstam]

This is subjective. Different strokes for different folks and all that.


6' @ 180 w/ 5% is definitely a great feat. That isn't your typical A&F model. Most of those would be like 6' @ 180 w/ 10%. If you were actually 5% with those height/weight stats, you'd definitely look like you lifted. But.... since it is improbable to maintain that bf% and since most just completely overestimate theirs and others BF%, I'm guessing OP didn't actually mean 5%. In that case, if the guy he had in his head was actually 10%, then the 250 guy definitely has the more ideal/impressive physique.

lol, you just made your own question and answered it.

[LiftingSteve93]

Honestly I'd go for the bigger option, given the choices. But I'm bigger than that

[kingofturtles]

I am 6ft, in highschool i was 175. i am now up to 184, I think 195 would probably be my max where I would look good, be strong and still be able to move and do cardio ect..

[sharpieblet]

so OP is asking whether it's better to be shredded or bulky......

'bout tree fiddy

[Jasonk282]

Personal preference...do whatever you want.

Though 6' 250 even at bulky is pretty much NFL linebacker size...Clay Matthews is 6'3 255


^6' 180lbs



^ 6'3 255

Personally, I'd rather be big and strong over lean.

[sharpieblet]

Personal preference...do whatever you want.

Though 6' 250 even at bulky is pretty much NFL linebacker size...Clay Matthews is 6'3 255


^6' 180lbs



^ 6'3 255

Personally, I'd rather be big and strong over lean.

can you imagine what the bottom guy (Clay Matthews? i'm not big on sports at all so i wouldn't know) if he cut down lean? he'd look like a beast.

i'd rather be on the lean to shredded side. but that's also way more in line with my goals and favorite all time physiques.

[Jasonk282]

can you imagine what the bottom guy (Clay Matthews? i'm not big on sports at all so i wouldn't know) if he cut down lean? he'd look like a beast.

i'd rather be on the lean to shredded side. but that's also way more in line with my goals and favorite all time physiques.

Clay Matthews IS a beast even with the extra bodyfat.

[IDrinkBloodLOL]

Well, at 6'0" it should be more like 215 and 275.

At my modest height of 5'10", maybe I should have to choose between something like 185 and 245: lean or bearmode.

At the moment I personally would rather be 185. The reasons for that are several:

1)
I have observed many extremely strong people over the last few years, and I don't see any evidence that a person needs to weigh a single pound over 200 to be phenomenally strong. There's historical examples of that like Arthur Saxon and then real recent guys like Jamie Lewis, Martin Berkhan (skinny little guy deads like 650!), and a video I saw recently of 181 pound oly lifters doing clean & press attempts with 455. A lot of them totally stuck it. If a 181 pound guy can strict press 455 pounds overhead, obviously you don't need to weigh 250 pounds and be strongfat in order to be strong.

Don't get me wrong, for whatever reason the "bearmode" build really does seem to be superior for absolute strength. I'm not sure why, but it actually seems like a little extra layer of fat helps somehow. Still, I personally believe it's unnecessary.

2)
No matter how you slice it, you will be healthier at a lower weight. It's a long standing fact in the medical world that if you are lighter, your heart and lungs can more easily oxygenate your tissues whereas the same will be put under stress if they have to oxygenate 250+ pounds.

For many with a predisposition, that WILL f*ck up your blood pressure in time. Your body will do many things to raise your blood pressure, as higher blood pressure will be necessary to push blood as far as needed to oxygenate such a large body mass.

I personally hold the theory that excessive eating and digesting also puts a great and chronic strain on the body, requiring your pancreas, intestines, spleen, liver and stomach to work continually, producing bile and digestive enzymes, detoxifying waste products, collecting and excreting waste products, etcetera. For most of us, something describable as "overeating" would have to occur in order to bulk to 250 pounds, and I'd prefer not to put my body through the strain of that - especially if I could still be just as strong at a buck ninety.

Lastly, I have found in my own fluctuations between 185 and 225 that your joints f'cking hurt from some things when you weigh too much. There's just some stuff you can't do. When I weighed 225, running hurt my knees and achilles' tendons. I was nowhere near as quick or maneuverable when doing anything actually athletic - when I played basketball, I just had too much momentum behind me to quickly change directions. At 185, going from a full sprint forward to a full sprint to the left is as simple as bouncing off the ground at an angle while running. At 225, it's a 3 step process: brake, turn, accelerate. Don't even get me started on acrobatics.

So, while I do acknowledge that big huge bearmode guys are pretty badass, I don't currently aspire to be one of them. I'd rather be about 190. Due to my freakmode genetics, I'm sure I'd still be able to rape their lifts anyway.

[pyaarawala]

I wouldn't wanna be either. 180 shredded is a good start especially for someone like me, but not as a final goal. 250 bulky strong is a bit on the far end. I think a nice balance would be in the 190-200 lb range shredded instead.

[sharpieblet]

Clay Matthews IS a beast even with the extra bodyfat.

i agree, but i think being big AND shredded is the ultimate beast mode .

[DoubleNNs]

6 ft, 200 and shredded.