Suggestions considering small arms... Looking for advice[PICS]

[NoviceKevin]

5'10 183 lbs 18.2% bf according to scale , In my personal opinion the bulk ive been on since october of 2017 is going okay getting stronger by the day albeit slow and steady(bench still sucks). I dont feel out of shape at all and feel my endurance is still good and cardiovascular health should still be decent...
Current lifts all in LBS:
Bench 225x3
Squat 335x1
Deadlift 450x1
OHP 180x4
Weighted Dips 100x4
Chin ups 90x3


My concern is that in the fitness community according to my weight and body fat % building muscle is extremely difficult as well as the fact that I'm fat even though i don't feel a major gut. If I were to cut back to down sub 15% body fat my arms would be skinnier than they already are? What are your suggestions. Should i bulk to 190 lbs and then cut? all feedback is welcome. thanks

[ljimd]

4 reps bwt OHP, and 90# weighted chins should soon force your arms to grow.

If not, I have zero advice.

Best of luck young man.

[jseams]

Dunno ... you may want to cut a bit now. It's just going to be harder later (ask me how I know). You've had a pretty decent time on this bulk. Besides, I wouldn't exactly trust a BIA scale to give you anything near an accurate measurement for body fat %... heck, they won't even track a trend all that well. I was showing 21% on a floor scale and 17% on a handheld - all with a six pack and vascularity in my shoulders and traps and upper arms. I decided that outside of maybe being dunked or a DEXA scan the mirror is probably your best indicator and honestly, allthough all your photos say "flexed" it doesn't look like you are flexing at all. They look relaxed - which indicates a good bit of fluffiness. It looks like you carry it pretty evenly distributed around your upper body - which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Some of us get a gut almost right away.

Nobody likes looking flat and shrunk while on a cut - but it's all part of the process... at least that's what I keep telling myself. lol

[induced_drag]

Your 22. I would not cut unless being an abercrombie model is your goal look.

Eat a small deficit (like 250 cal/day) and train with a structured program that demands progression.

MOST people are incapable of putting in the effort to track their food with the precision to eat a consistent 250 cal surplus,....and that is OK. Just eat a little extra and track. Your 22....have fun, enjoy life and eat and train. Try to gain 1lb every 2 weeks. Let time be your freind and DEMAND strength progression.

If you want to be very serious.....then by all means run a super structured macro tracking diet. At 22.....there is no way in hell I could have done that.....and that did not stop me from putting on 50 lbs naturally. I just ate and trained my nuts off. I also drank and partied on weekends and chased girls. That is what your supposed to do at your age. But every time I walked in the gym...even the times I was hungover.....I treated it like is life or death and I was NOT going to fail.

Good luck..... You are in the best place you can ever be to gain. It is up to you how serious an effort you want to put in.

[MoldyGopher]

Have you tried using a lot of volume with lower weights, rather than higher-weight schemes?

If your bench is 225x3 then "converting" that into reps (via this bb.com page if you're curious) gives a ten rep range around 182. Load 180 up and go sets of ten. Increase your weight this way - jump to 185, 190 but stay at 10 reps per set.

You've reached the point in bodybuilding where size and strength diverge a tiny bit. Try changing your approach and keep your diet on cruise control for a little while.

[NoviceKevin]

Have you tried using a lot of volume with lower weights, rather than higher-weight schemes?

If your bench is 225x3 then "converting" that into reps (via this bb.com page if you're curious) gives a ten rep range around 182. Load 180 up and go sets of ten. Increase your weight this way - jump to 185, 190 but stay at 10 reps per set.

You've reached the point in bodybuilding where size and strength diverge a tiny bit. Try changing your approach and keep your diet on cruise control for a little while.

Good idea, thanks! Will rep

[EjnarKolinkar]

The main thing I read in your original post was that you're getting stronger every day after a 7 month mass gain, and still feel very good. And then it seems like you try to turn this into some kind of a problem for us to solve?

Then there's a bunch of worrying about how you look right now and fretting over arm size.

I've never met any weak, big naturals...they are all strong as hell and trying to get a little stronger. Sorry I'm not going to play the body fat game with you, or pretend I've got some crystal ball that can pick the perfect place and time for you to cut. Focus on long term log book progress if you want to grow; manage your weight for health, overall fitness, and well-being along the way.