The legendary debate over whether Hulk Hogan’s '24-inch pythons' actually eclipsed Arnold Schwarzenegger’s prime physique has resurfaced. While exact measurements from the golden era remain elusive, height and weight comparisons paint a surprising picture of these two cultural icons.

After Hogan's passing on July 24, 2025, the debate has resurfaced, as highlighted in a Fandomwire article. According to the article, the late WWE superstar inspired many fitness enthusiasts with his massive physique and big arms, which he called “24-inch pythons.”

Although the size of his biceps is still unknown because it was never measured, it was considerably bigger than that of the 7-time Mr. Olympia, whose arm size, according to Greatest Physique, during his peak was only 22 inches.

Hogan rose to prominence in WWE during the 1980s and remained popular until his retirement in 2012. However, the claim that his arms were bigger than Schwarzenegger’s may hold true, as he stood at 6'7" at his peak. By contrast, the Austrian Oak stood at 6’2” during his competition days.

However, later in his career, Hogan lost some height due to numerous surgeries.

So, if we talk about arm size, based on available data, Hogan had larger arms than Schwarzenegger. However, Schwarzenegger had better muscle separation.

After arms, let's talk about who had a bigger physique.

Arnold Schwarzenegger vs Hulk Hogan, bigger overall physique comparison

Hogan and Schwarzenegger were both huge, but let's compare their overall body size.

Schwarzenegger’s statistics:

• Arms: 22”
• Calves: 30”
• Chest: 57”
• Thighs: 28.5”
• Height: 6’3”
• Waist: 30”
• Weight: 235 to 245 lbs during competition days

Hogan’s statistics:

• Height: 6'7
• Weight: 302 lbs, during his peak
• Chest: 58”
• Waist: 37”
• Arms: 24”

Apart from that, let's compare their career accomplishments.

Schwarzenegger is a 7-time Mr. Olympia winner and a 4-time Mr. Universe winner. He began competing in bodybuilding during his teenage years.

He was also inducted into the 2012 International Sports HoF and the 2015 WWE HoF.

On the contrary, Hogan was a 6-time WWE champion. Additionally, he also received two WWE Hall of Fame rings in his name.

They were both popular in their field and inspired millions of fans.

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil