In order to understand how much you should weigh with muscle first learn about the 3 general body types. Then follow the next 2 steps to find your ideal body type and how much you should weigh based on those characteristics.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 69 percent of the population is overweight or obese in the U.S. While it’s easy to point fingers at this problem, figuring out what you should weigh — for a healthy heart, and reduced risk of stroke, diabetes, and osteoarthritis — isn’t itself that straightforward. “The ideal weight for Bodybuilding calculations that the medical community uses is unrealistic for a lot of people for all these different reasons,” says Marjorie Nolan Cohn, RD, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Bodybuilders of today do not utilize the usual height-to-weight ratio guides since they are made for individuals who have lesser muscle. Since muscle is more substantial than the equal amount of fats, when you estimate your ideal body weight your BMI is likely in the normal where-as a bodybuilder would be obese.
How muscular a person is, bone density, where they carry weight, and genetics should all be figured into estimates of their ideal body weight. But the most common measurement, Body Mass Index or BMI, doesn’t take any of this into account. While BMI is really easy to measure (just go to the government’s online calculator and plug in your height and weight), it doesn’t directly measure body fat or take account of bone and muscle.
“A lot of athletes just based on weight versus height versus age may show up in the obese category, but clearly they’re not obese,” says Nolan Cohn. So, is your BMI accurate? We put together an informal test to give a sense of how well that number matches reality for you.
Another thing to think about is maintaining an ideal body weight once you’ve reached financial independence. If you’re financially independent, your number one goal should be to be as fit as possible in order to live as long as possible.
In any discount cash flow analysis, it is the terminal value that often makes up the largest portion of a company’s value. The longer you can extend the terminal value, the wealthier you will be!
In other words, to be rich and out of shape is irrational. Yes, when you are rich, it’s easier to hire people to mow your lawn, drive you around, and eat all the buttery steaks you want. However, it makes more sense to get in ideal body weight to give yourself a higher chance of living a longer life.
Take out your tape measure. Let’s dive into the numbers to see if there’s an ideal bodybuilding height.
There Are 3 General Body Types People Fall Under, Normal, Slim, Or Thick
Normal Bodies:
These are usually found in people who don’t overeat and either don’t workout or workout at a very low intensity usually just to maintain and for health reasons. They don’t have a purpose in terms of getting stronger, faster, or building muscle.
Slim Bodies:
More than likely these are people who under eat and do not do any training whatsoever. They are very similar to normal bodies but with less muscle mass. One thing I want you to understand is that there can be a very large range to every category here. For example, if a normal person is supposed to have 130 pounds of lean body mass, a slim person of the same height may have 120 pounds of lean body mass.
If they weigh the same the difference in appearance is that the slim person may look more flabby. The less lean body mass a slim person has the more flabby and weaker they’d look.
Thick Bodies:
These bodies are usually held by people who lifts weights recreationally or may even compete in a sport such as weightlifting, powerlifting crossfit, etc… Like the slim bodies example above, there is a large range as to what thick may mean but in general it describes someone who has more lean body mass then a normal person. If a normal person is supposed to have 130 pounds of lean body mass, a thick person has much more. Myself for example, I carry about 20 more pounds of lean body mass then an average person my height. I am very thick.
In conclusion, depending what type of body you currently have will determine the nutrition and training program you need to follow to achieve your ideal physique. In the next 2 steps I am going to show you how to find your ideal physique. No matter what you currently consider your ideal physique, it does not mean you can’t change your mind later. When I started bodybuilding I wanted a bodybuilder’s physique.
After a few years of following a program to maximize muscle growth, I started competing in Crossfit, Spartan, and other events where having a bodybuilding body wasn’t ideal. I then changed my ideal physique to Athletic Muscular. This allows me to maximize my strength, power output, yet still be flexible enough to maintain full range of motion and run medium to long distances effectively.
The Ideal Weight For Bodybuilding
Weight-to-height guides or charts are specifically made to inform you of your ideal weight as a male bodybuilder, inch by inch. Weight increases by 5 – 10 lbs per inch. For example, if you are 5 feet and 7 inches tall, then your ideal weight is 170 pounds. If you are 5 feet and 8 inches tall, then it is 175 pounds, so on so forth. The ideal weight increases by five per pound until you get to 5”11. For a 6-footer, ideal weight jumps to 10 lbs (instead of 5), making their ideal weight 200 lbs.
Measuring Yourself the Right Way
Besides regularly checking the alignment of your ideal weight-to-height ratio, you should also check for the right muscle-to-bone ratio for your frame to determine if your weight comes from enough muscle and not fat. Check the measurements of your knee, pelvis, head, ankle, and wrist. For example, you can measure your wrist size and multiply it by 2.52 to see whether your arm size is ideal or not. Your waist should only be .86 of the size of your pelvis.
Another great example is measuring the circumference of your knee and multiply it by 1.75. The answer for such will then be the ideal size for the most significant part of your thigh. If you discover discrepancies, boost the amount of workout for that area or part of the body.
The Body Mass Index
ou can take the result of this formula and place it into one of four categories: Underweight (BMI <18.5), Normal (18.5-25), Overweight (25-30), and Obese (> 30). You can also use a graph like the one below:
BMI is incredibly simple and easy for the individual to calculate in the comfort and ease of their home, which is why it is so popular. Being simple and well-adopted, however, does not make it the best or most useful way to look at the concept of ideal weight.
The Problem with BMI
While it gives you a rough idea of how you fare and what you should aim for, there is one area where BMI falls terribly short: it fails to take body composition into account.
What this means is that you can have very muscular people (think football players) that, although they have a completely healthy composition, end up in the “overweight” category. You may also find people who have a “normal” BMI, but their composition is less muscular than is healthy, and that alone can lead to cardiovascular health problems.
There are a lot of different sizes and shapes of bodies out there; fitting into a statistical model doesn’t always work. Don’t get me wrong, BMI is a good model to use in a lot of cases, but if you are looking to set specific goals that are unique to you and your body, there is a better method available.
Finding Your Ideal Weight: The Formula
ou can find your ideal weight by figuring out your lean mass, then decide on a body fat percentage or range of percentages that you’d like to be at within the above guidelines. Once you have your range in mind, it is as simple as using the following formula to kick out a goal weight:
Lean body mass (lbs) x (1 + target body fat percentage, as a decimal) = ideal weight
In the case of our 200lb guy, let’s say he wants to be between 12-17% body fat (BF). His situation would look like this:
140 lbs X 1.12 = 156.8 lbs or 140 lbs X 1.17 = 163.8 lbs
So, following the formula, his target “ideal” weight would be 156.8-163.8 pounds.
But how do you decide what percentage(s) to use for this formula? This is where it gets fun. At this point, the idea of an ideal weight often takes different paths depending on your unique perspective. The everyday person just trying to get healthy and look better will have a very different set of goals, at least initially, than someone more athletic looking to push the envelope on performance. Ultimately, it is personal preference.
Mission To Achieve The Ideal Weight
I don’t want to be another big blogger. My field has a disproportionate number of folks who can’t run two consecutive miles even with an angry three-legged bear roaring after them. At least we got sexy fingers!
As a result, as of today, I swear I will get back to the ideal weight for my frame and height by February 8, 2022. My ideal weight is between 160 – 163 pounds.
So how do we find the ideal weight? There are numerous factors that go into determining what your ideal body weight should be.
Based on an average of four sites I checked out (healthstatus.com, halls.md, healthcentral.com, healthdiscovery.net), Healthdiscovery.net’s estimates look to be the most accurate and reasonable.
One site had a lower range of 129 pounds as a healthy weight for someone 5’10”. Unless the starvation look is back in, 129 pounds is certainly not an ideal weight for someone of my height and frame.
Let’s take a look at the ideal weight charts for men and women. I plan to get back to my ideal body weight of 155 pounds while on sabbatical.
Best Height For Bodybuilding
What Is The Best Height Of Bodybuilders?
According to our analytics based on last 10 years of Mr. Olympia and other main Bodybuilding events the top 10 have all average between 5’8″ to 5’10”. This data suggests that is the best would be under 6′ tall which makes sense because you can much more easily pack on pure muscle. Unless you look like “The Mountain” of course. Right away if your height falls here you have a very good chance of succeeding in bodybuilding if you aren’t in this range don’t loose hope as there are taller successful bodybuilders you will see below.
Who do you think of being the most successful bodybuilder in history? Arnold Schwarzenegger of course. Guess how tall he was? Over 6 foots at just about 6’2″. Of course that was a different era as he only weighed 246 lbs. More recently Ronnie Coleman an amazing accomplished bodybuilder was 5’11”.
Some other Successful taller Bodybuilders:
- Jay Cutler 5’10”
- Dennis Wolfe 5′ 11″
- Jean-Pierre Fux 5’11”
- Nasser El Sonbaty 5’11”
- Zack Kahn 6’0″
- Paul Dillet 6’1″
- Lou Ferrigno 6’4″
- Gunter Schilerkamp 6′ 1″
- Ronnie Coleman 5′ 11″
What Is The Average Height Of Bodybuilders?
The average height of bodybuilders is relatively short at 5′ 8″ this is due to the fact that you have less area to pack on more muscle. If you are taller you will definitely have to work hard to pack the muscle on. The trend now has absolutely gone to pure bulk so taller leaner bodybuilders like Arnold are a thing of the past for good.
Find Your Ideal Body Type In 2 Steps:
Step 1: Find Your Ideal Body Type’s Description. I Categorized Ideal Body Types Into 5 Different Goals:
I call them goals because getting each body type requires a specific way of training to get there. You can definitely be born with the genetics to get there faster, easier, and naturally, but you still have to put the work in to maintain and go to the next level.
Ideal body type descriptions (Men and Women):
- Healthy Normal: Those aiming for this category are not concerned with being toned, muscular, or shredded. Those wanting to make this their ideal body shape just want to be at a healthy weight with the ability to do athletic activities but not competitively. Just a healthy looking normal person but still lightly active. Features include flat stomach but no cuts or definition, little definition, but by no means would they be considered overweight or obese.
- Athletic Normal: Like a healthy normal body, but a little toner and a little more muscular. Abs aren’t shredded or really defined but have some shape and tonality. Physical performance is better then healthy normal individuals and would most likely do better in physical events such as a 5k run, 5k or 7k obstacle race, and are usually a little stronger then the average person. For women who want to compete in a bodybuilding show, this would be a bikini type body. Men can compete in men’s physique but will probably be undersized nowadays.
- Athletic Muscular: Similar to Athletic Normal, but more muscle and definitely leaner. Visible abs, and physical performance is high. Can compete in higher performance competitions such as Crossfit, 7k and 10k Spartan races, or any other sports such as volleyball, wrestling, in high school and college level. In bodybuilding, women can probably do well in figure, but most likely will be undersized. The key is big round shoulders. In physique, women may be undersized as well but in physique, a more balanced physique is rewarded and may actually do better in this category then figure. For men, with this body type, can do very well in Men’s Physique but may or may not be undersized for Classic Physique. With that said, there’s still a great chance of doing well in Classic Physique if the man is well balanced, proportioned, and conditioned.
- Muscular: Here we get into bodybuilding type body type. For men, this category is more of a classic physique and but athlete’s can easily transition into men’s Physique as well as bodybuilding. For women, this would be for those wanting to compete in Figure and Physique. In figure big round shoulders are rewarded while in Physique more balance and structure is rewarded.
- Bodybuilding: These are for those who want to be as big as possible. For women, they can still compete at physique, but if brought back, you’d also be open class bodybuilding. Men, if you want to compete in bodybuilding, this can work at any weight class in the amateur league, NPC, but for professional, your options are 212 and open. 212 is for the shorter bodybuilders, 5’7 and below, while open class is 5’8 and above and much heavier then 212lbs. These are the mass monsters of the bodybuilding world.
Step 2: Calculate Your Ideal Weight Using The Appropriate Chart:
Instructions for finding your ideal body weight:
Use the intersection method by first, scrolling down to find your height, move to your ideal category, the weight specified at the intersection pint is my recommendation for your ideal body weight. This is the goal that you will be creating a nutrition and training program for. At the bottom I also created an array to make it even easier. Just find your height and ideal body shape.
Ideal body weight charts for men and women:
Height weight chart female
