You’re 5'11. It’s a bit of a weird height, honestly. You aren't exactly a giant, but you’re taller than the average American male. Because of that, the numbers on the scale can be incredibly deceptive. Most guys standing at five-foot-eleven walk around wondering if 180 pounds is "good" or if they need to drop down to 160 to finally see their abs.
The truth is messier than a single number.
If you look at the standard charts, they’ll tell you that the ideal weight 5'11 man falls somewhere between 136 and 178 pounds. But let's be real for a second. A 136-pound man at 5'11 is going to look gaunt, almost frail. On the flip side, a guy who hits the gym five days a week and weighs 195 pounds might have a 32-inch waist and perfect blood pressure, yet a BMI calculator would technically label him "overweight." It's confusing. It’s frustrating. And if you’re trying to optimize your health, relying on a generic chart from the 1970s is a bad move.
The BMI Trap and Why 172 Pounds Isn't Magic
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a math equation. That’s all it is. It was created by Adolphe Quetelet, a Belgian mathematician, not a doctor. He wasn't even trying to measure individual health; he was looking at populations. For an ideal weight 5'11 man, the BMI formula suggests a "normal" range that is frankly too broad to be useful for an individual.
When you look at the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company’s historical data—which used to be the gold standard for this stuff—they broke things down by frame size. This is where it gets interesting. A man with a "small frame" at 5'11 has an "ideal" range of 144 to 154 pounds. A "large frame" guy? He’s looking at 164 to 184 pounds. That’s a 40-pound swing just based on how wide your shoulders are or the density of your skeleton.
Think about two famous examples. In his prime, boxer Muhammad Ali was about 6'3, but if we scale him down to 5'11, he would have weighed roughly 185 to 190 pounds. He was in peak physical condition. Compare that to a distance runner of the same height who might weigh 145 pounds. Both are "ideal" for their specific biological demands. If you're a 5'11 guy sitting at 180 pounds and you're worried because you're at the top of the "normal" BMI range, take a look in the mirror before you panic. Are you carrying muscle or a spare tire?
Body Composition is the Only Metric That Matters
Weight is just gravity's pull on your mass. It doesn't tell you what that mass is made of. This is why the search for the ideal weight 5'11 man usually leads people to the wrong conclusions.
Health experts now point toward Waist-to-Height Ratio (WHtR) as a far more accurate predictor of longevity and heart health than the scale. For a 5'11 man (71 inches), your waist should ideally be less than half your height. That means keeping your waistline under 35.5 inches. If you weigh 190 pounds but your waist is 33 inches, you’re likely in better metabolic shape than a "skinny-fat" 160-pound guy with a 36-inch waist.
Visceral fat—that's the nasty stuff packed around your organs—is the real enemy. You can be "overweight" by the scale's standards and have very little visceral fat if you have a high muscle-to-fat ratio. Muscle is dense. It’s heavy. It’s also metabolically active, meaning the more you have, the more calories you burn just sitting on your couch watching the game.
Different Goals, Different Weights
What are you actually trying to achieve? Your "ideal" number shifts based on your lifestyle.
- The Aesthetic Lifter: If you want that "superhero" look—broad shoulders and a narrow waist—you’ll likely settle between 175 and 185 pounds. At 5'11, this weight allows for enough muscle mass to look athletic without becoming "bulky" or losing mobility.
- The Endurance Athlete: If you’re into marathons or triathlons, being lighter is a massive advantage. Every extra pound is more work for your heart and joints. Many elite runners at 5'11 hover between 145 and 155 pounds.
- General Longevity: For the average guy who just wants to live to 90 and keep his knees working, the "sweet spot" is often cited as 165 to 175 pounds. This range typically balances muscle mass (which prevents frailty as you age) with a lower load on the cardiovascular system.
The Role of Age in the Ideal Weight 5'11 Man
We have to talk about aging. It sucks, but your "ideal" weight at 22 is rarely your ideal weight at 55. Sarcopenia—the natural loss of muscle mass as we age—starts kicking in during your 30s. If you stay the exact same weight from age 25 to age 50, but you stop lifting weights, you have actually gotten "fatter." Your body composition has shifted.
Interestingly, some longitudinal studies suggest that being slightly on the heavier side of "normal" (or even "overweight" by BMI standards) in old age can be protective. It’s called the "obesity paradox." If you get a serious illness or need surgery when you're 75, having a little bit of extra reserve can actually improve your survival rate. This isn't a license to eat everything in sight, but it's a reminder that "leaner" isn't always "healthier" as the decades pile up.
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Bone Density and Frame Size: The Silent Variables
Have you ever looked at your wrists? It sounds weird, but it’s a quick way to gauge frame size. Wrap your thumb and middle finger around your opposite wrist. If they overlap, you likely have a small frame. If they just touch, you're medium. If there's a gap, you have a large frame.
A 5'11 man with a large frame has heavier bones and wider attachments for muscle. For him to try and weigh 150 pounds is a recipe for disaster. He’ll likely feel lethargic, cold, and irritable. His hormones might even take a hit. Testosterone production is closely tied to having adequate body fat and nutrients; drop too low, and your libido and mood go right out the window.
Real World Examples and Nuance
Let's look at some real data points. Dr. Spencer Nadolsky, an obesity physician who specializes in lifestyle medicine, often highlights that patients can be "metabolically healthy" at various weights. He focuses on markers like:
- Blood pressure (120/80 or lower)
- Fasting glucose (under 100 mg/dL)
- Triglycerides
- HDL cholesterol
If those numbers are perfect, the "ideal" weight for that specific 5'11 man is likely whatever weight he is currently maintaining without extreme restriction.
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Conversely, you have the concept of "TOFI" (Thin on the Outside, Fat on the Inside). This is a 5'11 man who weighs 155 pounds, looks "great" in a suit, but has high internal fat and pre-diabetic blood sugar levels because he eats processed junk and never lifts a heavy object. He's at more risk than the 190-pound guy who eats whole foods and hits the squat rack.
Stop Chasing a Ghost
The obsession with a specific number is a mental trap. The scale is a tool, not a judge. If you’re 5'11, start by aiming for a weight where you feel energetic and your clothes fit well.
Forget the 136-178 range for a minute. Focus on the 170s. For most men of this height, the 170-180 pound range is a fantastic balance of looking "built" while remaining lean enough to avoid metabolic disease. If you’re a former athlete with a lot of carry-over muscle, 190 is perfectly fine. If you’re a smaller-boned guy who prefers hiking and yoga, 160 might be your peak.
How to Find Your Personal Ideal
Don't just step on the scale. Use a multi-pronged approach to figure out where you should be.
- Check your waist: Get a flexible tape measure. Wrap it around your waist at the level of your belly button. If you’re 5'11 and that number is over 37 inches, you’re likely carrying too much visceral fat, regardless of what the scale says. Over 40 inches is the red zone for heart disease.
- Assess your strength: Can you do 10 pushups? Can you carry your groceries up two flights of stairs without gasping for air? Functional strength is a better indicator of "ideal" weight than a BMI chart.
- Bloodwork is king: Once a year, get a full panel. If your lipids and blood sugar are trending upward, it’s a sign your current weight—even if it's "normal"—might be too high for your specific biology.
- Energy levels: If you have to drink two pots of coffee to survive the day, you might be under-fueling to maintain an artificially low "ideal" weight.
Actionable Steps for the 5'11 Man
Instead of aiming for a random number, follow these physiological benchmarks:
- Prioritize Protein: Aim for roughly 0.7 to 1 gram of protein per pound of target body weight. If you want to be a solid 175 pounds, eat 150-175 grams of protein. This protects the muscle you have while you lose fat.
- Resistance Training: Lift weights twice a week. At 5'11, your levers are long enough that you can carry a significant amount of muscle, which makes weight management significantly easier in the long run.
- The "Mirror and Belt" Test: If you're losing notches on your belt but the scale isn't moving, you're winning. You're losing fat and gaining muscle. This is the "holy grail" of body recomposition.
- Sleep and Stress: You cannot maintain an ideal weight if your cortisol is spiked and you’re sleeping five hours a night. High cortisol triggers fat storage specifically in the abdominal area.
The ideal weight 5'11 man isn't a fixed point on a map. It’s a range that fluctuates with your age, your activity level, and your genetics. Stop trying to fit into a box designed by a mathematician in the 1800s. Build some muscle, watch your waistline, and let the scale land where it may. Healthy isn't a look; it's a function.