You walk into a doctor’s office, step on that cold metal scale, and wait for the slide to click into place. If you're a guy standing five-foot-seven, there is a specific range that the medical community expects to see. But honestly, most of those numbers are based on data from the 1940s. It’s kinda wild when you think about it. We are using body standards from an era before processed snacks were a thing and before gym culture became a mainstream obsession. If you’ve been searching for the ideal weight for 5 7 male in lbs, you’ve likely seen the number 133 to 163 pop up. That’s the "healthy" BMI range. But is a 133-pound grown man actually healthy, or is he just thin?
Weight is a tricky metric. It’s just a measurement of your relationship with gravity. It doesn’t tell us if you’re carrying 20 pounds of beer-belly fat or 20 pounds of functional quadricep muscle.
For most guys, the hunt for the perfect weight isn't actually about the number on the scale. It’s about how the jeans fit. It’s about not getting winded when you’re hauling groceries up three flights of stairs. Let's get into the weeds of what these numbers actually mean for a five-foot-seven frame and why your "ideal" might look nothing like your neighbor's.
Decoding the Ideal Weight for 5 7 Male in lbs
The medical gold standard for decades has been the Body Mass Index (BMI). According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a "normal" weight for a 5'7" man falls between 133 and 163 lbs. If you hit 164, you’re technically overweight. At 192, you’ve entered the obesity category.
It sounds simple. Too simple.
BMI was actually invented by a Belgian mathematician named Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet in the 1830s. He wasn't even a doctor. He was a statistician trying to find the "average man." He never intended for his formula to be used as a diagnostic tool for individual health. Yet, here we are, nearly 200 years later, still letting a math equation from the 19th century dictate how we feel about our bodies.
If you have a large frame or a bit of muscle, that 163-lb ceiling feels suffocatingly low. A 5'7" man who lifts weights regularly will easily cruise past 170 lbs while maintaining a lean waistline. Is he unhealthy? According to the chart, yes. According to his blood pressure and heart rate, he’s probably a tank.
The Hamwi Formula and Frame Size
There’s another way to look at this called the Hamwi formula. It’s a bit more "old school" but some practitioners still use it to find a baseline. For a 5-foot male, the base weight is 106 lbs. Then, you add 6 lbs for every inch over five feet.
For our 5'7" guy, the math looks like this: $106 + (6 \times 7) = 148$ lbs.
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But even the Hamwi formula admits that frame size matters. They suggest a 10% swing in either direction. If you have "small bones" (measured by wrist circumference), your ideal might be closer to 133 lbs. If you’re broad-shouldered and thick-boned, 163 lbs is your target.
Why Your Muscle Mass Changes Everything
Let's talk about density. Muscle is significantly more dense than fat. A handful of muscle takes up much less space than a handful of fat. This is why two guys can both weigh 170 lbs at 5'7", but one looks like an athlete and the other looks like he’s struggling with a metabolic disorder.
Consider a real-world example: professional athletes. Look at featherweight MMA fighters or certain CrossFit athletes. Many of them stand 5'7" and weigh around 155 to 165 lbs of pure, shredded muscle. They are at the very top of the "normal" BMI range, yet they have body fat percentages in the single digits. Now, take a sedentary office worker at 165 lbs who has very little muscle mass. His health risks—diabetes, heart disease, systemic inflammation—are vastly higher, even though the scale says the same thing.
This is what experts call "Normal Weight Obesity." It’s a fancy way of saying "skinny fat." You’re within the ideal weight for 5 7 male in lbs, but your body composition is poor.
The Waist-to-Height Ratio (WHtR)
If you want a better metric than weight, grab a tape measure. Seriously. Researchers at City University London found that your waist circumference should be less than half your height.
For a 5'7" man (67 inches), your waist should be 33.5 inches or less.
This is a much better predictor of health than the scale. If you weigh 175 lbs (technically "overweight") but your waist is 32 inches, you’re likely in great shape. If you weigh 150 lbs but your waist is 36 inches, you have visceral fat—the dangerous stuff that wraps around your organs—and you need to make some changes.
Age and the "Safety" Buffer
As we get older, our relationship with weight changes. Sarcopenia, the natural loss of muscle mass as we age, starts hitting hard in our 40s and 50s.
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Interestingly, some studies suggest that for older men, being on the higher end of the BMI scale might actually be protective. It's known as the "Obesity Paradox." If an older man gets a serious illness or needs surgery, having a little bit of extra "reserve" (weight) can actually improve survival rates.
Don't use this as an excuse to eat a dozen donuts. It’s about carrying a healthy amount of mass. A 60-year-old man at 5'7" who weighs 165 lbs might be in a better position than one who is a frail 130 lbs.
Real-World Factors That Mess With the Numbers
Weight isn't static. It's a moving target.
- Water Retention: A salty meal can make you "gain" 3 lbs overnight. It's not fat; it's just water.
- Glycogen: If you go on a low-carb diet, you'll drop 5-10 lbs in a week. Again, not fat. Your muscles are just dumping stored sugar and the water that goes with it.
- Bone Density: Some people genuinely have heavier skeletal structures. It’s not a myth.
I once knew a guy, 5'7" exactly. He was a college wrestler. During the season, he’d cut down to 141 lbs. He looked gaunt, his energy was trash, and he was constantly irritable. In the off-season, he sat comfortably at 165 lbs. He felt stronger, slept better, and his blood work was actually cleaner at the heavier weight. The "ideal" isn't just about a number; it's about performance and well-being.
The Body Fat Percentage Reality
If you really want to know if you're at your ideal weight, you need to look at body fat percentage.
- 8-12%: Very lean. Think six-pack abs. Hard to maintain for most.
- 15-18%: The "sweet spot" for most men. You look fit, you have some definition, and it’s sustainable.
- 20-24%: Average. You might have a bit of a "dad bod," but you're generally healthy.
- 25% and up: This is where health risks start to climb.
At 5'7", a man with 15% body fat will likely weigh somewhere between 145 and 155 lbs. This is often the "aesthetic" ideal that most men are actually looking for when they ask about weight.
Moving Beyond the Scale
Stop obsessing over the 163-lb limit.
Instead, focus on biomarkers. How is your blood pressure? What are your fasting glucose levels? Can you do 20 pushups? These are far more indicative of your health than whether you weigh 158 or 168.
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The ideal weight for 5 7 male in lbs is a range, not a destination. It's a neighborhood where you want to live, but you don't have to stay in one specific house. If you are active, eating whole foods, and your waistline is under control, the specific number on the scale is secondary.
Actionable Next Steps
If you’re trying to find your own personal ideal, stop weighing yourself every morning. It’ll drive you crazy. Instead, try this:
Measure your waist right at the belly button. If it’s over 34 inches, focus on a slight caloric deficit and increasing your daily steps.
Start a basic strength training program. Adding just 5 lbs of muscle will change how your body handles calories and how you look in the mirror, even if the scale doesn't move an inch.
Focus on protein. Aim for about 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of your "goal" weight. This helps preserve the muscle you have while you lose fat.
Check your sleep. Lack of sleep spikes cortisol, which makes your body cling to belly fat like a life raft. You can't out-diet a lifestyle that ignores recovery.
Get a DEXA scan if you’re really curious. It’s the only way to truly know your body fat percentage and bone density. It takes the guesswork out of the "is it muscle or fat?" debate.
Ultimately, your ideal weight is the one that allows you to live the life you want without physical limitation. For a 5'7" man, that might be 145 lbs, or it might be 170 lbs. Listen to your body, look at your waistline, and stop letting a 200-year-old math equation tell you who you are.