You step on the scale. The number stares back. If you’re a 5'7" guy, you’ve probably seen that standard CDC chart that says you should weigh between 118 and 159 pounds. But let's be real—118 pounds on a 5'7" man often looks incredibly thin, while 160 pounds on a guy with a decent amount of muscle looks lean and athletic. It’s confusing. People obsess over hitting a "perfect" number without realizing that the "normal" range is actually a massive 40-pound window. That’s a huge gap.
Health isn't a single data point. It’s complicated.
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Most of the medical community still clings to Body Mass Index (BMI). It’s an old tool, developed in the 1830s by a Belgian mathematician named Adolphe Quetelet. He wasn't even a doctor. He was a statistician trying to find the "average man." Because of this, normal weight for 5'7 male discussions usually start and end with BMI, but that’s a mistake if you care about how you actually feel or how your clothes fit.
The Math and the Reality of the 5'7 Frame
If we follow the standard medical guidelines, the calculation for a 5'7" male looks like this: $BMI = weight(kg) / height(m)^2$. To land in the "healthy" zone of 18.5 to 24.9, you’re looking at a weight range of roughly 118 to 159 pounds.
Wait.
Think about that. A guy who is 120 pounds and a guy who is 155 pounds are both considered "normal." Yet, they would look like completely different people. One might be struggling with low muscle density and fatigue, while the other might be a dedicated gym-goer. This is where the BMI fails. It doesn't distinguish between five pounds of visceral fat around your organs and five pounds of bicep.
Metabolic health matters more than the scale. You could be 158 pounds—right at the edge of "normal"—but have high blood pressure and pre-diabetes because your body fat percentage is too high. Conversely, a 5'7" bodybuilder might weigh 180 pounds, which technically labels him as "overweight," even though his body fat is in the single digits.
Honestly, the "ideal" weight is a moving target.
Why Bone Structure and Muscle Change Everything
Ever heard someone say they are "big-boned"? It sounds like an excuse, but there is some scientific truth to it. Frame size is a real variable. Clinical practitioners often use wrist circumference to determine if a person has a small, medium, or large frame. For a 5'7" male, a wrist size under 6.5 inches usually indicates a small frame. Over 7.5 inches? That’s a large frame.
A large-framed man will naturally carry more weight in bone and connective tissue. For him, 165 pounds might be perfectly healthy and lean.
Then there's the muscle factor.
Muscle is significantly denser than fat. If you take two men who are both 5'7" and weigh 160 pounds, but one has 12% body fat and the other has 30%, their health profiles are worlds apart. The first guy is metabolically active; the second guy is at risk for metabolic syndrome. This is why many modern health experts, including those at the Mayo Clinic, suggest looking at waist-to-hip ratio or waist-to-height ratio as a better predictor of health than just the raw number for normal weight for 5'7 male.
If your waist is more than half your height—for a 5'7" guy, that’s 33.5 inches—you might have too much abdominal fat, regardless of what the scale says.
The Role of Age and Lifestyle
Your "normal" at 22 isn't your "normal" at 55. As men age, they naturally lose muscle mass—a process called sarcopenia. If you stay the exact same weight from age 25 to age 65, you’ve actually gained a significant amount of fat because your muscle has withered away.
It’s sneaky.
A 50-year-old man at 5'7" might feel his best at 155 pounds, whereas a competitive runner at 25 might feel fastest at 135 pounds. Neither is wrong. It depends on the "why." Are you trying to live to 100? Are you trying to bench press 300 pounds? Are you just trying to keep your cholesterol down so you don't have to take statins?
- The Athlete: Usually sits at the higher end of "normal" or even the lower end of "overweight" (160–170 lbs) due to muscle.
- The Endurance Runner: Often sits at the very bottom of the range (125–135 lbs).
- The Average Joe: Usually finds a sweet spot around 145–155 pounds.
What the Research Actually Says About Longevity
Interestingly, some studies, like the one published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), have suggested that being in the "overweight" BMI category (25 to 29.9) might actually be associated with a lower risk of mortality in older populations compared to being "normal" weight. This is known as the "obesity paradox." It doesn't mean you should go out and gain 20 pounds of fat, but it suggests that having a little bit of a "buffer" might be protective against wasting diseases as you get older.
But don't get it twisted. This isn't a license to ignore your health.
If you are 5'7" and 180 pounds, and most of that is carried around your midsection, your heart is working harder than it needs to. Visceral fat—the kind that sits deep in your belly—is hormonally active. It sends out inflammatory signals. It messes with your insulin sensitivity. It’s not just "extra weight"; it’s a metabolic burden.
Beyond the Scale: What You Should Actually Measure
If the scale is a liars' club, what should you look at?
First, get a tape measure. Wrap it around your waist at the level of your belly button. For a 5'7" male, if that measurement is under 34 inches, you’re likely in a good spot. If it’s over 37 inches, you’re entering a higher risk zone for heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, even if the scale says you’re "only" 165 pounds.
Second, check your energy levels. Are you crashing at 2 PM? Can you walk up three flights of stairs without gasping for air? Physical capability is a much better indicator of "normalcy" than a number.
Third, look at your bloodwork. If your triglycerides are low, your HDL (good cholesterol) is high, and your fasted blood sugar is under 100 mg/dL, you’re probably at your personal normal weight for 5'7 male, even if you’re a few pounds outside the chart's "ideal" zone.
Practical Steps for the 5'7 Male
Stop chasing a weight that you saw on a chart in a doctor's office from 1995. Instead, focus on body composition. If you feel like you’re "skinny-fat"—where you’re within the normal weight range but look soft—don't try to lose more weight. You'll just end up smaller and still soft. You need to gain muscle.
Basically, you should eat at maintenance calories and lift heavy things.
If you’re over 170 pounds and it’s mostly belly fat, don't aim for 130. That’s unsustainable for most grown men. Aim for 155. It’s a realistic, maintainable weight for a 5'7" frame that allows for muscle retention while keeping systemic inflammation low.
- Focus on Protein: Aim for about 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of your target weight. This protects your muscle while you lose fat.
- Resistance Training: This is non-negotiable for men. More muscle means a higher basal metabolic rate. You burn more calories just sitting there.
- Sleep: If you don't sleep, your cortisol spikes. High cortisol makes your body hold onto belly fat like a magnet.
- Track Trends, Not Days: Your weight can fluctuate 3–5 pounds in a single day based on salt, water, and stress. Look at the weekly average.
The goal isn't to be "normal" according to a 200-year-old math equation. The goal is to be functional. A 5'7" man who is 160 pounds of lean muscle and can run a 5k is infinitely healthier than a 130-pound man who hasn't exercised in a decade. Focus on the mirror, the tape measure, and your blood pressure. The scale is just one tiny piece of the puzzle.
Actionable Next Steps
- Measure your waist-to-height ratio. Divide your waist circumference (in inches) by your height (67 inches). Aim for a result under 0.5.
- Get a DEXA scan or use skinfold calipers. Knowing your body fat percentage is 10x more valuable than knowing your BMI. For most men, 12% to 20% is the "goldilocks" zone for health and aesthetics.
- Audit your strength. If you can’t do at least 5–10 pull-ups or a set of bodyweight squats, your "normal weight" might be hiding a lack of essential muscle mass.
- Prioritize protein and fiber. Instead of "dieting," focus on hitting 150g of protein and 30g of fiber daily. This naturally crowds out the processed junk that leads to weight creep.