How to Caculate Your Frame Size

Determining your ideal body weight depends on a number of factors, height being the primary one. However, body frame size is another important factor in determining one's ideal body weight. Body frames are broken down into small, medium and large, with small frames weighing the least. Determining your body frame requires comparing the size of your wrist to your height, and this can be done with just a tape measure.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Pencil

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Instructions

• 1

  Measure the circumference of your wrist with a tape measure. Wrap the tape measure around the narrowest part of your wrist and make note of the number.

• 2

  Measure your height. Take your shoes off and stand with your back against a wall. Use a pencil to gently mark a line above your head. Use a tape measure to determine the height from the floor to the pencil mark.

• 3

  Determine your body frame size based on the National Institutes of Health's specifications. For women shorter than 5 feet 2 inches, a small frame has a wrist size of less than 5.5 inches, a medium frame has a wrist size of 5.5 to 5.75 inches, and a large frame is larger than 5.75 inches.

  For women between 5 feet 2 inches and 5 feet 5 inches tall, a small frame has a wrist that is less than 6 inches around, a medium frame's wrist is 6 to 6.25 inches, and a large frame has a wrist circumference of more than 6.25 inches.

  For women taller than 5 feet 5 inches tall, the wrist of a small frame is less than 6.25 inches, a medium frame's wrist is 6.25 to 6.5 inches, and a large frame has a wrist more than 6.5 inches around.

  For men taller than 5 feet 5 inches tall, a small frame's wrist is between 5.5 and 6.5 inches around, a medium frame is between 6.5 and 7.5 inches, and a large frame has a wrist over 7.5 inches.