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Normal Weight for a Man

According to the Journal of American Medical Association website, 32.2 percent of adult males in the United States were overweight in 2007 to 2008. A man's normal weight is easy to calculate but can be influenced by muscle mass. Men with large muscle mass, such as body builders, weigh more than men with less muscle mass of the same age and height.

  1. History

    • In 1960, the normal, average man, aged 20 to 74 years, was 5 foot 8 inches tall and weighed 166 pounds. In 2002 these numbers went up, with the average man being 5 foot 9 inches tall and weighing 191 pounds. In 2008, according to the Wonder Quest website, the average male was 5 foot 9.1 inches tall and weighed 180 pounds.

    Body Mass Index

    • A man's normal weight can be calculated using the body mass index (BMI) formula. BMI is calculated by taking your body weight in kilograms and dividing this by the square of your height in meters. A normal BMI ranges from 20 to 25. A BMI between 25 and 29.9 is overweight, and a BMI above 30 is considered obese.

    Misconceptions

    • A high BMI doesn't always mean that you are overweight or obese. Body builders and husky football players, for instance, have a high BMI but a low body-fat percentage. This is because they are muscular and muscle weighs more than fat. When calculating BMI, the fat-to-muscle ratio should be taken into consideration.

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