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Perfect Male Body Measurements According to Height

(and how to achieve them)
Evan Porter / May 15, 2018
The quest for the “perfect” body is almost as old as time itself.

Michelangelo’s statue of David, for example, was once considered the pinnacle of the
male form.

Though we now live in the age of “bigorexia” where so many guys want the biggest
muscles they can possibly get, many of us chase something much more proportionate:

A lean, athletic, powerful, and chiseled physique.

So how do you get it? And how do you know when you’ve got it?

According to fitness and Hollywood physique expert, Greg O’Gallagher, the ideal
proportions are:

Waist – 45-47% of height

Shoulders – 1.618x waist

Arms – identical size of neck circumference

Chest – 10-12″ greater than waist

Let’s take a deeper look at the perfect male body measurements (according to height).

To achieve these standards, you might need to lose fat, build muscle, or both.
Start with this easy quiz to figure out the perfect workout program for you and
get a huge discount on the blueprint to your ideal body.

If you like to do things on your own, read on!

A quick note on being body positive:
There’s really no such thing as the ‘perfect body.’

You know that, right?

There is research that indicates what other people (and women) respond to in terms of
physical attraction, and there are bodybuilding standards, but objective perfection is
not a real thing.

Love your body the way it is, strive to improve, and enjoy the journey!

Okay, moving on.

Lean & tight waist (45-47% of height)

Waist size is the building block of a great physique. Too much extra padding around
the middle, and the entire aesthetic suffers.

A waist size of about ~45% of your height indicates fairly low bodyfat percentage and
an overall athletic build (also, probably a nice set of abs).

Example: If you’re 5′ 10″, the ‘ideal’ waist size would be around 31-33″

How to get a lean waist: Diet! Men tend to store most of their fat in their upper body,
around their midsection in particular, so you’ll need to lose a significant amount of fat
to get a tight waist and reveal your abs.

Here’s the basic blueprint:

Eat in a moderate calorie deficit to lose fat

 Lift heavy weights to preserve or build muscle

Do some direct ab work for definition

(For an awesome diet and training program that’ll help you drop about a pound of fat
per week and get shredded fast, check out Greg O’Gallagher’s Kinobody Warrior
Shredding Program — hit the link for my hands-on review & results after trying the
program myself!)

Broad shoulders (1.618x waist)

Broad, powerful shoulders are a hallmark of masculine physiques. They indicate

strength and confidence, along with an abundance of testosterone.
A shoulder width of just over one and a half times your waist size will make your upper
body pop, and help give you that coveted v-shape.

Example: For a 5′ 10″ man, the ideal shoulder width would be about 51-53″

How to get broad shoulders: Unlike getting a slim waist, you’ll have to build
significant amounts of strength and muscle in your upper body to separate yourself
from the pack.

The basics:

Get strong on overhead presses and other shoulder pressing movements

Add in extra volume by isolating the front, side, and rear delts (shoulder
muscles)

Stay lean!

(I highly recommend the Kinobody Greek God Program and nutritional protocol for
packing on muscle while staying lean — hit that link to see what happened when I tried
this lean bulking program myself.)

Wide back
A highly overlooked muscle group for getting the perfect male body, the back is
actually the true key to the V-shape.

Wide lats (the back muscles that rest under your rear shoulder) can give your torso a
striking, powerful appearance. They’ll also be super functional for keeping you healthy
and strong in real life.
There’s no specific proportion that can be applied to your back muscles, but they
should be in proportion to your shoulders and help contribute to the overall wideness
of your upper torso.

How to get a wide back:

Build strength on vertical pulls (weight pull ups are best) to hit your lats hard

Add thickness to your back with rows and horizontal pulls

Thick upper chest (10-12″ wider than waist)

Big shoulders and a wide back are the foundations of the V-shape that helps make up
the perfect male body, but without a powerful chest to go with it, the proportions will
be all off.

Your chest won’t necessarily give you a ton of extra width to your frame, but will give
you thickness from the side and make your waist and stomach area look even smaller.
The upper chest in particular forms a powerful looking shelf when built properly.
Example: For a 5′ 10″ tall guy, a chest measurement of about 42-45″ is ideal, assuming
a lean and tight waist in the low 30″ range.

How to get a well-developed chest & upper chest:

Build strength on the incline bench press to really target the upper chest and
shoulders

Flat bench and weighted dips can be used, as well

(A 225lb bench press is a really nice milestone to keep in mind when you start lifting. If
you’re wondering about how long it’ll take you to reach that level, start here for my
best estimation based on a ton of research.)

Well-developed arms (same size as neck)

Everyone wants huge, muscular arms, but your frame can only handle so much based
on your height. A good number to shoot for, in terms of impressive and well-
proportioned arms, is the same circumference of your neck.

You’ll want your biceps and triceps to be equally strong and well-developed for the
best results, as well as staying lean to reveal plenty of definition.

Example: For the average 5′ 10″ man, building his arms up to about 15.5-16.5″ (typical
neck size) should look great.

How to get great arms:

Focus on building tremendous strength on the key compounds lifts already

mentioned: incline bench press, weighted pull ups, and other major push/pull
movements

Add extra volume to your biceps with various curls, and to your triceps with
pushdowns, skullcrushers, and other isolation moves

Proportional legs
The ideal male body doesn’t have massive tree-trunk legs, nor does it have skinny,
chicken legs.

There’s no ideal proportion here, but the goal should be athletic legs with solid muscle
size and explosive strength.

How to get well-developed but proportional legs:

Hit lots of one-legged movements (split squats, lunges, pistol squats) to get
well-developed quads
 These moves will also help your VMO (the teardrop shaped muscle above your
knee) pop, which looks great

(By the way, if you’re having trouble with soreness or not being able to walk after leg
day, I put together some killer tips you have to try before, during, and after your next
lower body workout!)

Wrapping Up
Once again, there’s no true “ideal” body, but there are some standards based on
scientific study of attraction, as well as general bodybuilding best practices.

Everybody’s body and goals are different, so don’t let these confine you. Hopefully
these measurements will inspire you to reach your best physique possible.

(If you’re not sure which strength training and nutrition program is right for you
on your quest to the perfect body, try this quiz from Kinobody and get $20 off
one the programs mentioned above.)

And here’s a quick bonus, in case this is relevant to you!

What are the ideal bodybuilding measurements & how is

bodybuilding judged?
In competitive stage bodybuilding, it’s less important to strive for a specific
measurement than you might think.

In other words, bigger isn’t always better.

(Though, yes, overall mass is one of the key judging standards.)

Bodybuilding judges, however, also factor in a contestant’s:

Proportion
Symmetry
Definition
And stage presence

Proportion: All things in proportion!

Major lagging muscle groups in competitive bodybuilding is a huge no-no.

It’s awesome to have a “specialty” muscle group, like incredible shoulders, but not at
the expense of something else like your back or arms.

Give proper attention to each part of your body, even smaller muscle groups.

Symmetry: This one is a little bit harder to quantify, and definitely harder to achieve.

Some people are blessed genetically with amazing symmetry in their face, body, and
muscles. Others just aren’t.

However, you can tweak your routine to help create the illusion of a more symmetrical
physique.

According to Bodybuilding.com, focus on the:

Abs
Shoulders
Calves
Forearms
And outer back or lats

Extra calf and forearm training sounds a little unorthodox!

But these are key and highly visible muscle groups that can throw your whole physique
out of whack if not properly developed.

Definition: What you may lack in size you can always make up for in definition or tone.

In most cases, the leaner and more shredded you can get, the bigger you’ll look.

So if adding more mass to, say, your chest or back seems to be an issue for you, you
may be able to make up ground in the definition area by achieving a leanness that
bigger competitors can’t.

Stage presence: This is a much bigger deal than most people give it credit for!

If your physique and proportions are great but not the best on stage, you can always
dazzle the judges with:

Your smile
Great poses
Knowing your angles
Oozing charisma

Don’t overlook this key aspect of your training. In addition to gym time, you should be
practicing for the stage, as well.

 3 Best Foam Rollers for Shin Splints (And does it really work?)
 What are best creatine supplements for vegans?
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1 thought on “Perfect Male Body Measurements According to Height (and how to

achieve them)”

Mike Rouse
August 7, 2018 at 4:18 pm | Reply

Question: Arms should be the same as neck size. Is that comparison using the
arm size when flexed or when forearm is extended? Pretty significant
difference for a lot of guys between flexed/not flexed. Thanks!

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About Me
Hi there! My name is Evan. I’m a dad and 30-something-year-old fitness enthusiast. I started this
site to share all of the best information and products I could find on my way to better health and
a stronger body. I hope it helps you, too!

Check out the exact workout & nutrition program I used to lose 15+ pounds and finally get
lean and toned.

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