You've probably stepped on a scale, looked at the number, and then immediately Googled what you should weigh. It's a reflex. If you’re a dude standing 5’9”, you’re actually the average height for an American male. But "average" height doesn't mean there is an "average" body. The internet loves to throw a single number at you, like 155 pounds, and tell you that's the peak of human health.
It's not that simple. Honestly, it's kinda frustrating how much the standard advice ignores things like bone density, muscle mass, and where you actually carry your fat.
A male 5'9 ideal weight depends entirely on what you’re trying to do with your body. Are you a marathon runner? A powerlifter? Or just a guy who wants to keep his blood pressure in check and fit into his favorite pair of jeans? Each of those guys is going to have a different "ideal," even if they all stand exactly sixty-nine inches tall.
The BMI Problem and the "Healthy" Range
Let's look at the baseline. Most doctors still lean on the Body Mass Index (BMI). For a man who is 5'9", the "normal" BMI range—which is 18.5 to 24.9—puts your weight between 125 and 169 pounds.
That is a massive gap.
Forty-four pounds, to be exact. If you weigh 126 pounds at 5'9", you might look incredibly lean, maybe even frail depending on your frame. If you're 168 pounds, you could be lean and muscular, or you could be carrying a bit of a belly. BMI doesn't care. It just looks at the relationship between your height and your total mass. It treats a pound of lard exactly the same as a pound of bicep.
What the Metropolitan Life Tables say
Back in the day—we're talking the 1940s through the 80s—the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company created "Ideal Weight" tables. They weren't looking at "fitness" in the way we do now. They were looking at longevity. They wanted to know which weight resulted in the fewest insurance payouts (meaning, who lived the longest).
For a 5'9" male, their numbers were:
- Small frame: 142–151 lbs
- Medium frame: 148–160 lbs
- Large frame: 155–176 lbs
See the nuance there? Frame size matters. If you have "heavy bones"—which is a real thing, technically called high bone mineral density—you're naturally going to sit at the higher end of that spectrum without being "fat." You can check your frame size by wrapping your thumb and middle finger around your wrist. If they overlap, you're likely small-framed. If they just touch, you're medium. If there's a gap, you've got a large frame.
Muscle Changes Everything
Muscle is dense. It’s significantly more compact than fat. This is why you see NFL wide receivers or CrossFit athletes who are 5'9" weighing 190 pounds and looking absolutely shredded. By BMI standards, those men are "obese."
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They clearly aren't.
When we talk about the male 5'9 ideal weight, we have to talk about body composition. A guy who is 180 pounds with 12% body fat is objectively healthier than a guy who is 160 pounds with 30% body fat (the "skinny fat" phenomenon). The 160-pound guy has a "better" BMI, but he’s at a higher risk for metabolic issues like Type 2 diabetes or systemic inflammation.
The waist-to-height ratio trick
Forget the scale for a second. Many researchers, including those involved in the Ashwell Shape Chart studies, suggest that your waist circumference should be less than half your height.
For a 5'9" man (69 inches), your waist should be 34.5 inches or less.
This is often a much better indicator of health than total weight. If you weigh 185 pounds but your waist is 33 inches, you're likely carrying a lot of muscle. If you weigh 160 pounds but your waist is 36 inches, you've got visceral fat—the dangerous kind that wraps around your organs—and you might actually need to lose weight despite being in the "ideal" range.
Real World Examples: The 5'9" Spectrum
Look at professional athletes or celebrities to see how much 5'9" can vary.
Take someone like Conor McGregor. When he fought at Featherweight, he was walking around near 145-150 pounds. He looked skeletal. At Lightweight (155) or Welterweight (170), he looked much more "natural" for his height.
Then you have a guy like Mike Tyson. He’s often listed at 5'10", but many accounts put him closer to 5'9". In his prime, he weighed about 218 pounds. He wasn't fat; he was a powerhouse. If he had tried to hit the "ideal" weight of 160 pounds suggested by a standard doctor’s chart, he would have lost all his power and probably felt terrible.
Most regular guys aren't Mike Tyson. For the average man who hits the gym three times a week and goes for a walk, a "walking around weight" of 160 to 175 pounds is usually where they feel and look their best. It’s heavy enough to have some strength, but light enough to not feel sluggish.
Why the "Ideal" Changes as You Age
Your 20s are a lie. You can eat pizza, weigh 150 pounds, and feel like a god.
By the time you hit 40 or 50, your "ideal" weight actually creeps up a little. Sarcopenia—the natural loss of muscle mass as we age—is the enemy. To combat it, you often need to carry a bit more weight in the form of muscle to protect your joints and maintain your metabolism.
Studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) have actually shown that for older adults, being slightly "overweight" by BMI standards (25–29.9) is associated with a lower risk of mortality compared to being "normal" weight. It provides a "buffer" against wasting diseases. So, if you're 55 and 5'9", weighing 175 or 180 might actually be healthier for you in the long run than trying to starve yourself down to 145.
The Mental Trap of the Number
We get obsessed. We see 181 on the scale and freak out because we wanted 179.
Your weight can fluctuate five pounds in a single day just based on water retention, salt intake, and whether or not you've had a bowel movement. If you're 5'9" and chasing a specific "ideal" number, you're chasing a ghost.
Instead, ask yourself these three questions:
- Can I climb three flights of stairs without gasping for air?
- Is my blood pressure in a healthy range (typically under 120/80)?
- Does my waist size put me at risk?
If your health markers are good and you feel strong, the number on the scale is secondary.
Actionable Steps to Finding Your Own Ideal
Stop guessing. If you want to actually find your "ideal" weight, you need data that goes beyond a bathroom scale.
Get a DEXA scan. This is the gold standard. It’s an X-ray that measures exactly how much fat, bone, and muscle you have. It will tell you if that 180 pounds is mostly muscle or if you're carrying 30% body fat. Knowing your body fat percentage is 10x more valuable than knowing your total weight.
Track your waist-to-hip ratio. Use a simple tape measure. Measure at your navel and the widest part of your hips. For men, a ratio of 0.90 or less is considered healthy. If you're 5'9" and your ratio is creeping toward 1.0, it's time to adjust the diet, regardless of what you weigh.
Prioritize Protein and Resistance Training. If you want to be at the "high end" of the weight spectrum (which usually looks better and feels better), you have to give your body a reason to keep muscle. Aim for roughly 0.7 to 1 gram of protein per pound of your target weight. If you want to be a solid 170, eat 120-170 grams of protein a day and lift heavy things.
Adjust for your lifestyle. If you’re a desk worker, your "ideal" weight is likely lower because you aren't burning as much fuel. If you're on your feet all day or working construction, you need more mass and more calories to sustain that output.
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Ultimately, the male 5'9 ideal weight is a range, not a point. For most men, staying between 155 and 175 pounds allows for a healthy balance of muscle mass and low disease risk. If you’re outside that range, don’t panic—just look at your body composition and your blood work. Those tell the real story.
Start by measuring your waist tomorrow morning before you eat. If it's under 34 inches, you're doing better than most. If it's over, don't worry about the "ideal" weight yet—just focus on bringing that measurement down through consistent movement and cutting out the ultra-processed snacks.