A healthy weight for a 5’8″ male falls between roughly 125 and 163 pounds, based on the standard BMI range of 18.5 to 24.9. The most commonly cited “ideal” weight lands around 150 to 154 pounds, though your actual best weight depends on your build, muscle mass, and body composition.
The Standard Healthy Range
BMI, or body mass index, is the tool most health organizations use to define weight categories. For a 5’8″ man, the math breaks down like this:
- Underweight: below about 122 pounds (BMI under 18.5)
- Healthy weight: 125 to 163 pounds (BMI 18.5 to 24.9)
- Overweight: 164 to 196 pounds (BMI 25 to 29.9)
- Obese: 197 pounds or more (BMI 30+)
The CDC uses the same cutoffs for all adults over 20 regardless of age, sex, or race. That 125 to 163 range is wide for a reason: people carry weight very differently depending on bone structure, muscle, and where fat accumulates.
What Clinical Formulas Suggest
Doctors and pharmacists have used several formulas over the decades to estimate a single “ideal” body weight, mainly for medication dosing. For a man who is 5’8″, the three most common formulas converge in a tight range:
- Devine formula: about 151 pounds
- Robinson formula: about 148 pounds
- Hamwi formula: 154 pounds
These formulas all start with a base weight for someone who is 5 feet tall, then add a fixed amount per inch. They weren’t designed as personal health targets, but they give a useful midpoint. If you’re 5’8″ and somewhere in the 148 to 154 range with average muscle and frame size, you’re squarely in the middle of the healthy zone.
How Frame Size Shifts Your Target
Not all skeletons are built the same. A man with broad shoulders and thick wrists will naturally weigh more than someone with a narrow frame at the same height, even at the same body fat level. You can estimate your frame size by measuring around your wrist with a tape measure. For men over 5’5″:
- Small frame: wrist circumference 5.5 to 6.5 inches
- Medium frame: 6.5 to 7.5 inches
- Large frame: over 7.5 inches
A small-framed 5’8″ man might be healthiest in the 130 to 145 pound range, while a large-framed man could sit comfortably at 155 to 163 pounds or slightly above. The clinical formulas assume a medium frame, so if your wrist measures well above or below 7 inches, adjust your expectations accordingly.
Why BMI Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story
BMI treats all weight the same, whether it comes from muscle or fat. A 5’8″ man who lifts weights regularly and weighs 180 pounds could be in excellent health while technically falling in the “overweight” category. Research from a large population-based study published through the NIH confirms this problem: using BMI as the sole measure of body composition lumps together people with very different amounts of fat and very different health risks.
If you carry significant muscle mass, two better indicators of health are body fat percentage and waist circumference. For men, body fat in the 14 to 17 percent range reflects general fitness, while 18 to 24 percent is considered average and acceptable. Once body fat exceeds 25 percent, health risks associated with obesity begin to climb regardless of what the scale says.
Waist Size as a Quick Health Check
Your waist measurement captures something BMI misses: where you carry your fat. Belly fat surrounds internal organs and drives up the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic problems more than fat stored elsewhere on the body.
A straightforward guideline from the NHS: keep your waist measurement below half your height. For a 5’8″ man (68 inches), that means your waist should stay under 34 inches. Research used in the NIH study defined abdominal obesity for men as a waist circumference of 40 inches (102 cm) or more, which represents a clearly elevated risk threshold. If you’re between 34 and 40 inches, you’re in a gray zone worth paying attention to.
To measure accurately, wrap a tape measure around your bare midsection at the level of your navel, standing relaxed without sucking in. Do it first thing in the morning for the most consistent reading.
Putting It All Together
For a 5’8″ male with a medium build and average muscle mass, 148 to 158 pounds is a solid target range that aligns with both BMI guidelines and clinical formulas. If you have a smaller frame, aim closer to 135 to 150. If you’re larger-boned or carry more muscle, 155 to 170 can be perfectly healthy, especially if your waist stays under 34 inches and your body fat percentage sits below 25 percent.
The number on the scale matters less than the combination of your waist measurement, how your clothes fit, and your metabolic health markers like blood pressure and blood sugar. A 5’8″ man at 170 pounds with a 33-inch waist is in a fundamentally different health position than one at 170 pounds with a 38-inch waist, even though they weigh exactly the same.