For someone who is 5’11”, a healthy weight falls between roughly 136 and 179 pounds based on standard BMI guidelines. That range covers a wide spread because “ideal” weight depends on your sex, age, muscle mass, and body frame. A muscular 175-pound person and a sedentary 175-pound person at the same height can have very different health profiles.
The Standard Weight Range for 5’11”
BMI, or body mass index, is the most common starting point for gauging healthy weight. It divides your weight by the square of your height. For an adult who stands 5’11”, the CDC’s BMI categories translate to these approximate ranges:
- Underweight (BMI below 18.5): under 136 pounds
- Healthy weight (BMI 18.5 to 24.9): 136 to 179 pounds
- Overweight (BMI 25.0 to 29.9): 180 to 215 pounds
- Obesity (BMI 30.0 or higher): 216 pounds and above
These numbers apply equally to men and women at this height. They’re a useful screening tool, but they don’t account for where your weight comes from, whether that’s muscle, bone, or fat.
Clinical Formulas Give a Narrower Target
Healthcare providers sometimes use clinical formulas to estimate an ideal body weight. The Hamwi formula, one of the most widely used, gives different results for men and women at 5’11”:
- Men: 172 pounds (106 pounds for the first 5 feet, plus 6 pounds for each additional inch)
- Women: 155 pounds (100 pounds for the first 5 feet, plus 5 pounds for each additional inch)
These numbers represent a midpoint, not a hard target. Most clinicians treat them as a baseline and adjust up or down by about 10% depending on body frame. A large-framed man at 5’11” might have an adjusted ideal weight closer to 189 pounds, while a small-framed man might aim closer to 155.
How to Factor in Your Frame Size
Your skeleton matters more than most people realize. Someone with broader shoulders and thicker wrists naturally carries more bone and connective tissue, which adds weight that has nothing to do with excess fat. You can estimate your frame size by measuring the circumference of your wrist with a tape measure.
For men over 5’5″, a wrist circumference between 5.5 and 6.5 inches indicates a small frame, 6.5 to 7.5 inches is medium, and anything over 7.5 inches is large. For women over 5’5″, under 6.25 inches is small, 6.25 to 6.5 inches is medium, and over 6.5 inches is large. If you fall into the large-frame category, it’s reasonable to aim for the upper end of the healthy weight range. Small-framed individuals typically feel and look healthiest toward the lower end.
Why BMI Misses the Mark for Some People
BMI treats all weight the same, whether it comes from fat or muscle. That creates a real accuracy problem. A study of collegiate athletes found that BMI classified 35.5% of them as overweight and 4.1% as obese, yet when their actual body fat was measured, 89% fell into the healthy range. Overall, BMI matched body fat classifications only 59.3% of the time in that group.
This doesn’t mean BMI is useless. For the average person who doesn’t strength train intensively, it correlates reasonably well with health risk. But if you carry significant muscle, your weight can legitimately sit in the “overweight” BMI zone while your body composition is perfectly healthy. In that case, body fat percentage or waist measurements give you a clearer picture.
Waist Size as a Better Health Indicator
Where your body stores fat matters as much as how much you weigh. Fat around the midsection, surrounding internal organs, drives more metabolic risk than fat stored in the hips or thighs. The NHS recommends keeping your waist circumference below half your height. At 5’11” (71 inches), that means a waist under 35.5 inches.
Research from the Mayo Clinic reinforces that threshold. Men with waists of 43 inches or greater had a 50% higher mortality risk than men with waists under 35 inches, and risk increased gradually across the entire range. There was no single safe cutoff, just a steady climb in risk as waist size grew. If your weight lands in the “healthy” BMI zone but your waist exceeds half your height, you may still carry too much abdominal fat.
How Age Changes the Target
The standard BMI categories were designed for adults 20 and older, but they may not fit well once you pass 65. A meta-analysis of 32 studies covering nearly 198,000 older adults found that mortality risk was lowest at a BMI between 24 and 31, which is notably higher than the standard “healthy” range of 18.5 to 24.9. For a 5’11” person, that adjusted range works out to roughly 177 to 221 pounds.
The reason is straightforward. Older adults naturally lose muscle mass, and carrying a modest amount of extra weight appears to provide a protective reserve during illness or injury. Being underweight in your 70s poses a greater risk than being mildly overweight. Some health authorities now suggest that adults over 65 should consider a BMI below 23 (under 170 pounds at 5’11”) as underweight rather than the standard cutoff of 18.5.
Body Fat Percentage by Age and Sex
If you want a more precise picture than BMI or waist measurement, body fat percentage tells you exactly how much of your weight is fat versus lean tissue. Average body fat for men ranges from about 23% in the late teens to 31% by ages 60 to 79. For women, it ranges from about 32% in adolescence to 42% by the same age bracket. These are averages, not targets.
A fit, active man at 5’11” typically carries 14 to 20% body fat, while a fit woman at the same height sits around 21 to 28%. You can get your body fat measured through methods like calipers at a gym, bioelectrical impedance scales (less accurate but convenient), or a DEXA scan at a medical facility. If your body fat falls in a healthy range, your weight on the scale matters far less than the number alone might suggest.
Finding Your Personal Target
Start with the 136 to 179 pound healthy BMI range as a general reference, then adjust. If you’re a man with a large frame and moderate muscle mass, 170 to 185 pounds may be perfectly healthy even though part of that range crosses into “overweight” BMI territory. If you’re a woman with a small frame and low muscle mass, 140 to 155 may feel right. If you’re over 65, shift your target upward toward the 177 to 221 range.
The most practical approach combines the scale with a tape measure. Weigh yourself, then measure your waist at the navel. If your weight sits within or near the healthy BMI range and your waist stays under 35.5 inches, you’re in a solid position. If one number looks good but the other doesn’t, focus on the waist measurement. It’s a stronger predictor of the metabolic risks, like heart disease and diabetes, that most people are really asking about when they search for their ideal weight.