Ideal Body Weight For Males

There is no such thing as the "ideal male body weight," says Oregon-based fitness coach Ben Cohn. Any individual male has an ideal weight based on age, height and body type, but variation between individuals makes naming a number for everybody impossible. However, working to reach your personal ideal weight will improve your health and potentially lengthen your lifespan.

Body Composition

The human body is composed of fluid, organs, bones, muscle, fat and other tissue, writes David MacCaulay in "The Way We Work." The concept of ideal body weight derives from what percentage of the body's composition is fat as compared to the rest of the body. An overweight person carries a lot of fat, while a healthy person carries a healthy percentage. There are different ways to measure and rate this composition.

Health Repercussions

Harvard nutritionist Walter Willett reports a direct correlation between ideal body weight and health. As the body approaches healthy body weight, mortality rates decline. So do incidences of type 2 diabetes, joint injuries, hypertension and heart disease. Even if you never reach your ideal weight, your health will improve as you approach it.

Factors for Ideal Weight

Calculating an individual's ideal weight can take into account age, gender and race, with different metrics determining what is and isn't healthy for each. Also important is an individual body type: ectomorphic, endomorphic or mesomorphic. Ectomorphic people are naturally slight, with small bones and lean muscle. Endomorphic people are the opposite, with large frames. Mesomorphic people are in the middle.

Body Mass Index

The body mass index, or BMI, is a quick calculation to help determine how close an individual is to their ideal weight. To calculate BMI, multiply your body weight in pounds by 703. Divide the result by your height in inches, squared. What Health reports that a score of 25 or higher indicates overweight, with scores below 18.5 meaning you are dangerously underweight. Although the BMI is a quick and easy indicator, some experts object that it doesn't take into account race, age, gender, body type or the fact that muscle is denser than fat.

Body Fat Percentage

Body fat percentage is calculated by analyzing weight and comparing it to other factors. Some methods of measuring body fat include electrical impedance, hydrostatic weigh-ins, caliper skin fold tests and mathematical formulas. Regardless of how it's calculated, your body fat percentage can indicate whether or not your body composition is healthy. For men 20 to 40 years old, a fat percentage of 8 to 19 percent is considered healthy, according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. For men between 41 and 60, the healthy range is 11 to 22 percent, while older men are healthy at 24 to 36 percent.

Reaching Ideal Weight

Although weight is only one of several important factors that determine healthy body composition, it is one of the easiest for you to monitor and change. Personal trainer Bill Phillips recommends a program of healthy diet and moderate exercise to help you reach your goals. The diet will reduce fat while the exercise builds muscle. The moderate pace will help keep you from cheating or giving up on your program before the results become motivation in and of themselves.