Normal Weight and Height for a Male

Defining "normal" in a man's height and weight is not easy; age, body composition and physical type all affect what's normal. "Normal" can sometimes mean "average," but that doesn't necessarily mean healthy or ideal; 74 percent of men are overweight or obese, according to statistics published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2010. The CDC stats also report that an average man stands 5 foot, 9 inches and weighs 195 pounds.

Height and Weight Charts for Men

The U.S. Department of Agriculture bases its recommendations in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans on an average man who is 5 feet, 10 inches weighing 154 pounds. A healthy weight for this height is anywhere from 132 and 174 pounds. For a man who is an inch shorter, at 5 foot, 9 inches, a weight between 128 and 168 pounds is healthy. Taller people usually weigh more; for example, a 6-foot-tall man who weighs between 140 and 183 pounds is considered healthy.

Certain body types fall onto the lower side of the weight range than other builds. If you're an ectomorph, for example, your body is naturally lanky and lean, so you might normally carry fewer pounds than a friend who's the same height but an endomorph, characterized by a slightly higher amount of body fat and a beefier body frame. Even though an endomorph might be heavier than an ectomorph, he may still carry a normal amount of weight for his height.

Normal Body Mass Index

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Your height and weight creates a specific ratio known as body mass index, or BMI. A BMI above 25 indicates you're overweight, while a BMI above 30 is an indication of obesity. Being overweight or obese greatly increases your risk of chronic disease. A healthy, or normal, BMI is between 19 and 24. Use an online calculator or consult with a doctor to determine if your weight is normal, or healthy, for your height. For most people, BMI is an accurate measure of the amount of fat in the body.

Normal Body Fat Measurements

Very athletic or muscular men may register as overweight or obese according to BMI calculations, despite being perfectly healthy. In these cases, an evaluation of body fat may better indicate the health of your weight.

Athletic men may have a body fat between 6 and 13 percent, while fit males may be more like 14 to 17 percent body fat. A body fat percentage of 18 to 24 is considered average, or normal. Above 25 percent body fat is unhealthy and puts you in the category of being overweight -- even if you have a "healthy" weight on the scale. As you age, you naturally lose muscle mass and gain more fat, which could cause you to fall into the higher end of these ranges.

Waist Circumference

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BMI calculations can sometimes miss people who are of normal weight, but carry too much intra-abdominal fat, or visceral fat. An abundance of this fat also puts you at risk of chronic disease. Men with a waist size that measures greater than 40 inches around have too much belly fat and should take actions to reduce it.

Even if you're wearing pants with a waist size smaller than 40 inches, you may want to measure your belly's circumference with a tape measure. Some men's clothing is vanity sized, which means it's labeled a smaller size than it actually is. Other men wear their pants slung low on their hips, so it seems as if they're a smaller size than they are in reality.

Evaluating Normal for You

Instead of comparing yourself to others, determine if your weight is appropriate for your height. If you're healthy, energetic, physically active and making healthy food choices a majority of the time, you're likely exactly where you need to be in terms of weight. Do pay attention, however, if your doctor mentions that your weight is affecting your blood pressure, metabolic risk factors or cholesterol levels. If you are overweight, even a 5 to 10 percent reduction in your weight can help bring these numbers down to a healthier level. If you're concerned about your weight, talk to your doctor to see if it's presenting a health risk.