Ideal Body Shape for Men and Women

Although the scale is a good indicator of how much you weigh, it is by no means a good indicator of how fat or slim you really are. When you climb on a scale to measure yourself, you are not simply measuring fat. You are measuring your body as a whole and that means fat, muscle, organs, bone and water — everything put together. What you eat, what you wear and whether you measure on the carpet or tile as well as the time of day can all influence the reading.

Forget the scale and use your circumference readings to help you achieve the ‘perfect’ shape.

For this reason, health professionals and personal trainers advice their clients to not use the scale as their only source of progress measurement. There are other methods such as circumference reading and body fat testing that will give you more accurate results. But what then is ideal? Thankfully there are two formulas you can use to determine whether or not you have a good body.

For Women

The ideal women’s body shape would be one where the waist is slim and the hips are slightly wider and proportionate. Women who carry a lot of weight in their waist are at risk of heart disease and should aim at slimming down their waist.

Use the waist-to-hip ratio to determine if your body is in optimal or bad shape. To determine this, you will need to measure the circumference of your hips as well as the circumference of your waist in inches. To calculate your waist-to-hip ratio, divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement and record your score. An ideal number would be a ratio of under 0.8. Take this reading on a regular basis, such as once a week and track your score.

For Men

The ideal shape for a man is one where they seem to resemble an upside-down triangle, with broad shoulders and a solid chest and a smaller lower body. For men, having a good chest-to-waist ratio means that they are a lesser health risk than those who’s chest-to-waist ratio is greater. To determine this, you will need the circumference reading of your chest and the circumference reading of your waist in inches. To calculate the chest-to-waist ratio, subtract your waist measurement from your chest circumference. An ideal number to aim for would be 10.

Author: Dimi Ingle
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