Training Log

Starting Strength in the Real World


Your Strongest Bodyweight

by Carl Raghavan, SSC | January 28, 2025

lifter bodyweight vs height chart

This one is going to ruffle some feathers, I’d put money on it. But here it is, for your viewing pleasure – a scatter graph designed to visually show what your ideal bodyweight should be as a lifter. Not for an ultra-marathoner, an elite rings-specialist gymnast, or a free-solo rock climber. This is for someone who takes training seriously and wants to measure all the variables that truly move the needle. Mass moves mass, ladies and gentlemen. This isn’t a BMI chart or a body-fat caliper measurement. It’s a definitive solution to the age-old question: How much should I weigh, Rip? That question is the bad penny that just won’t go away. You’re welcome.

The graph aligns with the observations of Marty Gallagher. The strongest people in the world show a clear correlation between height and bodyweight. Here’s the algorithm: For individuals between 5 and 7 feet tall (60–84 inches), a general guideline suggests that each inch of height corresponds to an estimated bodyweight increase of 3.3 to 4.41 lbs (1.5–2 kg).

Why is this so interesting? Because this might be the first time an infographic has been designed to demonstrate these bodyweight ideals. Strength standard tables and training programs have been around for ages, but a bodyweight chart that tracks your strongest weight category for peak strength performance? I’m not sure anything like that has been publicly available before. And that’s a problem, because seeing is believing. This subject is brought up repeatedly – almost comically so – and yet many people still struggle to grasp the concept: to become stronger, you must gain weight. Bigger and stronger are part of the same process; they are not separate topics. A muscle gets stronger by getting bigger.

For example, if you’re 6'2" (74 inches) and weigh 225 lb, you are underweight. The minimum weight for you to reach peak strength is 244 lb. On the other hand, if you’re 5'0" (60 inches) and weigh 300 lb, you’re clearly far beyond any reasonable bodyweight range – you’re a big fat mess.

Of course, just hitting these weight ranges isn’t the whole picture. You need to complement your bodyweight with strength. If you’re 6'2" and weigh 250 lb (which would put you into an ideal range) but your lifts are 185/225/295/315 (press/bench/squat/deadlift), you probably look like you don’t even train. Similarly, if you’re 5'0" and 300 lb (massively into the overweight category for your height), you’d better be pulling a 900-lb deadlift to justify your weight. Like most things in training, it’s nuanced and involves multiple variables.

The problem is that weight gain is the one variable men in the weight room tend to avoid like the plague, as if they’re the exception to the rule. Instead they think they need a programming tweak, more curls, or worse: more volume, based on their RPE “feels.” In reality, the reason you’re stuck with mediocre strength results is probably because you refuse to eat and maintain a bodyweight that allows for real progress. Especially at the lower end of these weight ranges. And don’t worry, your aesthetics will be fine, as long as your numbers back up the weight gain.

How do I know this? I’m 5'5" and used to weigh 175 lb soaking wet. Now, at 275 lb, with lifts of 330/377/606/639 (press/bench/squat/deadlift), I’ve increased all my lifts by 40–50%. Strength and bodyweight are not separate from performance; they are symbiotic. They fuel lifelong progress. If you were serious, I wouldn’t have to convince you that these numbers matter.

My numbers aren’t me bragging. I have, at best, average genetics. A 25-inch SVJ at best. I was never bad at sports, enjoyed lots of different ones, but always had to work my butt off, and was hungry to be better. In my opinion, my progress as a lifter is a massive over-achievement compared to what I thought was possible. The reason I accomplished most of my lifetime goals —300/400/500/600 — was simply because I didn’t quit. Many lifters drop off and stop gaining strength and size because they burn out or choose to settle at a certain bodyweight. That’s always a choice.

My question, however, is always in the back of my mind: What could they have achieved if they had kept going? I don’t want that regret weighing on my conscience when I pass. But it often felt like forever to reach a new bodyweight. For example, going from 100 to 110kg seemed to take ages. I always thought: That’s it, I’ve given everything I have. There’s no way I can gain even another gram of bodyweight after this. And yet, here I am at 125kg, another 15 kilos beyond the point where I once believed gaining any more was impossible. I bet you have felt this way about gaining weight too.

Are you crying about eating every two hours, being “always full,” or struggling to walk up stairs? Then go take up ultra-marathons or road cycling, if you want to look like someone who’s been on chemo for two years. We’re in the strength business. That means we want you to look jacked, have a decent amount of muscle, and command attention when you walk into a room – all while keeping your clothes on. People know what “big and strong” looks like when it walks through the door. No one needs to see abs to tell.

How do I know this? When I was 5'5" and 175 lb with long hair, people used to ask me, “What instrument do you play?” because I looked more like a musician than a lifter. Now, at 275 lb, the question is, “What doors do you work at?” or “What’s your bench?” because I look like a bouncer or a lifter – or both. True story: this happened on Christmas 2024 (so very recently). I was at a bar, drinking with a client (they can vouch for the story). A big dude wearing a Guinness Christmas knitted sweater came up to me and said, “I have a girlfriend, but I just wanted to say you look like an absolute specimen of a man.”

We both laughed, and I thought to myself: No guy ever came up to me and complimented my physique when I had abs at 175 lb. At 275 lb and strong, I look and carry myself completely differently. Being big has never been a disadvantage – that’s a myth. If you act desperate and insecure about how you look and feel, you’ll radiate desperation, and women especially are incredibly perceptive of it. For me, being at a heavier bodyweight has never caused issues with dating. (I’ll leave my past to your imagination.)

So, to all the keyboard trolls itching to chime in with, “No way, man. Larry Wheels has abs and squats 900 lb.” Yes, he does. Taking PEDs is a personal choice, and I don’t judge anyone for it, but I’m not stupid enough to ignore the massive difference between enhanced and natural lifters. Steroids work, apparently. Who knew? That said, most elite lifters use PEDs at levels I can’t support. I’m not a specialist on PEDs, but I do know how to make natural, normal people strong. My training methods prove it.

At Starting Strength, we aren’t training elite powerlifters. We’re here to make regular people stronger, grandmas included. But to achieve results that mirror those of an enhanced lifter, the average man must at least accept that weight gain is a primary variable. Train three days a week, add 5 lb to the bar every session, and get to strength nirvana.

So let me ask again: Look at your logbooks. Do you want to take things up a notch or just coast along in mediocrity? Jump on the scale. Are you where you need to be? Ask yourself honestly: Do you want to see yourself train and crush all-time PRs at your strongest body weight? Then let’s go!


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