What is a Good Height for Bodybuilding? The Height Dilemma

The sport of bodybuilding is all about building the perfect physique. Naturally, genetics play a huge role in determining your success in the field. But can one physical trait – an individual’s height – dictate their performance at bodybuilding meets?

In this article, we’ll learn exactly that.

We know that muscular hypertrophy and symmetry are the two primary factors based on which participants are judged ^[1]. Your height, as well as bone structure, influences your muscular potential or how easy or difficult it might be for you to put on lean muscle mass ^[2].

As such, it’s pretty clear that the height of a bodybuilder is an important metric in professional competitions. It’s not that the judges will hand out scores based on that. Instead, height is important as it can play a big role in how much muscle you can pack and how symmetrical your body appears to the crowd.

So, is there any ideal height for bodybuilding? Let’s find out!

Key Takeaways

1. An individual’s maximum muscular potential and rate of hypertrophy gains are dictated by uncontrollable factors like height and bone size. ^[3].
2. Competitive bodybuilding prioritizes three physical attributes – physique aesthetics, muscle size, and muscular symmetry ^[4]. All of them are somewhat influenced by the bodybuilder’s height.
3. While there is no such thing as the best height for bodybuilding, most successful male competitive bodybuilders are only slightly taller or shorter than the average American.
4. The heights of all Mr. Olympia winners range from 5’6’’ to 6’2’’. Based on that, the average bodybuilder height of any Mr. Olympia is around 5’8’’. The average height of Ms. Olympia title-holders comes to around 5’6’’, which is slightly taller than the average female height in the United States.
5. Generally, bodybuilders with an average height build are more successful as they can pack lean muscle mass more easily compared to taller individuals. It’s also easier for shorter bodybuilders to build more symmetrical muscles compared to tall and lanky people.

What is a Good Height for Bodybuilding?

For professional competitions, a good height for bodybuilding will fall anywhere between 5’8’’ (172 cm) and 5’11’’ (180 cm) on average for males or 5’5’’ (165 cm) and 5’7’’ (170 cm) for females.

Generally, being on the shorter end (less than 6 feet for males) is considered ideal, as it is easy to achieve symmetry with such frames.

Contrary to this fact, many people believe that being taller can actually make them appear more imposing and impressive on the stage. And while that may be factually correct sometimes, it is more difficult for taller people to pack proportionate muscle mass.

That’s mainly because they have longer arms, legs, and midsections. As such, they need to put in more effort to ensure well-rounded muscular development in all parts of the body. Shorter people, on the other hand, find it much easier to achieve symmetry.

To put things into perspective, a 5’7’’ bodybuilder and a 6’1’’ bodybuilder will appear very differently on the stage if they have similar body proportions and muscle mass. While the taller individual would appear lanky and less imposing, the 5’7’’ bodybuilder will look fitter, easier on the eye, and more symmetrical.

That is how height can play a factor in determining your success as a bodybuilder. Otherwise, judges don’t really focus exclusively on how tall or short an individual is while giving out scores.

It’s all about the indirect impact of your height and how it makes you appear on the bodybuilding stage.

Case Studies: Notable Bodybuilders of Various Heights

We discussed before that the average height of bodybuilders who won the prestigious Mr. Olympia title is around 5’8’’. For an outsider, this figure would seem a little dubious. After all, who wouldn’t expect some of the fittest, healthiest, and largest individuals globally to be more than 6 feet tall?

Out of the previous 39 iterations of the prestigious Mr. Olympia competition, only 6 of the 16 different winners are either shorter than 5’8’’ or taller than 5’11’’. This is an indication of the fact that this height bracket is the most ideal for building an aesthetic physique.

But looking at averages might not give us accurate insights. The better method is to talk about individual bodybuilding superstars. Let’s start with the most popular one – Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Arnie stood at an imposing height of 6’2’’ or 188 centimeters. Looking at him, many outsiders think that the average bodybuilder height would be just as tall. But in reality, the 7-time Mr. Olympia winner is an outlier. He belonged to a different era of taller bodybuilders.

Nowadays, the story is different, with more people between the height of 5’8’’ and 5’11’’ competing professionally. Currently, the shortest competing bodybuilder is Shaun Clarida, standing at 5’2’’ and having won the 2021 Legion Pro competition.

On the other hand, Jamia Johal is the tallest competitive bodybuilder in the modern setting. He stood at a whopping 6’5’’ or 195 centimeters. Unfortunately, he did not win any major titles or honors and quit bodybuilding. That could be a reflection of how comparatively difficult it is for taller individuals to build a winning physique.

To give you a better idea of the ideal height for bodybuilding, let’s take a look at the complete list of Mr. Olympia and Ms. Olympia winners.

MR. OLYMPIA HEIGHTS

As you can see, the average height of successful Mr. Olympia-holding bodybuilders comes to around 5’8’’. In fact, only a handful of outliers are either below 5’8’’ or above 5’11’’, and most of them belonged to a different era of the sport.

In recent memory, Ronnie Coleman was the biggest bodybuilder and winner of Mr. Olympia in the modern era. Standing at 5’11’’, he had the enormous build of a powerlifter, capable of lifting hundreds of pounds of weight with his bare hands.

Since then, the average bodybuilding height has decreased by a slight margin.

MS. OLYMPIA HEIGHTS

Based on the table above, we can conclude that the average bodybuilding weight of Ms. Olympia winners is around 5’6’’. In fact, the ideal height in this category is anywhere around 5’5’’ and 5’7’’.

Only 2 of the 10 title-holders lie outside this height bracket.

Average Height of Bodybuilders

Based on the information provided above, we can easily determine the average height of successful bodybuilding icons. For males, the figure stands at 5’8’’ or around 172 centimeters. For females, the average height is 5’6’’ or around 169 centimeters.

However, this figure is only true for winners of the most prestigious bodybuilding competition. If we consider all the participants in Mr. Olympia or Ms. Olympia, the averages will be different because of large variations in the heights of the competitors.

Don’t miss:

How Strong was Arnold Schwarzenegger in his Prime
Tallest Bodybuilders Ever
How Strong was Ronnie Coleman in his Prime
Ideal Thigh Size for Men and Women

How Height Influences Bodybuilding Success

We know that judges in bodybuilding competitions don’t really consider a participant’s height while giving out scores. But even then, it plays a huge role in defining the success of your career on the stage.

How so?

In this section, we’ll find out exactly that.

Different Visual Impact

Variations in height can create a different visual impact for professional bodybuilders performing on the stage.

Because of muscle mass distribution, taller individuals might appear leaner and lankier. This is because they have a larger frame and need comparatively more lean muscle mass to appear fit and shredded.

This can influence the perception of the judge and make them the underdogs for the competition.

Aesthetics and Body Proportions

Shorter bodybuilders find it easier to build a ripped and proportionate look. Because they have compact muscle bellies, achieving symmetry and getting that ideal stage physique is much easier.

On the other hand, taller bodybuilders have to work twice as hard to build well-proportioned muscles and a balanced physique.

Energy Requirements

Taller individuals with bigger frames usually have a higher Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). As such, they need to consume more calories and protein to maintain muscle mass.

The higher standard of diet and nutrition might make it even harder for them to compete with bodybuilding pros of shorter stature.

Muscle Definition Visibility

Posing on the stage is a big factor for judges to give out impartial scores. It’s all about flexing naturally to showcase those big muscles.

But taller individuals might struggle with this. Their muscle definition might not be as visible compared to shorter bodybuilders, especially in certain poses.

Therefore, they need to work even harder on their posing techniques to highlight their muscles.

Challenges Faced by Bodybuilders of Different Heights

Although taller bodybuilders have it difficult, it’s not always ideal for shorter individuals either. Competitors in each height category have some unique challenges that they need to overcome to have a successful career in the fitness industry.

Shorter individuals find it easier to build muscle definition. However, they might have a harder time at the gym. They do not possess the raw strength of larger bodybuilders. So, they have to compensate by working extra hard and perfecting their techniques to perform heavy lifts.

Moreover, individuals who are significantly below the average height may struggle to perform in open competitions. Because of their genetic predisposition, their bodies might not look as imposing as someone of the average build. As such, they always have the lower hand in open bodybuilding competitions. So, they have to stick with category-based competitions.

Conversely, taller individuals struggle to build proportionate muscles and achieve perfect muscular symmetry. They need to pack on extra muscle mass to get the balanced, well-rounded physique needed to clinch the Mr. Olympia title.

In any case, bodybuilders of different heights need to overcome many challenges that are unique to the path they have paved for themselves.

Strategies for Bodybuilders of Various Heights

Listed below are some fool-proof strategies to help bodybuilders of various heights achieve muscular symmetry and hypertrophy gains.

Shorter Bodybuilders

For shorter builders, implementing these tips and techniques can be helpful:

• Creating Illusion of Height: Mastering certain posing techniques can make the bodybuilder appear taller and more imposing. While on the stage, focus on elongating the poses and leverage the power of angles to create the illusion of height and look more commanding.
• Develop Full Muscles: To make up for shorter muscle bellies, focus on achieving muscle fullness and roundness. You can perform different isolation exercises to target specific groups ^[5].
• Confidence Building: The biggest impairment for shorter individuals is the psychological burden of feeling ‘inferior’ to taller and bigger bodybuilders. Focusing on the fact that height is not an official criterion for most bodybuilding competitions and building mental resilience can help.

Taller Bodybuilders

For taller builders, implementing these tips and techniques can be helpful:

• Focus on Symmetry: Pay attention to well-rounded muscle development to offset the elongated appearance of your body. Work with isolation exercises of target muscle groups to improve areas that need adjustment ^[6].
• Embrace Cardio: Taller individuals have better cardiovascular health and capacities compared to shorter bodybuilders. Leveraging this can allow them to stay lean, enhance overall fitness, and get shredded effectively.
• Customized Nutrition: Taller bodybuilders have greater nutritional needs. As such, they need to get tailor-made diet plans to ensure adequate energy for supporting muscle growth and recovery.

Don’t miss:

Ideal Male Body Measurements
What Happened to Ronnie Coleman
Powerlifting vs Bodybuilding
Why Do Bodybuilders Eat Raw Eggs

Final Words

Height is not an official criterion that is considered by bodybuilding judges and experts. However, it does have a part to play.

It can influence how imposing or symmetrical you appear on the stage. However, being shorter or taller than the ideal height should not stop you from trying to compete at a global level.

Remember, the outliers in the world of bodybuilding (like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Franco Columbu) are some of the revered names in the industry.

References

1. Rukstela, A., Lafontant, K., Helms, E. R., Escalante, G., Phillips, K., & Campbell, B. (2023). Bodybuilding coaching strategies meet Evidence-Based Recommendations: a Qualitative approach. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, 8(2), 84. https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk8020084
2. Murphy, A. B., Muldoon, S. F., Baker, D. R., Lastowka, A., Bennett, B., Yang, M., & Bassett, D. S. (2018). Structure, function, and control of the human musculoskeletal network. PLOS Biology, 16(1), e2002811. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2002811
3. Krzysztofik, Wilk, Wojdała, & Gołaś. (2019). Maximizing muscle hypertrophy: A systematic review of advanced resistance training techniques and methods. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(24), 4897. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16244897
4. Steele, I. H., Pope, H. G., & Kanayama, G. (2019). Competitive bodybuilding: Fitness, pathology, or both? Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 27(4), 233-240. https://doi.org/10.1097/hrp.0000000000000211
5. Baz-Valle, E., Schoenfeld, B. J., Torres-Unda, J., Santos-Concejero, J., & Balsalobre-Fernández, C. (2019). The effects of exercise variation in muscle thickness, maximal strength and motivation in resistance trained men. PLOS ONE, 14(12), e0226989. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0226989
6. Rothwell, D. T., Williams, D. J., & Furlong, L. M. (2019). Measuring muscle size and symmetry in healthy adult males using a time-efficient analysis of magnetic resonance images. Physiological Measurement, 40(6), 064005. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6579/ab2323