Figure out your ideal figure

Whatever the context, be it work, sport or personal financial concerns there’s very little we don’t measure or quantify these days.

Once we identify and quantify our goals, shooting for them can become a lot more realistic- Matthew Muscat Inglott

For those of us hitting the gym, when it comes to attaining a more attractive figure it seems we are no longer satisfied merely with the results we see in the mirror. We want cold hard numerical figures and formulas; figures for better figures so to speak.

“Considering my height, what is my ideal weight?” or, “What should my waist measurement be?” Questions like these are great, because there’s nothing like a definite goal to supercharge our motivation to exercise.

Today, therefore, I will try to answer these and other similar questions the best I can. Once we identify and quantify our goals, shooting for them can become a lot more realistic. It’s time to look deeper into some of the numbers and figure out that ideal figure once and for all.

Let’s start with body weight and one of its most famous measurement systems: Body Mass Index (BMI). This was developed in the 19th century by Adolphe Quetelet, a Belgian statistician. Originally known as the Quetelet Index, it was renamed as we know it today in the early 1970s.

The major aim of BMI is the quick and easy measurement of large groups of people up to national or international scales.

While it is ideal for large scale quantitative statistical research, it is particularly useful in predicting ideal body weight in females.

According to BMI, a score of 21 is considered ideal, while 18.5 is underweight, and 25 is overweight. In the metric system, the BMI score is calculated simply by dividing weight by height squared.

Let us, however, modify the formula slightly for our own purposes; we need to find out what exact weight would grant us a score of 21 by taking into consideration only our height.

Start by measuring your height in centimetres and multiply it by itself. Then multiply your result by 0.0021. This answer will represent a pretty good body weight target in kilograms.

An important point to note about BMI is that it does not work equally as well on males, particularly athletic males. Such a simple test that only takes into consideration weight and height cannot distinguish between fat weight and muscle weight.

Since males have a higher percentage of muscle mass than women, that extra weight can be misinterpreted as fat, and indeed muscular men are often mistaken as overweight by BMI standards.

So for men there is a far simpler formula we can use, developed by French surgeon Dr Broca, also in the late 19th century. Simply subtract 100 from your height in centimetres and you will have your ideal target weight in kilograms.

The Broca method has more recently been used in special categories of bodybuilding contests where athletes must weigh-in according to the formula.

The physiques they display are often far more aesthetically pleasing to the eye than their bulkier counterparts who compete in the regular more widely-known form of extreme bodybuilding competition.

Now we know our ideal weight, for our next test we will need a full frontal photo of your figure to assess basic proportion. Wear tight fitting clothing and place your feet right next to each other so your legs are close together.

For the ladies we will look for the ideal waist to hip ratio and for the gentlemen, the ideal waist to shoulder ratio. In both cases, the ideal ratio is exactly the same, indeed it is widely referred to as the ‘Golden’ and sometimes even ‘Divine’ ratio of 1 is to 1.618.

The ratio pops up universally in patterns and structures in nature, right down to our individual strands of DNA.

The width of one of your eyes, for example, will correspond according to the Golden ratio to the width of the space between your eyes. The width of your nose will similarly correspond to the width of your mouth.

The lengths of any two sequential bones that make up your fingers or toes will each correspond to the ratio, as will the overall length of your outstretched hand to that of your forearm, and the list goes on.

According to some evolutionary psychologists, beauty is a highly practical mechanism whereby humans can quickly assess the health of a mate. Simply put, if everything conforms to the ratio then it is healthy and therefore attractive to us.

On your photo, measure the width of your waist at it’s naturally narrowest point; for most people this will occur a little higher than the navel.

Now measure the widest point across your hips if you are female or across your shoulders if you are male. Your waist should represent 0.618 of your second reading. In both cases, diet and exercise will help reduce waist fat, while resistance training will shape up the muscles surrounding the shoulders and hips.

Thanks to a Belgian, a Frenchman, and a mysterious number that may very well be divine, always remember that however much body fat you carry on your frame, your body will still remain aesthetically pleasing if you can conform to these basic parameters regarding overall weight and proportion.

You don’t need to look like an Olympian to achieve full-bodied beauty, but if you do crave the fitter more athletic look then strive to attain the same target bodyweight and proportions, only in as lean a state as possible with as much muscle as you can pack on in combination with low body fat.

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