Are You an Average Man?

In today’s hyper-photoshopped world, it’s hard to know exactly what the average American male looks like. Is it the glossy images (complete with rippling six-packs) strewn across Instagram, TikTok, and other social media? Or maybe it’s more like the movie star cowboy we’re used to seeing in summer blockbusters?

With all these stylized examples around, you’d be forgiven for thinking the typical man is a six-foot, chiseled Adonis. But the reality is very different.

Here’s the lowdown on what a real man looks like – from their height to their weight, average chest size to average arm size. Even their life expectancy and lifestyle choices. This is a true comparison for anyone curious about how males measure up.

Average Man (General Stats)

The average man is just over 30 and pretty domestic, according to the stats.

You’re truly average if…

• You’re 34.4 years old
• You’re married with two children
• You earn $36,100 per year and have $3,100 in the bank
• You sleep about 7 hours on weeknights

Average Male (Fitness Stats)

If you’re in your thirties, I’ve got bad news. You’ve officially peaked, sorry! The average guy is in the best shape of his life at 23, so it’s all downhill from here (kidding).

The silver lining? Most men are unlikely to feel this way or worry about such things. Around 69% of men think of themselves as “physically fit,” while only 13% actually are.

As for details like height and weight, the average is around 5′ 9″ tall and 175 pounds.

Read on to see how you compare when it comes to smashing your fitness goals and getting those reps.

• Time it takes the average guy to run a mile: 8 minutes, 34 seconds
• Time it takes the average American man to run 1.5 miles: 12 minutes, 45 seconds

• Pounds the average man can bench-press one time: 160

• Number of sit-ups he can do in 1 minute: 36

• Number of push-ups he can do with good form in 1 minute: 27

• Number of pull-ups he can do: 1
• Resting heart rate of a fit man: 52 beats per minute
  • Time it takes a fit man to log 8,000,000 heartbeats: 30 years
• Resting heart rate of a man who’s out of shape: 72 beats per minute
  • Time it takes an out-of-shape man to log 8,000,000 heartbeats: 19 years

Average Male (Body Measurements)

If you’ve ever spent time in a gym, you know that chest size and arm size are very important to certain guys.

And if you’re someone who’s motivated by a little competition, the following stats might help you get those gains.

• Average male bicep size: 13 inches (flexed)
• Average male chest size: 40 inches (inhaled)
• Average male waist size: 34 inches

Average Male (Fun Facts)

Don’t worry if you’re not bringing the heat in the gym, or you can’t compare with the average guy’s number of push-ups and pull-ups. Even sedentary men lose a pound each year. On the flip side, they also gain 1.1 pounds of fat.

When it comes to attracting the opposite sex, guys should be thinking of their butt – this area is the biggest turn-on for the average woman. So instead of working on your chest size (an area the average male spends most of his efforts on), get those glutes fired up.

Just under 90% of men don’t belong to a gym – may be because the average cost of membership is $648. But don’t be put off by the price. The average 40-year old guy would save $949 in medical expenses if he just moved more.

Still curious? Here are a few more gym-related stats:

• Time period when the typical gym is least crowded: 10:00am to 11:30am
• Percentage of men who would never skip another workout if… they could build twice the muscle with half the effort: 40%
• Percentage of men who would never skip another workout if… women began wearing see-through spandex: 16%
• Exercise equipment the average guy is most likely to own: dumbbells
• Percentage of men who use their fitness equipment as… a place to hang their clothes: 45%
• Percentage of men who use their fitness equipment as… a doorstop: 13%
• Number of men who would rather work out than have sex: 1 in 7
• Percentage of men who think that gyms are pickup joints: 14%

Getting onto a more serious topic, let’s talk about life expectancy. The good news is that this number has been rising over the past 50 years. Now the average guy can expect to live upwards of 73 years. It may not sound like much, but in 1950 the average man didn’t make it much beyond his 65th birthday!

The life expectancy of the average man is: