Evaluates overall shape and level of muscularity, also known as Adonis Index.
You can read more about the shoulder-waist ratio, the Golden ratio and body shape ratios of attractiveness in the text below the tool.
Shoulder to Waist Ratio Explained
The shoulder to waist ratio is determined by dividing the shoulder circumference to the waist circumference and the ideal number for men in 1.6, a derivative of the Golden Ratio, the key to human perception of beauty and attraction. This is also known as Adonis Index and is the most important ratio for the overall look of the body.
A shoulder to waist ratio of 1.6 means that the shoulder circumference is 1.6 bigger than the waist circumference. In women, the ideal ratio is considered to be 1.4.
The study by Horvath et al. found that the shoulder-to-waist ratio is the most powerful and immediate representation of one’s overall shape and women from all cultures repeatedly choose 1:1.6 as being the most attractive (where the man has a V taper and a slim waist).
Advice for taking the measurements:
- Measure the circumference of the shoulders at their widest point, typically found halfway between collarbone and nipples.
- Measure the circumference of the waist at navel level.
It is important to note however, that even if the proportion of 1.6 is respected, waist should ideally be no more than 45% of height.
Male vs Female Ideal Shapes
Ideal body shapes for both women and men are heavily reliant on genetical inheritance of their fat deposits and their skeletal proportions. Male somatotype is ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph. Female bone structure and fat deposits lead to: pear shaped, apple shaped, rectangular and hourglass figures.
Additionally, for men there are several other ratios:
- Chest to waist ratio: 1.35;
- Bicep to forearm: 1.2;
- Chest to hip: 1.1;
- Hips to thighs: 1.65.
References
Horvath T. Physical attractiveness: The influence of selected torso parameters. Archives of Sexual Behavior. 1981; volume 10, pages21–24.
Fan J, Dai W, Liu F, Wu J. Visual perception of male body attractiveness. Proc Biol Sci. 2005; 272(1560): 219–226.
Dixon BJ et al. Eye-Tracking of Men’s Preferences for Waist-to-Hip Ratio and Breast Size in Women. Arch Sex Behav. 2009.
FAQs
The closer you can get your waist/shoulder ratio to 1/1.61, the more aesthetically pleasing your body will be. To find out your ratio, measure around your waist, then the circumference your shoulders, (You're probably going to need some help with this part) then divide shoulders/waist to get your ratio.
What is a good shoulder width? ›
Shoulder width is an estimate away
Still, based on biacromial measurements taken in years passed and trends observed by researchers, it's probably safe to say that in the United States average shoulder width is at least 16 inches (41 cm) for men and 14 inches (36 cm) for women.
What is the average shoulder width to height ratio? ›
The span of your shoulders is equivalent to one fourth of your total height.
Are 48 inch shoulders broad? ›
If you consider absolute size, then broad shoulders start at 130 cm (50–51 inch) depending on the size of the frame.
What shoulder to hip ratio is hourglass? ›
Hourglass shape
The rule of thumb here is about 75 percent: Your shoulder and hip measurements are within five percent of each other. Your waist is at least 25 percent smaller than your shoulder, hip and bust measurements.
How much bigger should your chest be than your waist? ›
Like waist size, chest measurements also vary. Arnold had a 57-inch chest at the height of his career, but that's certainly not realistic for everyday people. One rule of thumb is that your chest should be 10 - 12 inches larger than your waist.
What is the golden ratio of the body? ›
This led to the development of a set of measurements that led in turn to the ratio 1: 1.618, which is now often called “The Golden Ratio.” The Golden Ratio is a number that shows up all over the human body, for example the length of the arms and legs divided by the length of the torso.
How do you calculate waist ratio? ›
The waist to hip ratio measurement is calculated by dividing the measurement of your waist by your hip measurement.
What's considered broad shoulders? ›
What Is Considered Broad Shoulders? Having broad shoulders means that your clavicle, otherwise known as your collarbone, is long when compared to how wide your waist is. The clavicle is a bone that lies horizontally that connects your chest (sternum) to your shoulder blade.
Are 18 inch shoulders broad for men? ›
An 18-inch shoulder width for an adult male would generally be considered on the broader side.
An easy way to tell is you have broad shoulders is to look at your shoulder width relative to the rest of your body's proportions. Take a look at your upper body without a top on, if it looks like your upper body is a well-defined V silhouette then it's likely you would be considered to have broad shoulders.
What is the male shoulder width to waist ratio? ›
There is something called the shoulder-to-waist ratio, and the golden ratio is 1.618. That means if you have a 32″ waist, you will need a shoulder circumference of at least 52″ to beat that ratio. Many researchers believe that men want upper body strength and wide shoulders is because it signals strength.
Do taller people have wider shoulders? ›
Such ideas fit well with research [51] showing that 1) taller men have wider shoulders than shorter men (indeed, the authors believed there to be a somewhat 'universal' ratio between height and shoulder width); 2) taller men required larger shoulder movements to move through small apertures; and 3) judgments of ' ...
What is the golden ratio for women's bodies? ›
Results: There is a golden ratio in the distances between xiphoid to waist and waist to the abdominal crease that is close to 1:1.66, and the waist is at the junction of the upper 2/5th and lower 3/5th of the height from xiphoid to abdominal crease.
What is the perfect body ratio? ›
This resulted in a formula of measurements which yield the ratio 1: 1.618, known as The Golden Ratio. The Golden Ratio is number that shows up all over the human body, from the length of the arms and legs compared to the torso, and it seems to define what proportions look best; that is, most attractive.
What is the golden ratio for body measurements? ›
This led to the development of a set of measurements that led in turn to the ratio 1: 1.618, which is now often called “The Golden Ratio.” The Golden Ratio is a number that shows up all over the human body, for example the length of the arms and legs divided by the length of the torso.
What is the golden ratio chest to waist? ›
One of Swami's studies shows that women prefer a chest-to-waist ratio of 1.4 instead of one in which the two measures are closer to each other. (It's a smaller ratio than 1.6 since your chest is narrower than your shoulders.) The bottom line: When women look at men's torsos, the V shape is victorious.
