This topic can not be put to rest or so it seems. What both competitors new to the sport and coaches should come to terms with is the following concept:
The longer the third class lever, the greater the force needed to support or move a given resistance.
What this means is that if we have two persons, A and B, each trying to support a mass of X kg with flexed elbows, and person A has a forearm of 25 cm and person B has a forearm of 30 cm, then person B will have to generate a force of 30/25 that of person A. Greater force generation, all other factors being equal, means more muscle mass. Since the majority of levers in the human skeletomuscular system are third class levers, the taller a person is, the more muscle mass necessary to lift the same mass.
Too many newcomers to the sport think that the bodyweight at which they entered the sport determines the bodyweight class in which they would best compete. This is hardly the truth for the majority of novices. With the exception of naturally stocky mesomorphs, most athletes entering the sport need to gain muscular bodyweight.
I am including some height-weight tables with figures that are not empirically derived but match closely the proportions of many successful athletes I’ve coached. Things got disarranged when I copied them to this platform. The bodyweight classes are in the right column, and the height ranges are below and to the left. Sorry for the confusion!
Men
Bodyweight Class
Height Range
55
149 ± 3 cm
61
156 ± 3 cm
67
161 ± 3 cm
73
166 ± 3 cm
81
168 ± 3 cm
89
172 ± 3 cm
96
175 ± 3 cm
102
180 ± 3 cm
109
181 ± 4 cm
>109
186 ± 6 cm
Women
Bodyweight Class
Height Range
45
148 ± 3 cm
49
150 ± 3 cm
55
153 ± 3 cm
59
155 ± 3 cm
64
157 ± 4 cm
71
160 ± 3 cm
76
163 ± 4 cm
81
168 ± 3 cm
87
173 ± 3 cm
>87
178 ± 5 cm
Consider them a guideline while keeping the concept of third class levers in mind.