Q&A for How to Measure Reach

First exrcise that you can do is a lat pulldown. This exercise is really helpful if pull-ups aren’t your thing, as they can be really challenging for most people. Lat pulldown gives you a way to work those same muscles without needing to pull your entire body weight. Another one is the tricep pushdown. This targets your triceps directly and helps with your arm extension and reach. The last one would be doing the Romanian deadlift. Do this by setting your pulley low, grabbing the bar, and keeping your back flat as you hinge at your hips. This works your hamstrings and glutes while also strengthening your lower back. It’s a great full-body move that helps support your overall posture and flexibility, both of which contribute to better reach. If I had to rank these, I’d say start with the lat pulldown, then try the Romanian deadlift, and finish with tricep pushdowns.

You are very observant, and you're right. The picture is wrong, but the accompanying text is correct. It's easier to stand with your palms facing away from the wall, and the reach measurement is slightly more accurate that way, too.

An easy way to calculate your reach is to stand with your back flat against the wall and your shoulders straight. Straighten your arms against the wall at a 90-degree angle to your body and face your palms to the wall. Stretch your arms out as far as you can while staying in this position. Have a friend mark where your middle fingers reache on the wall on both sides of your body. Then measure the distance between the marks to find your total reach.

Reach in the UFC and in professional boxing are measured the same way. Reach is calculated by having the fighter stand with their arms raised parallel to the ground, forming a 90-degree angle to their body. Measurements are taken from the tips of both middle fingers to find the total reach.

Not necessarily. Your reach, also known as arm span, is the distance between the middle fingertips on each hand when you stretch your arms as far out as they can reach at shoulder height. For many people, their total reach is roughly equivalent to their height, but that's not always the case, because some people can have reaches that are either shorter or longer than their actual height. A person's reach can vary based on their genetics and environmental factors like nutrition.