“Both weight and BMI never take into account body composition, often making an active woman seem overweight - but an active woman has more muscle and less body fat than a sedentary woman.”īecause muscle is denser than fat, it takes up less space on your frame. “Tracking weight and BMI are not great tools to measure progress because as body composition changes, the scale may not,” explains Dave Quevedo, a NASM-certified personal trainer in Hoboken, New Jersey. According to the American College of Cardiology, researchers presented their findings, which showed that individuals with a normal BMI can still have a high body-fat content, increasing their risk for cardiovascular disease and other health-related problems. On the flip side, research shows that BMI also can be a false indicator of health in other ways. But anyone who’s seen “Arnie” at his best knows that he was all lean muscle, not fat. In his prime, Arnold Schwarzenegger had a whopping BMI of 30.2 - “obese” according to the calculation. “It’s a very poor model for active people,” she says. Anything below 18.5 is considered “underweight,” 18.5 to 24.9 is “normal,” 25 to 30 is “overweight,” and 30.1 or more falls into one of three obesity categories.īut as Nancy Clark, MS, RD, FACSM, a Boston-based sports nutritionist and author of Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook(Human Kinetics, 2013), points out, the BMI doesn’t distinguish between fat and muscle, and it only gives you an indication of how heavy you are overall. The BMI formula - a simple calculation based on your height and weight - has been around since the mid-1800s, but only in the last few decades has it gained popularity among doctors as a way to estimate a healthy bodyweight and mortality risks. What gives? BMI Is Not a Body-Fat Calculator But the scale hasn’t budged and your body mass index, or BMI, suddenly places you in the overweight category. Your jeans are looser than ever, you’re hearing compliments about your buff arms and you’re seeing muscles in new places. Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members!
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