AnandTech Readers and Their Health

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HomerSapien

Golden Member
Jul 19, 2000
1,756
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BMI tests are worthless unless you include the "pinch" tests were they actually factor in how much fat they can grip.
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,484
8,345
126
Originally posted by: Safeway
Originally posted by: tfinch2
BMI says I am overweight. :roll:

Yea, BMI is fucked.

BMI simply says that excess mass (muscle or otherwise) is harder on the body than being lean. Nothing more. Nothing less.

The more mass you have on your body, the more work your heart has to do to move blood.
 

Ackmed

Diamond Member
Oct 1, 2003
8,499
560
126
These things are silly. Why? Because muscle weighs more than fat, and if you have a lot of muscle, according to this, you're fat. Even obese.
 

TecHNooB

Diamond Member
Sep 10, 2005
7,458
1
76
Originally posted by: Ackmed
These things are silly. Why? Because muscle weighs more than fat, and if you have a lot of muscle, according to this, you're fat. Even obese.

Fat people tend to use this one a lot :) If you're one of those muscular fat guys... you'r'e still fat! If you're all muscle however....
 

SilthDraeth

Platinum Member
Oct 28, 2003
2,635
0
71
BMI is generally crap. In the Air Force they liked to measure height, waist, and weight. In order for you to not have the BMI calc done, you had to have like a 32" waist as a male.

Anyways when I am in decent shape, and running quite a bit, my resting heart rate is around 42-50 bpm. Not sure about recovery rate. Before my last ACL knee surgery I had a 40 bpm heart rate, I could do a mile and half in 12 minutes, and 3 miles in 30 minutes easily. Then I had that 2nd ACL repair, and a minuscus scope a year later, with 2 back injuries etc from over exertion. I gave up.
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,484
8,345
126
BMI is generally crap. In the Air Force they liked to measure height, waist, and weight. In order for you to not have the BMI calc done, you had to have like a 32" waist as a male.

It's not generally crap. It's simple measurement tool used to calculate health risks.

Incase you haven't been in the public in the last 20 years, a majority of people walking around with 25+ BMI's are NOT muscular. They are carring a squishy lump of lard around their midsection. That is a risk.

Even if you do have an excessive amount of muscle on you, it's still a potential risk. It is extra mass that your heart has to pump blood through. You have to consume an excessive amount of calories to manintain that mass. If you sustain an injury or simply grow old and stop working out, what happens to that mass? It turns to fat.

What I am not saying is that you shouldn't lift weights or work out. Being 6' and 185 pounds with 10% body fat is not something to fear.

But being 6' and 220 with that same body fat composition (or worse) IS a legitimate risk. Is it as bad as being that same size & weight with a body fat of 25%? No, it's not. But the point remains that you have an excessive amount of bulk on your body that takes a lot of work to maintain and could easily be converted into very bad mass.
 

Ackmed

Diamond Member
Oct 1, 2003
8,499
560
126
Originally posted by: TecHNooB
Originally posted by: Ackmed
These things are silly. Why? Because muscle weighs more than fat, and if you have a lot of muscle, according to this, you're fat. Even obese.

Fat people tend to use this one a lot :) If you're one of those muscular fat guys... you'r'e still fat! If you're all muscle however....

Click my sig and tell me if you think Im fat.