Ideal Weight?

[Skyline_Addict]

I'm just wondering if my height/weight ratio is up to standard.
I'm 5"10 and 152 pounds. I'm on the lean athletic built side, but am looking to gain a few more pounds (hit around 160, or close to). What're the best ways to do this?
I have broader than average shoulders, so I might look a little skinner than I really am because the "fat" is more spread out along my torso.

[FiveFreshFish]

Calculate your BMI (body mass index). Google can find you BMI calculators. BMI in low 20s is good.

[Skyline_Addict]

i'm at exactly 22 BMI.

[Marsh]

I ran your numbers through a couple of BMi calculators, it seems you might be slightly underweight, but then again maybe not b/c like you said, your broader than the average person.

For gaining a few more pounds, just work out more with weights and a little bit less cardio activity than you usually do....I think that should work since you only want to gain a few pounds

[Skyline_Addict]

the calculator I used said the ideal weight is between 18.6 and 24.9. seems I am right in the middle of that index.:dunno:
well whether I am underweight or not, I'd still like to gain around 5-8 pounds :). i'll start working out more.
anyone suggest diets/routines?

[seer_claw]

I find that the BMI calculator is not really that accurate. I am 6"1' and I weight 225 lbs. Which puts me on borderline obese. :eek: *Looks Down* well maybe a couple of extra pounds but not obese by any means. ;) I think that there are better ways of seeing if you are overweight/underweight or not.

[BebeAphrodite]

hmmm 17
and under 18.5 is underweight
:confused:

[1badPT]

So we need to fatten you up?

I got 24.4 - yay I'm normal and now I have mathematical proof. :thumbsup:

[toyotaz23]

ahahaha im 24.8!
it says im still normal but only 0.1 more and i can be overweight, sweet McDonalds here i come!

[Skyline_Addict]

Originally posted by CuteAsianAngel
hmmm 17
and under 18.5 is underweight
:confused:

don't worry you're not underweight.

[theken]

im at like 32 :thumbsdow i should weigh around 180lbs, not really possible based on my build, they put certain things into consideration

[sputnik]

BMI is crap.

It doesnt take muscle into account. It just suggests that everyone should look like the "guys" from Queer Eye

[thich]

BMI is also inaccurate for Asians

Asians genetically are leaner and the height to weight ratio is completely different.

if the BMI was correct, all the girls i know would be grossly underweight :rolleyes:

[squashman]

BMI is a waste of time. It should be banned. Body Fat Percentage (bpf) is the only true test of whether you are underweight or overweight... or normal. BMI doesn't take into account whether you are athletic, genetics, bone density, muscle density... the list goes on. It's mostly used by nutritionists for a very quick, rough sketch of a persons body before doing a bpf test. But, if anyone is interested in knowing their bpf, DON'T do a caliper skin fold test. Useless as well. That's where they pinch typically fatty parts of the body (under the shoulder blade, tricep area, and over your abdomen) and get these mm measurements which convert into a formula to give a bpf. The problem is that it totally relies on the skill of the person doing it. And of course, the next time the go to do it, they'd have to be on the exact same locations on your body to make sure that they get an accurate comparison from the previous test.
The cheapest and most accurate way is the Electrical impedance test - they (lab tech, or a weight scale or little electronic device that you hold in each hand) run a current through your body and since fat is an insulator, the faster the currents reaches the other pole, the more fat you have in your body. Those tests are accurate to a couple % points. Anyway, you can buy those things pretty cheap, and even some weight scales have them built in now.
Anyway, not to get long-winded or anything, but since this is my area, I get irritated by all these supposedly accurate tests (like the BMI) that Health Canada and some nutritionists suggest as benchmarks of where a 'normal' person should typically fall into.
As a pro athlete, with a very low bpf, I laughed in a nutritionists face when he told me that my BMI was above normal and I should consider losing some weight. He knew a lot about dense muscle tissue :nut:. I asked him from where? My feet and hands?
Anyway, just thought I'd put my 2 cents worth in... hope it helps somebody...long-winded, I know. :werd:

[B17a]

I too agree that BMI is shit, some people have bigger frames than others. BMI is obviously geared for the slight build. I'm 6' but weigh 235lbs, and I like to think I'm in pretty decent shape. However according to BMI I should be dead from being morbidly obese. As Squashman said, body fat composition is a much better guage for "ideal weight". My body fat could be 10% which is phenomenal or 30% which is gross, but in both cases my BMI is still the same.

[JeremyD]

if the BMI was correct, all the girls i know would be grossly underweight

I would suspect that this is true. The current standards of beauty tend to hover below what is healthy for a woman.

However going solely by BMI is a waste of time as most athletes will be considered overweight.

And to answer the first question. The best way to gain mass is exercise (weights) and increase your protein intake.

Or the easy way. Lots and lots of Mcdonalds.

[QuasarCav]

Originally posted by B17a
I too agree that BMI is shit, some people have bigger frames than others. BMI is obviously geared for the slight build. I'm 6' but weigh 235lbs, and I like to think I'm in pretty decent shape. However according to BMI I should be dead from being morbidly obese. As Squashman said, body fat composition is a much better guage for "ideal weight". My body fat could be 10% which is phenomenal or 30% which is gross, but in both cases my BMI is still the same.


:werd:

I'm 5'9 and weigh 190lbs, according to the BMI i should be in the hospital. It's just a guideline that people follow too closely.

[kiwi]

I don't know about this BMI stuff, but I was always told that you should be 100 lbs when you're 5 feet, & you add 5 lbs for every inch above that... :dunno:

[l/l/rX]

is this normal...the girl im seeing is 5'0, 89lbs...she looks healthy...but yea is it? aha

[Ben]

Originally posted by B17a
I too agree that BMI is shit, some people have bigger frames than others. BMI is obviously geared for the slight build. I'm 6' but weigh 235lbs, and I like to think I'm in pretty decent shape. However according to BMI I should be dead from being morbidly obese. As Squashman said, body fat composition is a much better guage for "ideal weight". My body fat could be 10% which is phenomenal or 30% which is gross, but in both cases my BMI is still the same.


hahaha, scored the same as you. I'm a pretty thick person I guess, I used to ski and mtb extensivly so I have a good muscle mass, I mean I definatly could be in much better shape, I seem to have put on a nice parka of some sort due to not being able to partake in those activities as much, yet maintaining the same diet (lots of carbs and shit for energy). = bad :( :tongue: :rofl:


Realisticly I'd like to lose maybe 15-20 lbs, but Bulk up a lot more. I dont like being skinny, but changing from a parka to a fleece would be ok :D
Woot!

Hospital Bed Ridden! W00p W00p! Rai9se the Roof! I'm Morbid!

hahaha

Fuck BMI :rofl: :rolleyes:

Anorexic Trolls

Lets see all those people I saw in Vegas take this test. they were all like 4'8"-5'6" and like 400 lbs! :rolleyes:

[Skyline_Addict]

Originally posted by kiwi
I don't know about this BMI stuff, but I was always told that you should be 100 lbs when you're 5 feet, & you add 5 lbs for every inch above that... :dunno:

for who though? that's the issue.

that formula seems to work for me...sorta...but that means i'd be overweight by a couple pounds. and anyone who sees me knows i'm not overweight :D.
maybe that's for girls?

[Skyline_Addict]

Originally posted by l/l/rX
is this normal...the girl im seeing is 5'0, 89lbs...she looks healthy...but yea is it? aha

depends. she's uber short though, so that's not too alarming.

[Ben]

Originally posted by Skyline_Addict


depends. she's uber short though, so that's not too alarming.

Yeah, that puts her at about a 17.4BMI, that is pretty damn thin.

The BMI is more accurate with thinner people because it's hard to be fat and thin (tho you could be really wimpy and untoned/defined, ribs and bones all showing :barf:, but this is still not to the extent of the large side of the scale.) but you can be muscular and large, or you can be fat and large.

[Skyline_Addict]

Originally posted by Ben


Yeah, that puts her at about a 17.4BMI, that is pretty damn thin.

The BMI is more accurate with thinner people because it's hard to be fat and thin (tho you could be really wimpy and untoned/defined, ribs and bones all showing :barf:, but this is still not to the extent of the large side of the scale.) but you can be muscular and large, or you can be fat and large.

yeah, that makes sense. perhaps the BMI is a scale set on the average weight of a certain demographic of people such that it works best only for people who are "average".
if the BMI is any type of scale which determines the health of a person via their body mass index, then this is a generally inaccurate scale. as you said, for larger people it can be very vague. hockey and football players for example, would be considered unhealthy under such a scale. and we know that pro athletes are not your average joe when it comes to overall health/fitness. a guy like me getting a very satisfying BMI of 22 does not justify a pro athlete getting a 25+ (aka unhealthy) rating. i guess that in the end, you're your own best judge of yourself (to some extent). it's your body afterall......

[Boosted_TL]

Its been said before.... BMI is not accurate...

TAKE ME - 6 Feet / 240LBS = Obese !!!! ( I train 5 days a week )

:bullshit:

TAKE Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime - 6. 2 " / 240LBS....

Wouldnt that mean he is obese to ? LOL

[B17a]

Originally posted by Boosted_TL
Its been said before.... BMI is not accurate...

TAKE ME - 6 Feet / 240LBS = Obese !!!! ( I train 5 days a week )

:bullshit:

TAKE Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime - 6. 2 " / 240LBS....

Wouldnt that mean he is obese to ? LOL

Yes that would make him obese but not as obese as your fat ass!!:rofl: :D

[Chim]

the bmi is probably more for the average person than people who arent lazy asses and actually work out

[BigTruckDriver]

Originally posted by B17a
I too agree that BMI is shit, some people have bigger frames than others. BMI is obviously geared for the slight build. I'm 6' but weigh 235lbs, and I like to think I'm in pretty decent shape. However according to BMI I should be dead from being morbidly obese. As Squashman said, body fat composition is a much better guage for "ideal weight". My body fat could be 10% which is phenomenal or 30% which is gross, but in both cases my BMI is still the same.

I would tend to agree with that. I'm 6foot, 195lbs, and that gives me like 26.5 BMI.... so apparently I'm overweight.... which I don't think I am.

I think the BMI is more related to like natural healthy weight... i.e. if BMI catagorizes you as overweight, and you are friggin' ripped (ripped as in you work out a lot, so you have more muscle than you would otherwise), and you don't have much body fat; your heart still has to work harder to get blood to all that muscle, just as it would with excess fat. Which is why you hear about these big huge muscle guys, olymplic weight lifters and stuff (not on steriods, healthy ones), who are at high risk for heart attacks. because that extra weight is hard on your heart, even if it's not fat.

That's my thought's on it anyways.... maybe I'm way off.... but i sure don't think i am overweight

[Boosted_TL]

Originally posted by B17a


Yes that would make him obese fbut not as obese as your at ass!!:rofl: :D




:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: 80 % Children on this site

BTW : You wouldnt say that to my face.

[zboost]

work out hard.. make sure to push yourself everyday that way youll gain more mucle and get way stronger.. eat allot of tuna with mayo and also allot of pasta.. im around 5'7 and 155 pounds am i overweight? lol...

[B17a]

Originally posted by Boosted_TL





:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: 80 % Children on this site

BTW : You wouldnt say that to my face.

Of course not, all in good fun!:D

[~Leah~]

Yeah just start eating more whole foods and getting your protein! If you're looking to gain a bit more muscles as well, higher weight, low reps are a good way to go. Try to use 80-85% RM (1 rep max - so, 80% of the weight you can only lift once successfully) and go for 3 sets of 6-8 reps.

BMI calculators are horrible... all they take into account is height and weight, not body type or bone structure, so I don't trust it much.