Why is the BMI Used to Determine Overweight Risks?

I recently had a full medical physical and was told I was “overweight” because my BMI was 26.9 (I am 1.81m tall – just under 6 feet tall – and weight 88 kg or 194 lbs)

The body mass index (BMI), or Quetelet index was invented in 1830 by a man with the same name. That’s 185 YEARS AGO!

Simply put, the BMI is your weight (kg) divided by your height (in meters) squared.

It can also be calculated by your weight (pounds) divided by your height (in inches) squared multiplied by a factor of 703.

The BMI was an attempt to quantify and correlate the amount of tissue mass (epithelial, muscle, adipose, and bone) in an individual, and then categorize that person as underweight, normal, overweight, or obese based on that value.

Commonly accepted BMI ranges are

underweight under 18.5
normal weight between 18.5 to 25
overweight between 25 to 30
obese over 30

If your Body Mass Index is more than 40, you fall into the extremely obese category, putting you at much higher health risks than most.

I feel the BMI needs to be adjusted for muscular athletes!

At 1.80m tall and 80kg, it barely squeaks under 25, whether you are rock hard and lean, or have a big pot belly :) Anything past 80kg in muscle will give you a BMI higher than 25.

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Jimson Lee

Coach & Founder at SpeedEndurance.com

I am a Masters Athlete and Coach currently based in London UK. My other projects include the Bud Winter Foundation, writer for the IAAF New Studies in Athletics Journal (NSA) and a member of the Track & Field Writers of America.

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