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By
Charles Staley, B.Sc, MSS
Director, Staley Training Systems |
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Author’s
note: I wrote this when the BMI index began making the news.
It struck me that the BMI actually discourages training—
see if you agree.
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Warning! Exercise
Increases Your Risk of Weight-Related Health Problems
The BMI is designed to replace the
old height/weight charts created by health insurance companies.
But the question remains, what is the accuracy, not to mention,
the utility, of the BMI?
First, let's start with a definition.
You can calculate your BMI by dividing your weight in kilograms
by your height in meters squared. (If you'd prefer to spare yourself
the mathematical trauma, just head over to The Department of Health
and Human Services at http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/
(they have a BMI calculator which you can use to instantly calculate
your supposed level of risk of overweight.)
An Interesting
Test Case: Me
I recently did just that, and at 205
pounds and a height of 6'1", I landed a whopping BMI of 28—
nearly obese by BMI standards.
According to the NIH, you'll need
a BMI of 24 or less in order to qualify as having a "normal"
weight. So I kept plugging in lower and lower bodyweights, finally
going all the way down to 180 pounds to obtain a BMI of 24.
I wonder, what would the consequences
of losing 25 pounds be for me? Of course, a fairly large portion
of this weight would be muscle— If I make the assumption that
I'm currently 15% bodyfat, that means I only have 30.75 pound of
fat on my entire body. So, to lose 25 pounds without losing any
muscle, I'd end up with less than 2% bodyfat, which is probably
not enough to sustain life.
So, that means that the 25 pounds
would be mostly muscle. Since a pound of muscle burns approximately
18 calories a day, my metabolic rate would be lowered by 450 calories
a day.
Also, this dramatic loss of muscle
would certainly profoundly reduce my strength levels. While I have
more than enough strength to get through my daily activities, muscle
mass and strength both gradually decline as we age.
So I always look at muscle like "money
in the bank:" the more I have now,
the more I'll still have when I'm 60, 70, or 80 years of age. So
the bottom line seems to be, if I choose to adhere to NIH's guidelines,
my health and functional status will surely decline!
Conversely...
Another very important point to consider
are the legions of people who will score very acceptable numbers
using the BMI, but who in fact are overfat. Despite what many people
think, it’s common to find people who appear to be of normal
or even low bodyweight, who in fact are overfat, because they have
such low levels of muscle mass.
Consider the research conducted by
Dr. William Evans at Tufts University:
Evans discovered that the as women age, in many cases their leg
girth tended to remain constant, however, upon CAT scan analysis,
it was found that the fat mass was increased, while the lean mass
had decreased. In other words, their external appearance had not
significantly changed, yet their bodyfat percentage had increased.
And Even Further...
Because muscle weighs more than fat,
embarking on a rapid, unhealthy weight-loss scheme will reduce your
BMI much more effectively than losing weight in a healthy and rational
manner (the faster you lose weight, the more muscle you lose). So
I would like to venture the proposition that the new BMI will encourage
fad weight loss programs and starvation diets.
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Is There
a Better Alternative to the BMI?
Yes. Have a reputable fitness
professional measure your bodyfat percentage (call the International
Sports Sciences Association at (800) 892-ISSA to find such
a professional in your area). Over the past several years,
there have been important new developments in bodyfat measurement
techniques, and today, there are several options available.
Various methods have varying degrees of accuracy, but if
you always use the same method, you’ll have an accurate
standard of reference.
In other words, you may not
know your exact percentage of bodyfat, but you’ll know
if your percentage is increasing or decreasing.
I don’t know why this
is such a hard pill to swallow— it’s bodyfat,
NOT bodyweight that determines your health and functional
capacity. There will never be a height/weight chart, regardless
of what anyone chooses to call it, which can predict optimal
bodyweight, because such charts never take a person’s
muscle mass into account.
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About
The Author
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His colleagues call him
an iconoclast, a visionary, a rule-breaker. His clients
call him “The Secret Weapon” for his ability
to see what other coaches miss. Charles calls himself
a “geek” who struggled in Phys Ed throughout
school. Whatever you call him, Charles’ methods are
ahead of their time and quickly produce serious results.
His counter-intuitive approach and self-effacing demeanor
have lead to appearances on NBC’s The TODAY Show
and The CBS Early Show.
Currently, Charles competes
in Olympic-style weightlifting on the master’s circuit,
with a 3-year goal of qualifying for the 2009 Master’s
World Championships.
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