There are numerous tests that can be performed to determine whether an individual is overweight or obese. While it’s important for everyone to maintain a healthy body weight to maintain physical function and high quality of life, athletes can also suffer from performance limitations if they’re overweight. One commonly used test is the Body Mass Index test, also referred to as BMI.
Definition
Body Mass Index uses a mathematical equation to analyze the relationship between an athlete’s height and weight to determine whether he's at a healthy body weight. Because a scale and a measuring tape are the only equipment necessary to perform the test, testing an athlete’s body mass index costs next to nothing and is easy to perform.
Procedure
The Body Mass Index test is typically done using the metric system, but there is an easy way to do the test using more familiar measurement units such as pounds and inches. To calculate an athlete’s Body Mass Index, divide her weight in pounds by her height in inches squared, and then multiply by 703. For example, if an athlete is 150 pounds and 65 inches tall, you would divide 150 by 65 squared and then multiply that number by 703 to get her body mass index score of 24.96.
Assessment
You can interpret an athlete’s Body Mass Index score by comparing it to standard weight status categories. Body Mass Index scores that are below 18.5 are considered underweight. Scores that are 18.5 to 24.9 are considered to be a normal weight. Any scores that fall in between 25 and 29.9 would indicate that the athlete is overweight, and scores that are 30 and above would be labeled as obese.
Why Athletes Shouldn't Use BMI
Although Body Mass Index is a popular test used to analyze if an individual is at a healthy weight, it’s not an appropriate screening tool for athletes. The amount that an athlete weighs still fails to tell anything about his body composition. Athletes typically possess greater amounts of muscle mass, which weighs more than body fat. Because of this, athletes could fall into the overweight or obese categories and not be at an unhealthy body weight.
Other Options
There are more accurate alternatives that an athlete can use to measure whether or not she's at a healthy body weight; ones that take into account how much of the body is comprised of muscle and how much of fat. Skinfold thickness measurements, completed with skin calipers, are a quick and somewhat less expensive option. The most accurate option is underwater weighing, which measures the amount of water that is displaced as an athlete submerses herself underwater and expels her lungs of oxygen.
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