If your body weight is too high, you may be labeled as overweight or obese. The body mass index or BMI is a calculation that categorizes your body weight based on your height. Bodybuilders have problems with the BMI because they tend to have large, well-developed muscles. Muscle tissue weighs more by volume than fat, and this can make the BMI calculation for bodybuilders inaccurate.
Problem With BMI and Bodybuilders
The bottom line for bodybuilders is that the calculation may overestimate body fat in athletes and others who have a muscular build. This is simply related to the weight of muscle and fat. If you are a bodybuilder, you have more muscle than average for your height, which can increase your body weight and increase your BMI. For this reason, your BMI score alone is not a reliable indicator of your risk for disease or the state of your health.
How the BMI Is Calculated
The BMI has a standard calculation that begins with measuring your current height and weight. You then take your weight in pounds and multiply it by 703. That answer is then divided by your height in inches. This answer is divided a second time by your height in inches. The number that results is your BMI.
BMI Ranges
The BMI ranges start with the underweight category, which is any score below 18.5. A normal or healthy BMI is a score from 18.5 to 24.9. A score of 25.0 to 29.9 is overweight; a score of 30.0 to 39.9 is obese; and any score above 40 is considered morbidly obese. If you are a bodybuilder, your excess muscle tissue will cause your weight to increase, which may place your BMI in the overweight category even though you have limited body fat.
Considerations
Since bodybuilders tend to have a BMI indicating they are obese although they are typically lean, they should use other methods to determine their health risks such as blood pressure, cholesterol, body fat percentage and waist circumference. Body fat and waist circumference are two ways you can assess your body composition more accurately. If you keep your body fat and body weight in healthy proportions, you can decrease your risk of developing chronic illness such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
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