Basketball players are tall for their weight.

MMA fighters are short motherfuckers, plain and simple.

Actually, I just saw something that claims 47% of NBA players are right on the threshold of "obese".

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,149807,00.html

Compared to optimum standards, not to actual population averages (26.3 for US males in 2004)

First off, fightfinder is an international database that includes a ton of Japanese, Russian, Brazillian and British fighters, so using the average from the US is a bad idea. Second, that difference is relatively small anyway (0.5 BMI units)

First off, fightfinder is an international database that includes a ton of Japanese, Russian, Brazillian and British fighters, so using the average from the US is a bad idea. Second, that difference is relatively small anyway (0.5 BMI units)

Did you use fighting weight or guesstimate walking weight.

Anyways, BMI doesn't really translate all that well into the weights of high level athletes for the most part.

First off, fightfinder is an international database that includes a ton of Japanese, Russian, Brazillian and British fighters, so using the average from the US is a bad idea. Second, that difference is relatively small anyway (0.5 BMI units)

First off, fightfinder is ridiculously disproportionately U.S. Second off. there aren't global averages available. Third off, US=decently heterogeneous.

Fourth off, true, you are only a little wrong.

Did you use fighting weight or guesstimate walking weight.

Anyways, BMI doesn't really translate all that well into the weights of high level athletes for the most part.
I used people who fight at middleweight, so... fighting weight. I agree with you about BMI it sucks, except for everything else that sucks worse.

The average MMA middle weight is 5' 10.5" @ 182.5 pounds. Conclude what you will.

Actually, I just saw something that claims 47% of NBA players are right on the threshold of "obese".

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,149807,00.html

I'm glad that the article mentions how stupid it is to use BMI alone in considering if a person is overweight or not. Body composition is the ONLY accurate way to measure obesity. Even the doctor's suggestion of waistline has flaws, as powerlifters, bodybuilders, and wrestlers often have "muscle bellies", or distended stomachs causes by large abdominals rather than fat. Having been a member of all three of those catagories for periods of my life, being called obese for being too muscular gets annoying.

I'm glad that the article mentions how stupid it is to use BMI alone in considering if a person is overweight or not. Body composition is the ONLY accurate way to measure obesity. Even the doctor's suggestion of waistline has flaws, as powerlifters, bodybuilders, and wrestlers often have "muscle bellies", or distended stomachs causes by large abdominals rather than fat. Having been a member of all three of those catagories for periods of my life, being called obese for being too muscular gets annoying.

Yes, and especially oblique abs.

I think the best way to judge is just to use your intuition. If someone says "I'm an in shape 182 @ 5' 10 1/2 in" does that register as thin, medium or heavy?

I'd say that's heavy-ish for a civilian and medium for an athlete.

Actually, I just saw something that claims 47% of NBA players are right on the threshold of "obese".

I neglected to mention that I retched the first time you mentioned BMI.

The BMI needs to fucking die already.

I neglected to mention that I retched the first time you mentioned BMI.

The BMI needs to fucking die already.
I know how you feel. I spend all day looking for genes that control BMI variation, and I think its fucking stupid. Too bad my boss doesn't agree with you.

To be fair, sometimes height and weight are all you have. In which case BMI is about the best you can do. That's the case at my job, and that was the case when I looked at fightfinder.

It's a decent measure for looking at populations. The ways that it fails tend to average out.
But it's a silly measure to use on an individual basis.

Very good point.

It's a decent measure for looking at populations. The ways that it fails tend to average out.
But it's a silly measure to use on an individual basis.All the WHO stuff on BMI specifies pretty hard that it's only a remotely decent proxy for health in sedentary individuals. To apply it to athletes = auto fail.

Even across populations, there are whole ethnic groups who are healthy at high BMIs (c.f. Mark Hunt).

lol, I remember making a goal a while back to reach "Obese" status for BMI trying to hit 215 @ 5'10'' when I was big into lifting...well, since I'm an ectomorph I basically was making myself broke all the time eating so damn much so I settled for "Overweight" at 5'10'' 194 lbs. And I'm not fat either, my bodyfat % constantly stays below 10% on Skinfold tests. I think I've dropped a bit % wise too since getting into martial arts.

Well, if I ever compete at 185lbs at least I can still say I'm "overweight" XD.

People need to just measure off bodyfat % not BMI. I think I'm still skinny at 194 and I was a stick when I was in normal range for BMI.

So just for shits and giggles, I went and calculated my BMI. At 5'11" 220LB, I am right at the obese line. Now there are several bullies here that have trained/do train with me on a regular basis. I may be soft in the middle, but no where near obese. Hell I have the beginnings of a six pack at anything less than 200, and am basically cut at 190, which by the way is still "overweight" for me.

WarWheel, you said that you deal with BMI all day. Can you explain to me the type of person who is listed as "average". Are they just a person who eats well but never works out, so they have zero muscle mass? That doesn't seem healthy to me, so their "healthy" weight seems like something of a misnomer.

WarWheel, you said that you deal with BMI all day. Can you explain to me the type of person who is listed as "average". Are they just a person who eats well but never works out, so they have zero muscle mass? That doesn't seem healthy to me, so their "healthy" weight seems like something of a misnomer.
Lol. I pay as little attention to what BMI means as I possibly can, as I think its bullshit. Especially the BMI categories. If you want to know about genetic variation and BMI, I could go on all day, but as for the "average case" I'd say the 5'9" 145 (ideal) and 175 (actual) dude who sits at a desk all day.

Muscle mass, the 1 rep bench max for the average guy is 158lbs, which is slightly less than his body weight. Not so good.

BMI has ****-all to do with health, wellness or fitness. It's just a height/weight ratio, fellas, nothing more.