Why BMI Is Misleading (Especially for Lifters)
BMI is a crude population tool — useful for a doctor scanning many people, terrible for judging an individual’s fitness.
What BMI misses
BMI is just weight vs height. It can’t tell muscle from fat, so a muscular person often shows as "overweight", while a "normal" BMI can hide high body fat and a large waist.
Better measures
- Waist-to-height ratio — keep your waist under half your height.
- Body fat % and waist measurement.
- How you look, perform and feel.
Don’t let a BMI chart tell a lifter they’re "obese". Use body fat and waist size for a truer picture.
Quick answers
Is BMI useless?
Not for populations, but it’s unreliable for individuals — especially muscular or athletic people.
What should I use instead?
Waist-to-height ratio, body fat %, and how you look and perform are all more informative.
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