What is your BMI ???

34.9 BMI. 5'11, 250 pounds. I win this pathetic race. Was 24.0 BMI in 2012. Last 9 years not been good to my body.

Lotus Note wrote:

Currently it is around 22.1

I feel like the ideal BMI in base phase is around 21. What do you think?

I was down to 21 for a few weeks last year before it went back up. It is really difficult for me to keep it that low. I am at 21.6 right now which is typically at this point in training for my next half marathon or marathon race. I don't lift weight so my upper body is skinny while my legs are muscular from running. My training on hard days are just as fast now as they have been when I was at my peak fitness before PR races over the past 5 years. Prior to that I seldom exercised, had high cholesterol and elevated blood pressure and overate which resulted in BMI of 30. Now I weigh the same or less than when I graduated from high school. In high school I ran on the track and cross country teams so I was fit but did gain weight. I still recall my height and weight when I got my drivers license at 16--had BMI of 19.6. It has gone up to 23.7 once or twice a year and then I work to get it back down. It typically happens when I not able to run due to injury. Those that are lifting weights typically have higher BMI but are not necessarily over weight. BMI is flawed.

Runningart2004 wrote:

5'5.5", 183lbs.

Proud holder of a 30 BMI!

43 yrs old. I don't compete and haven't run a race in YEARS. I bang out 5 mile runs every other day at 7:30-45 pace. I life weights and scare people in the gym.

Alan

Just curious, Alan. What was your racing weight back then? I'm surprised to see you still being able to cruise at 7 mins pace for 5 miles every other day!

amkelley wrote:

5'5", 111 pounds, BMI = 18.5.

BMI is a very crude measure of leanness. I have very narrow shoulders and hips and just a generally small skeleton for my height. I'm not particularly thin at a BMI of 18.5. I did my best marathoning at 103 pounds (BMI 17.1).

Assuming female?

As a male I was always very cognizant of the fact that most competitive runners of my height were 10-20lbs lighter. I was already lean and running 100+ miles a week. Just was what it was. Can't change genetics.

Alan

George213 wrote:

Runningart2004 wrote:

5'5.5", 183lbs.

Proud holder of a 30 BMI!

43 yrs old. I don't compete and haven't run a race in YEARS. I bang out 5 mile runs every other day at 7:30-45 pace. I life weights and scare people in the gym.

Alan

Just curious, Alan. What was your racing weight back then? I'm surprised to see you still being able to cruise at 7 mins pace for 5 miles every other day!

140ish. I was never built like a runner, had a horrible looking gait where my trail leg would swing outside. I could train and not break down is about the only "talent" I had for running. 79.4 VO2max on that frame.....so was like a huge engine crammed into a Yugo carrying bricks in the trunk!

Cruising at 7:30-45 is NOT 7:00 ha ha....just wanna make that distinction. At this point 7:00 would be very high end aerobic. In general I would say all my paces are a good 45-60sec a mile slower than my "prime".

Alan

28...and feel it. Trying to get to 25, still

Runningart2004 wrote:

George213 wrote:

Just curious, Alan. What was your racing weight back then? I'm surprised to see you still being able to cruise at 7 mins pace for 5 miles every other day!

140ish. I was never built like a runner, had a horrible looking gait where my trail leg would swing outside. I could train and not break down is about the only "talent" I had for running. 79.4 VO2max on that frame.....so was like a huge engine crammed into a Yugo carrying bricks in the trunk!

Cruising at 7:30-45 is NOT 7:00 ha ha....just wanna make that distinction. At this point 7:00 would be very high end aerobic. In general I would say all my paces are a good 45-60sec a mile slower than my "prime".

Alan

Thanks for the lengthy reply!

So you really aren't the typical runner, haha!

Actually I know someone kinda like you. He's 5'9 and has trouble getting under 70kg but he's the most durable runner I've ever known and is logging big miles with pretty intense workouts thrown in here and there. And those I know who are injury-prone tend to be pretty skinny. (while I fall in the middle lol). Don't know if it has to do with bone structure, density or that sort of things and though of course the sample size is limited and may well be confirmation bias.

Mid 50's Old Hobby Jogger wrote:

BMI is flawed.

This. Two people with the same BMI can look very different. One person with the same BMI at different points in their adult life can look very different too.

golden hamster wrote:

Mid 50's Old Hobby Jogger wrote:

BMI is flawed.

This. Two people with the same BMI can look very different. One person with the same BMI at different points in their adult life can look very different too.

The BMI is a decent method for a quick answer.

I don't think anybody ever said that this is the most accurate assessment.

It's just a basic formula with height and weight.

But boy, letsrunners are a lot fatter than I thought.

22.5 from a 2015 test; carrying 10 lbs more now, but will be run off by summer.

BMI is a pretty outdate metric. It means very little for overall health and fitness. All it is is a height to weight ratio. I would argue body fat % is a better metric for overall health and fitness.

To anyone reading this - Don't let your BMI or body far % be an indicator of your fitness and/or happiness

20.3--6ft 150lbs

Slimpickins wrote:

golden hamster wrote:

This. Two people with the same BMI can look very different. One person with the same BMI at different points in their adult life can look very different too.

The BMI is a decent method for a quick answer.

I don't think anybody ever said that this is the most accurate assessment.

It's just a basic formula with height and weight.

But boy, letsrunners are a lot fatter than I thought.

Yes, that's true also. There isn't really a commonly known metric that is more accurate. Wish there was. I just wrote that in as some of the posts seemed a bit bothered by it. What's right for one person isn't right for the other and so on (and importantly I included what's right for the person at one time in their life might not be right at another time either).

I am the same height and weight as Cristiano Ronaldo but I don’t look like him and I don’t have his body composition so BMI can be deceptive in that two people can be the same height and weight and look totally different physically. This may seem rather bizarre but it is true.

My BMI: 20.5 right now. It's been as high as 30. I got it down a couple of years ago and have been able to come of blood pressure medication. It's also improved my running immensely.