BMI of 25-29.9 showed the lowest rate of All Cause Mortality

[LudwigVan]

This specificity is not very high either since nearly every tenth person above a certain BMI will be diagnosed as obese while he or she just carries more lean tissue than other people. Nearly every tenth person misdiagnosed...

In the second study I linked, the specificity was 95% for men and 99% for women. The point is, if BMI is going to mislabel someone, it's far more likely that it will do so by labeling them normal when they are actually obese than the opposite. However, when BMI is criticized -- and it seems those initials can hardly be uttered without drawing scorn -- it always seems to be on the basis of mislabeling the non-obese as obese.

Now, I can understand why that rarer would receive the lion's share of attention on a strength board, but I'm just trying to provide a little perspective. I don't think anyone would bat an eyelash at an athlete reaching the overweight range despite being lean, but a (non-drug-assisted) athlete getting to the obese range without being pretty fat is an impressive feat.

[Mike C]

Maybe if you are a cage fighter like George St. Pierre who is 5'10 and weighs 170. If you are a weightlifter like Ilya Ilin who is 5'9 and weighs 205, then you need to add mass in order to move mass.

1. Most athletic people aren't olympic weightlifters
2. 5'10 and 170 is not even in the "overweight" category.
3. GSP weighs 190-195
3. This again is not my point.


My point is that "normal" isn't very normal unless you count weak and nonathletic people. "overweight" is probably much more likely to be athletic and healthy. And obese 1 is probably more likely to be overweight and unhealthy.

[Subsistence]

1. Most athletic people aren't olympic weightlifters
2. 5'10 and 170 is not even in the "overweight" category.
3. GSP weighs 190-195
3. This again is not my point.


My point is that "normal" isn't very normal unless you count weak and nonathletic people. "overweight" is probably much more likely to be athletic and healthy. And obese 1 is probably more likely to be overweight and unhealthy.

The average "normal" person is weak and nonathletic. You don't make a metric (BMI) to classify a population then base your measurements on a small minority group (athletes).

[David_G]

1. Most athletic people aren't olympic weightlifters
2. 5'10 and 170 is not even in the "overweight" category.
3. GSP weighs 190-195
3. This again is not my point.


My point is that "normal" isn't very normal unless you count weak and nonathletic people. "overweight" is probably much more likely to be athletic and healthy. And obese 1 is probably more likely to be overweight and unhealthy.

Tennis players, marathon runners, golfers, rowers, sailors, handballers, gymnasts, basketball player, every jumper of any kind and even cyclists(which suppose to have awesome leg strength) are all very small, weak and are underweight, which puts them in the low(under 25) BMI zone or even below 20.

I imagine the only "healthy" dudes in that BMI zone might be Judo's half heavyweights and several -not too tall- swimmers because of the relatively high BF, meaning that those are just a fraction from the olympics
Every other top athletes like rugby players or weightlifters are easily in the obese zone or even grade 1/2 obesity for the larger guys.

Sadly most gym trainees also love arm and upper body build, meaning gaining as little as 10-12 lbs of muscle throughout their "training" career unless being extremely underweight

I am 6'1 at 228, meaning i'm already one leg into obesity according to the BS BMI calc.

[alagon]

1. Most athletic people aren't olympic weightlifters. (But they ARE athletes)
2. 5'10 and 170 is not even in the "overweight" category. (He's actually 5'9 and a half)
3. GSP weighs 190-195. (Right)
3. This again is not my point.


.

Furthermore, as the poster above me said, the average "normal" person is weak and nonathletic. So we shouldn't compare their body composition to someone like Lu Xiaojun.

[paterfamilias]

Right now I'm 5'8", 204 lbs, ~ 21% body fat. Back when I weighed 175, < 20% bf, was rock climbing several times and riding a couple hundred miles on my bike every week, I had a doctor tell me I was obese and needed to get my weight under control.

[LudwigVan]

Right now I'm 5'8", 204 lbs, ~ 21% body fat. Back when I weighed 175, < 20% bf, was rock climbing several times and riding a couple hundred miles on my bike every week, I had a doctor tell me I was obese and needed to get my weight under control.

Well that's awfully weird, because 5'8" 175 is a BMI of 26.6. One has to weigh 197 at 5'8" to break into the obese range. Perhaps there was something else going on with your health that prompted your doctor's comments, or perhaps the doctor was simply being foolish, or perhaps it was some combination thereof.

Although if one did want to do well at climbing or some other bodyweight-strength-based discipline, I'd think "<20% bf" would be kind of a low standard.

[paterfamilias]

Well that's awfully weird, because 5'8" 175 is a BMI of 26.6. One has to weigh 197 at 5'8" to break into the obese range. Perhaps there was something else going on with your health that prompted your doctor's comments, or perhaps the doctor was simply being foolish, or perhaps it was some combination thereof.

Although if one did want to do well at climbing or some other bodyweight-strength-based discipline, I'd think "<20% bf" would be kind of a low standard.

She was a shitty doctor in multiple other ways. My annual physical at age 31 included a digital exam. I had blood iron levels in high normal range on a single blood test, and she diagnosed me with hemochromatosis. And so on.
But, in addition to all of that, she was on the "5-8 should weigh 155" bandwagon.
FWIW: typical elite rock climber my height is well below 150.