Cebu City – Body mass index (BMI) is commonly used to classify an individual's body weight. However, in the case of athletes or resistance exercise enthusiasts, who may have a high body weight due to higher lean body mass, BMI may lead to the misclassification of the athlete as overweight or obese. 

As a normal BMI is between 18.5 – 24.9 kg/m² any number that exceeds the normal BMI range will either be classified as overweight or obese. And there can be multiple causes as to why an individual will exceed the ideal BMI for his/her height.

As BMI classification applies to the general population, it is commonly associated that heavier weight is likely due to excess/abundance of body fat which automatically correlates to increased risk for chronic diseases e.g. hypertension, etc.

But for athletes, if an assessment of body composition is determined it may not be the case of an abundance of body fat but rather a muscle. Muscle tissue is denser tissue than fat, which implies that it raises weight higher than fat which means BMI will also be high.

For athletes or bodybuilding enthusiasts, BMI alone to classify health status is a blind approach. Since BMI doesn’t consider body mass composition or distribution in the equation.

It is recommended that a Registered Nutritionist-Dietitian especially one practicing in the field of sports nutrition be your best bet in determining fitness level and body’s health status. // DMO II Gab Flores, RND