BMI (Body Mass Index) for athletes

The body mass index BMI calculator, or BMI for short, shows the ratio between height and weight. The result is used to determine whether you are classified as normal weight, overweight or underweight.

Discover the BMI calculator & calculate your value

What is the significance of BMI?

The calculation of BMI ¹ is a very good and quick way to determine which category the current nutritional status falls into. The calculation differentiates between age and gender. There are different forms of calculation.

Since only two analysis values are used to calculate the BMI, the results can sometimes differ slightly. Neither body fat mass nor muscle mass are included. Thus, professional athletes or endurance athletes are often incorrectly classified using the normal BMI tables. Learn more about the history of BMI.

Why are professional athletes classified as overweight?

Are you one of those people who are very muscular and have a lot of muscle mass? Then it is possible that your BMI value is considered too high. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), you are classified as overweight. Why is that and what does it mean?

Our body consists of 60 to 80% water. This is stored in the muscles, fat and bones. Not to forget, our blood contains the largest proportion of water. Our blood plasma consists of 90 to 95% water. The muscles consist of about 75% water and the body fat contains about 25% water. Accordingly, muscles are heavier than fat. This is one of the reasons why BMI is under criticism.

Weight distribution is crucial

The ratio between intracellular water (stored in the muscles) and extracellular water (appears as water retention and is stored in body fat) should be balanced. Ideally, the latter is less present, because then there are no health concerns.

Generally, it is better to measure several factors, i.e. to record more body data. The more you measure, the better and more accurately you can track your own transformation.

Why are healthy athletes underweight according to BMI?

Endurance athletes or bodybuilders also sometimes fall outside the normal BMI tables. In this respect, other standards must be set. In these disciplines, you can achieve better results with a low body weight.

A low BMI does not pose a major risk for someone with a low body weight and a high level of physical fitness. The BMI value does not have to be viewed critically.

Use BMI as motivation for sports

Many people see their BMI value as motivation to exercise. If you are not a professional athlete, you can take the results seriously and achieve a better value through exercise. This way, you can improve not only your physical appearance but also your health.

Besides the body mass index, you can also calculate your waist to hip ratio. This is a great alternative to BMI. The hip-waist ratio is calculated by dividing your waist circumference (in cm) by your height (in cm). By calculating the waist to hip ratio, you can see the relationship between the amount and distribution of body fat in relation to your height.

How can I calculate my BMI?

The formula is quite simple: body weight (in kg) divided by height (in m). There are different classifications for adults, older people and children & adolescents. With the Verival BMI calculator, you can have your BMI calculated and immediately see which range you fall into.

This way, you can find out whether you are in the positive or critical range. For adult women ( BMI calculator for women ), the normal value according to the DGE (German Nutrition Society) is between 19 and 24 kg / m2. For men, on the other hand, it is between 20 and 25 kg / m2. The classification is as follows: underweight, including severe, moderate and slight underweight, normal weight and overweight, as well as obesity. Obesity is divided into three degrees.