Pinch test

I have to get a pinch test and see where I am at with my body fat percentage. As a gut feeling (oh, man, that was not an intentional pun, but I can’t remove it once I type it) I think I am around 15% or so. It really is tough to tell and this is why I always tell people that the scale weight is not the most important issue when it comes to true health.

I have had targets when I am trying to slim down and they always take lean mass into the equation. Thinking about the “prime weight" for a man 5′ 10″ tall, I could be anywhere from 130 to 175. How does that figure? I guess when you have government agencies figuring health guide lines, you get weird answers. That’s all I can figure. I try to stay around 12 to 18 percent body fat, and that works for me. Getting lower, just to prove that I can, well, I can relate to that as well. I think anyone into fitness has a desire at some point to see their abs poking through, but maintaining that while living a normal life with a normal diet is tough once you get past 40 (at least in my experience)

My body mass index (BMI)is currently a 28, which is considered overweight, but that doesn’t take muscle mass into consideration either, so what is the ideal way to figure out what you should weigh? When I was in the military they used the BMI to give max weight allowable, and I was allowed to weigh 179, I think. Really I don’t think there is an ideal weight for a specific height. Even if you are at a low percentage of body fat, having a lot of lean mass still isn’t good for your heart. It is having to work harder pumping blood around your gargantuan frame. It’s your choice how large you want to get through lifting, but in my opinion, you should keep it reasonable. Now make your own decision as to whatever that means.

Thinner people generally live longer and have better stats (heart condition, blood pressure, etc) but that doesn’t mean thinner is better.

just my two cents…