I’m having some trouble wrapping my head around the notion that healthy waist circumference and height are totally unrelated. I’m certainly not trying to argue but clearly my understanding of the issue is incomplete.
I am having a hard time understanding how a person of my height (clearly I am not unbiased on the issue at 6’5") can have a 37" inch waist (I currently do) and have that be representative of a similar level of body fat to a person with a similar percentage of LBM at 5’10". Is there some issue other than body fat percentage at play? Is it a complex interplay of mechanisms and the upshot it just to accept the data and not worry about the details? I’m the kind of person who likes to understand every detail of the why before I go about actually following the how. It certainly annoyed the crap out of my middle school teachers.
I suppose what I want to do is bulk and cut to increase muscle mass. Does this mean I need to cut to something like 34-35" inches if I want to spend a significant amount of time in a calorie surplus? Honestly my subjective perception is that I am too thin and veiny already, but I’d rather be healthy than aesthetic if that’s the choice.
I guess the main point of confusion is with the varying waist requirements by sex and race. European men are larger than Asian men, and Asian men have a lower requirement. Now that I phrase it this way I realize it likely isn’t the most scientific approach, but if the size difference is greater between me and the average European man than the average European and the average Asian man, does that not translate to waist measurement? Also, don’t I have larger organs than a smaller person? I’m not sure about either now that I think about it.
Some of your organs are bigger, sure. That said, you have more area to store fat in compared to a shorter person who is…shorter. If your waist is >37", that’s a risk factor for obesity-related disease.
If the rationale for a lower maximum waist measurement standard for Asian men is that they tend to be smaller than Caucasian men then shouldn’t that same logic extend to Caucasian men who are bigger or smaller than the Caucasian average? If not then why have the exception for Asian men?
Does the type of frame you have not factor in either? Eg I am the same height I was when I was in my early teens but I’m also MUCH broader - so even if my physique was completely shredded I would still have a larger waist wouldn’t I?
Like the OP I’m genuinely just inquisitive here - I get that you are the expert!
Hello Jordan,
Don’t taller individuals also have bigger pelvis and if we use illiac crests, those will be wider apart on a tall individual? I fully admit I have no idea if this is so, this is just how it felt intuitively so I am ready to be debunked.
