Probably a daft question - re frames/build

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Clash1001
Clash1001 Posts: 85 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
When looking at recommend weights for heights, there are often parameters such as small, medium and large build. I'm aiming at the 'middle' of the recommended weight for my height...

Is your build/frame inherent, or is it dependant on your weight?

How do you know what build or frame you are?

Could I, potentially, have a small frame hidden underneath layers of flab?

This is probably a really daft question, so please forgive me!

Replies

  • wsuduce
    wsuduce Posts: 68 Member
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    I think it is a great question, it seems there is no real clear answer as far as I have heard. I have seen people purpose formulas based on everything from wrist size to ankle size. So much of it is genetic. We have a frame, that we know... but what shape or size it is seems to not be predictable until we get down to a lower body fat range. It is a components of how much muscle you have and where you store your fat.

    That is why, in my opinion the only person that can judge you is you. Just keep going until you are happy with you. If you have a large frame, embrace it, medium... that is great! Small, well that is perfect too. A medium frame is the most common, if you want use that as a base line. Then as you get closer to your goal you will have a better understanding.

    Hope this helps.
  • train_01
    train_01 Posts: 135 Member
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    Not daft at all. I think it just depends on your bone structure. Look at your parents. Is your mother petite or stocky? Your dad? Also, look at the size of your fingers and wrists. According to my nutrition instructor in college, if you can fit your thumb and middle finger around your wrist, you have an average or small frame. If you can't you have a large frame. I don't know how accurate that is, so take it for what you think, haha. As a short (5'4) woman, I have very wide wrists and wear a size 10 for my ring finger. I definately have a larger frame than other women my height.

    Also, I wouldn't worry too much about the "recommended" weight for your height. I have found in reading lots of these posts that it is really a personal preference overall. Some women my height want to get down to 120 lbs, my GW is 160-170. Any smaller than that and I would look sick. Hope this helps!
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    Sometimes it can be more obvious from just looking at the person. Overall, the best way to determine your "build" is to measure body fat. Once you know body fat, it is simple arithmetic to calculate/estimate lean mass. Once you have an idea of lean mass, you can choose a target body fat goal and add that to lean mass to calculate the scale weight at that level of body fat. That is the best way to determine a "target" weight that is most realistic for your body--more accurate than picking a point on a "height/weight" scale.

    If that target number is realistic then it can give you some idea how you compare to others.

    For example, I have worked with several women of the same height whose target weight at 24% body fat ranged over 40 pounds. There is definitely a difference in "frame size" there.
  • Clash1001
    Clash1001 Posts: 85 Member
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    Thanks guys, that's really interesting.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    It's really hard to tell when someone is very obese, because you have to be fairly lean to get an accurate measure of these things, i.e. to be sure that larger size of them is from the actual bones, not excess fat under the skin.

    the wrist test is just one factor. The following is a more complete list. I study palaeoanthropology for fun, what is commonly known as "large frame" is what would be called "postcranial robusticity" in scientific papers. The following list is what features you find in individuals with a higher degree of postcranial robusticity (i.e. larger frame)

    - wider shoulders (due to longer clavicles)
    - larger rib cage.... in some the rib cage may be more "barrel" shaped, i.e. proportionally greater distance from front to back, not just wider from left to right.
    - wider pelvis
    - larger sized joints (this is the factor that the wrist test measures but as I said it's just one of many factors)
    - larger diameter of the bone shaft (hard to measure that when you're still alive though lol)
    - larger muscles and a tendency to gain muscle mass more easily than average for your gender, also a tendency to be stronger than average
    - greater lean mass compared to height than average
    - wider hands and feet compared to the length, i.e. needing a wide fitting on shoes, when it comes from the foot bone structure rather than from having too much fat on the feet

    and the reverse for small framed people

    note: frame size does not always correlate with height, you can be short and large framed, or tall and small framed. Or any combination in between. Note also that humans are very varied and one individual may have some of the above traits but not others.

    ETA: another factor that can affect how heavy someone is at a healthy body fat percentage is limb proportions. If you have two people of the same height and same body fat percentage, but one has a relatively longer torso and shorter legs, while the other has a relatively shorter torso and longer legs, then the one with the longer torso and shorter legs will be significantly heavier. Additionally, short, large framed people tend to have short arms and legs and a proportionally larger torso, and the short height comes from shorter limbs, while their torso's actually not shorter at all.
  • AwesomeGuy37
    AwesomeGuy37 Posts: 436 Member
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    It's really hard to tell when someone is very obese, because you have to be fairly lean to get an accurate measure of these things, i.e. to be sure that larger size of them is from the actual bones, not excess fat under the skin.

    the wrist test is just one factor. The following is a more complete list. I study palaeoanthropology for fun, what is commonly known as "large frame" is what would be called "postcranial robusticity" in scientific papers. The following list is what features you find in individuals with a higher degree of postcranial robusticity (i.e. larger frame)

    - wider shoulders (due to longer clavicles)
    - larger rib cage.... in some the rib cage may be more "barrel" shaped, i.e. proportionally greater distance from front to back, not just wider from left to right.
    - wider pelvis
    - larger sized joints (this is the factor that the wrist test measures but as I said it's just one of many factors)
    - larger diameter of the bone shaft (hard to measure that when you're still alive though lol)
    - larger muscles and a tendency to gain muscle mass more easily than average for your gender, also a tendency to be stronger than average
    - greater lean mass compared to height than average
    - wider hands and feet compared to the length, i.e. needing a wide fitting on shoes, when it comes from the foot bone structure rather than from having too much fat on the feet

    and the reverse for small framed people

    note: frame size does not always correlate with height, you can be short and large framed, or tall and small framed. Or any combination in between. Note also that humans are very varied and one individual may have some of the above traits but not others.

    ETA: another factor that can affect how heavy someone is at a healthy body fat percentage is limb proportions. If you have two people of the same height and same body fat percentage, but one has a relatively longer torso and shorter legs, while the other has a relatively shorter torso and longer legs, then the one with the longer torso and shorter legs will be significantly heavier. Additionally, short, large framed people tend to have short arms and legs and a proportionally larger torso, and the short height comes from shorter limbs, while their torso's actually not shorter at all.

    Interesting. Thanks for sharing.
  • wozkaa
    wozkaa Posts: 224 Member
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    Interesting... I did the wrist measurement one the other day and it said I was small framed. I think there must be other ways because I have very long fingers, and long (not wide) feet. Long arms n legs - spidermonkey-ish, but wide hips.

    The recommended weight for my height, small frame came out as 61-67 kg, but I don't think that would be healthy on me!

    It's a curious matter, to be sure.
  • allysteven880
    allysteven880 Posts: 75
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    It's good all about. Thanks for information.
  • Tanteee
    Tanteee Posts: 80 Member
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    It's really hard to tell when someone is very obese, because you have to be fairly lean to get an accurate measure of these things, i.e. to be sure that larger size of them is from the actual bones, not excess fat under the skin.

    the wrist test is just one factor. The following is a more complete list. I study palaeoanthropology for fun, what is commonly known as "large frame" is what would be called "postcranial robusticity" in scientific papers. The following list is what features you find in individuals with a higher degree of postcranial robusticity (i.e. larger frame)

    - wider shoulders (due to longer clavicles)
    - larger rib cage.... in some the rib cage may be more "barrel" shaped, i.e. proportionally greater distance from front to back, not just wider from left to right.
    - wider pelvis
    - larger sized joints (this is the factor that the wrist test measures but as I said it's just one of many factors)
    - larger diameter of the bone shaft (hard to measure that when you're still alive though lol)
    - larger muscles and a tendency to gain muscle mass more easily than average for your gender, also a tendency to be stronger than average
    - greater lean mass compared to height than average
    - wider hands and feet compared to the length, i.e. needing a wide fitting on shoes, when it comes from the foot bone structure rather than from having too much fat on the feet

    and the reverse for small framed people

    note: frame size does not always correlate with height, you can be short and large framed, or tall and small framed. Or any combination in between. Note also that humans are very varied and one individual may have some of the above traits but not others.

    ETA: another factor that can affect how heavy someone is at a healthy body fat percentage is limb proportions. If you have two people of the same height and same body fat percentage, but one has a relatively longer torso and shorter legs, while the other has a relatively shorter torso and longer legs, then the one with the longer torso and shorter legs will be significantly heavier. Additionally, short, large framed people tend to have short arms and legs and a proportionally larger torso, and the short height comes from shorter limbs, while their torso's actually not shorter at all.


    Thats really interesting...thanks.
  • EngineerPrincess
    EngineerPrincess Posts: 306 Member
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    There is definitely such a thing as build, and it's in your genetics. :) Some people can be the same weight and body fat percentage and have it look drastically different on them. A good indicator is your wrist circumference and how you look/feel at each weight. For example, I have the tiniest wrists in the world and look most healthy at the lower end bmis (19, 20) whereas friends the same height look sick or too thin at my weight because of their build (bone structure and weight distribution.) :) Hope it helped!
  • JazmineYoli
    JazmineYoli Posts: 547 Member
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    There is definitely such a thing as build, and it's in your genetics. :) Some people can be the same weight and body fat percentage and have it look drastically different on them. A good indicator is your wrist circumference and how you look/feel at each weight. For example, I have the tiniest wrists in the world and look most healthy at the lower end bmis (19, 20) whereas friends the same height look sick or too thin at my weight because of their build (bone structure and weight distribution.) :) Hope it helped!

    Agreeing with above.

    ** I always thought it was measured by your wrists. I am "big bones" as they say and my wrists are 6.25 inches. I think right below that is medium build.
  • Dewymorning
    Dewymorning Posts: 762 Member
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    ETA: another factor that can affect how heavy someone is at a healthy body fat percentage is limb proportions. If you have two people of the same height and same body fat percentage, but one has a relatively longer torso and shorter legs, while the other has a relatively shorter torso and longer legs, then the one with the longer torso and shorter legs will be significantly heavier. Additionally, short, large framed people tend to have short arms and legs and a proportionally larger torso, and the short height comes from shorter limbs, while their torso's actually not shorter at all.

    This is why I am aiming for the higher end of my BMI right now. I actually have a long torso, but short legs, which overall make me just under the average height.

    My sister is 6 foot tall, and her torso is a similar size to mine, just her limbs are loooooong.

    I also have tiny feet and hands, and wide shoulders and hips.

    I often feel like I am all out of proportion :O

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