Is there an accurate way to determine your "frame"

If you are referring to the 3 common body types (ectomorph, mesomorph, endomorph) then you can paste this link in your address bar: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/becker3.htm

Or go ahead and google "body type test" for something similar. I haven't used any of them, so I can't vouch for their accuracy.

Good luck.

Learning frame size is what taught me that my weight should have been much lower than I imagined. I grew up thinking I was just a "big" guy, I look more like a thick football player when larger than a "fat" guy, so when I lost weight and got into the "normal" range for a large framed man my size I was shocked at how much fat I had left on my body.

I learned the old finger-around-the-wrist trick. It said I had a medium frame. Later on I did the wrist measurements, which confirmed, and the weight range is perfect for where I'd be with a body fat level in the 10-12% range. It wasn't a myth for me at all.

If you have a lot of weight to lose then don't worry about it. Set a reasonable goal, and then re-evaluate. But, usually frame size is the measurements of your skeleton when you are lean. So, shoulders, rib cage, waist, pelvis (but that is influenced by glute muscle size). You can also see if you have small or big bones in your wrists and other areas.

Frame size isn't a myth. People really do have different frame sizes. It's just one factor. Not the only factor.

Frame size isn't a myth but yeah you need to check several bones and be lean, otherwise it doesn't work.

or is this an outdated idea that no one really uses anymore?

Since i have never been a normal adult weight, i am not sure what my "frame" (or build) is.

Small build, medium build, "big boned" etc.

Anyone in your family skinny?


And big boned is not a thing. You can have a narrow frame or wide frame, outside of that, it's based on composition.

If you have a lot of weight to lose then don't worry about it. Set a reasonable goal, and then re-evaluate. But, usually frame size is the measurements of your skeleton when you are lean. So, shoulders, rib cage, waist, pelvis (but that is influenced by glute muscle size). You can also see if you have small or big bones in your wrists and other areas.

Frame size isn't a myth. People really do have different frame sizes. It's just one factor. Not the only factor.

I've found the wrist measurement to be quite inaccurate in my case, though. I have broad shoulders and broad hip(bone)s, but my wrists are really thin, so if I only measure my wrist I get a wonky reading. (One site I tried asked for wrist and elbow measurements, and according the wrist one I was small-framed and if you looked the elbow I was large-framed. So, uh, medium for me, then?)

Yeah, the idea that it would be based on wrist size alone is very silly. It has more to do with rib cage size. And there is definitely variation there. I have a 25 inch rib cage (at the widest point), and know people my height with visible ribs and a 38 inch rib cage. People that fall outside of the average range are going to be more aware of this due to trying to find clothing and bras, etc. It's absurd to think that everyone has the same frame size. And obviously different sized people will have more or less space for organ size, muscle/fat mass, etc which will have an influence on weight.

or is this an outdated idea that no one really uses anymore?

I'm going with 'outdated idea'. Normal BMI is a range, to account for various body types and preferences. I wouldn't worry about your frame size, just shoot for normal BMI and decide when you're there where in that range you'd like to ultimately fall.