HOW TO MEASURE THE WAIST IN MEN: HOW TO REDUCE IT AND MAKE IT NARROW

Regular waist measurement helps an adult man monitor his health. According to medical data, an abdominal circumference of more than 102 cm (it is better if the waist is less than 94 cm) reduces a man’s activity, can negatively affect the state of the cardiovascular system, increase stress levels and reduce the amount of the hormone testosterone in the body.

How do I know what body type I have?

1. If your bust and hip volumes are approximately the same, and your waist is at least 18 centimeters narrower, you have an hourglass silhouette.
2. The chest is significantly narrower than the waist, which in turn is smaller than the hips - this is a clear sign of a “pear” silhouette.
3. If the girth of your chest, waist and hips is approximately the same, your type is “rectangle”.

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Why do men need to measure their waist?

Excess weight in men in most cases is accompanied by the accumulation of fat in the waist area, so it envelops the pancreas and liver. This has a bad effect on men’s health in general and contributes to disruptions in the functioning of many body systems. So, first of all, the level of cholesterol, sugar and insulin in the blood increases. This can cause stroke, heart attack, hypertension and heart attacks. Cardiovascular disease expert Emily Levintan o. It has also been proven that excess fat is one of the factors that provokes the development of cancer. Exceeding the waist norm is more dangerous for men, since in women, fat deposits associated with excess weight primarily cover the area of ​​​​the legs and hips. Therefore, men are advised to regularly measure their waist and monitor how much the data obtained deviates from the norm. If women's waist is a couple of centimeters above the navel, then a man's waist can be either higher or lower than it. As a rule, it is recommended to focus on the elbow in the lowered arm pose: that is, you should stand up straight, extend your arm down and see where the elbow is. At this point you should approximately measure the waist in men. There are other common options: the measurement is carried out either at the level of the navel or at the most protruding point of the abdominal cavity. In this case, you need to take off your shoes and put your feet together. You need to bare your stomach, relax and exhale. For measurements, you should take a soft tape, which is recommended to be held straight and not pulled. The result obtained during the measurement must be recorded down to the millimeter. Indicators below 94 centimeters should be considered within normal limits. Thus, health risks are considered low if a man’s waist size is 93 cm or less, average danger is represented by indicators in the range of 94-101 cm, and the risk of developing the above diseases is high if the size is 102 cm or more.

Proportions in men's bodybuilding

The most desirable body type is the “inverted triangle” - wide shoulders and a narrow waist. Therefore, most men strive for precisely these proportions, completely forgetting about other parameters.

For example, athletes with a massive upper body and matchstick-thin legs look pretty funny. Another problem that often occurs among beginners is that the “bottom” is ahead of the “top” in development, which is also a disproportion. In both cases, serious correction of the training program is necessary.

Many systems have been developed for calculating the “ideal” anthropometric indicators of male bodybuilders. Let's look at the simplest method. First you need to measure your chest circumference with a centimeter. Let's assume that this parameter is 100 cm and calculate the remaining values.

You can also use the table compiled by the legendary Canadian-American coach, founder of the Mr. Olympia competition and founder of the International Bodybuilding Federation - Joe Weider. To determine the proportions, it is necessary to calculate the individual coefficient. To do this, divide your weight (kg) by height (cm) and compare the resulting value with the data below.

By measuring your own proportions and comparing them with any of the tables above, you can determine the “lagging” parts of the body. Based on the obtained values, it is recommended to build a training plan.

results

Baseline characteristics of participants

• The average age of participants was 48 (36-62) years for men (n=6875)
• 48 (36-61) years for women (n=9090)

• Level of education for men: primary school - 1,263 (18.4%)
• secondary school - 871 (12.7%)
• high school - 2,471 (35.9%)
• college and further education 2,231 (32.5%)

Thus, the level of education was higher in men than in women (p < 0.001).

• Men had higher body measurements, including waist circumference, WHtR, BMI, lean mass index, fat mass index, trunk fat mass index, skeletal muscle mass index, and bone mineral composition, than women.
• Also, men had clearly higher levels of blood pressure, glucose, triglycerides, and lower HDL levels.
• The prevalence of alcohol consumption, smoking, and chronic kidney disease was higher among the male group of study participants.

Comparison of predictors of metabolic syndrome among body indices

• Body index studies were conducted using AUROC: Waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) index has the highest area under the curve (AUC): men: 0.823, 95% CI 814-0.832
• women: 0.870, 95% CI 0.863-0.877)

Presence of metabolic syndrome according to the WHtR indicator

• According to the level of WHtR, participants were divided into 4 groups.
• For the male group the following were: Q1 ≤0.4603;
• Q2 0.4604-0.4981;
• Q3 0.4982-0.5343;
• Q4 ≥ 0.5344.

conclusions

• Body composition indices obtained using radiation methods do not have advantages over classical anthropometric indices.
• Among classical anthropometric indices, waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) was found to be the most reliable for predicting metabolic syndrome in the Korean population.

Source:

1. Kang SH, Cho KH, Park JW, Do JY. Comparison of waist to height ratio and body indicators for prediction of metabolic disturbances in the Korean population: the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008–2011. BMC Endocrine Disorders
   . 2015;15:79. doi:10.1186/s12902-015-0075-5.

Patients and methods

• Data from the National Korean Health Organization for 2008-2011 were analyzed.
• The study included 15,965 participants.
• Body mass index (BMI) was calculated as body weight divided by height (m) squared.
• Waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) was calculated as waist circumference divided by height.
• Lean mass (LM) was studied using DEXA
• fat mass (FM)
• trunk fat mass (TFM)
• bone mineral mass (BMC)

Subcutaneous fat examination

You need to relax your stomach, and then, at a close distance from the navel, pinch the skin between two fingers. If it has a thickness greater than 2.5 cm, this means that the accumulation of subcutaneous adipose tissue is excessive. It is necessary to get rid of it in the near future.

These simple measurements will indicate whether there is cause for concern and how urgent action needs to be taken to maintain health and well-being.

Taking measurements

The procedure will require a measuring tape. If you don’t have it at hand, you can use a lace and a school ruler. Let's look at the main parameters and where to measure them:

1. Chest circumference. Stand up straight, straighten your back. Throw a tape measure over your back. The measuring tape should go along the bottom of the shoulder blades, the latissimus muscles and the pectoral nipples. The tension is light, without squeezing the skin. The measurement is taken while exhaling.
2. Hip volume. Stand up straight, lift one leg onto your toes. To measure the circumference of your hips, you need to press the tape measure in the widest part of them (the upper third, just below the buttocks). Tighten your quadriceps, pull the band slightly taut, and record the value. Then measure the thigh muscles on the other leg.
3. Calf circumference. Straighten up, lift one leg onto your toes. Press the measuring centimeter to the widest part of the calf muscle, bring the end together with the tape and record the parameter. Repeat with the other leg.
4. Shoulder circumference. It is necessary to clarify this issue. People who are far from sports mistakenly call the shoulder the main joint of the arm and the muscles covering it. In fact, the shoulder is the entire upper part of the limb from the edge of the collarbone to the elbow. Therefore, in order to correctly measure your shoulders, you need to lower your arms freely, and then cover the biceps muscles in the middle with a centimeter.
5. Forearm circumference. To begin, bend your elbow at a right angle and clench your fingers into a fist. To measure your forearm, you need to place the tape at its widest point (3-4 cm below the elbow joint).
6. Bicep circumference. Stand up, raise your shoulder until it is parallel to the floor, bend your arm and tense your biceps muscle. Throw a centimeter at the top point of the biceps, take a measurement and repeat with the other arm.
7. Waist circumference. Straighten up, straighten your back. To measure your waist, place the tape measure at the narrowest part of your body. As a rule, this place is located just above the navel. Exhale, but do not suck in your stomach. Record the value.
8. Neck circumference. Measure this parameter under the thyroid cartilage of the larynx.
9. Pelvic girth. To determine this indicator, press the tape to the middle of the gluteal muscles and to the upper protruding parts of the thigh bones.

In addition to the size of the biceps and forearms, some athletes determine the thickness of the wrists. But this indicator serves not to track results, but to identify a predisposition to gain muscle mass.

Previously, many trainers predicted the success of a particular athlete in bodybuilding based on the measurement of the carpal bones. However, there is no scientific evidence for such a correlation.