The BMI Conspiracy

[CapnAwesome]

And help your joints in later life.

The reason most people do not carry that kind of weight if because most people lose their vanity by 40-50 and stop weightlifting and eating surplus calories, they have hectic lives etc. Being 200lbs of 'muscle' will not make your chances of a heart attack higher. Being 200lbs of 'fat' will.

I can speak to the joint issues already, and I'm just over 40. Statistically, I think it's pretty obvious that a heavier guy is going to get injured more easily than a lighter guy. And in the case of chronic damage to the knees and hips, it's going to hurt the person's long-term ability to maintain a good health regimen. Given this, I ask myself this question: does having a high muscle mass provide ANY benefit to longevity at all? And I think the answer is: no, unless I have to survive an attack, or to lift a burning Harley off my leg or something. So it seems to me the smart money's on a moderate (or even light) weight level to maintain better health, longer.

That being said, I'm a bit of a hypocrite: I'm still at 200 lbs, and still pushing for a 6-pack. I want to enjoy having a bit of bulk for a few years before I scale back. But I'm doing it because I want to look and feel great now, not because I think it's the best plan for my long-term health.

I also think Cardio is the most important thing to long term health. Being heavy often times hurts your cardio. However being muscular and active is certainly better than being skinny and not-active.