I understand that elite sprinters come in all sizes, but there has to be a BMI that represents the best of the best, especially since Bolt came on the scene. Plus, you have Dwight Phillips that lost weight and ended up jumping farther this year. Is there one, and if there is, what would be the range?
Optimal BMI for Jumper/Sprinter
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ParticipantLong jump is a different game. Dwight has jumped further when heavier than he did this year but he just fouled the jumps…Last i heard body weight doesn’t coorelate with fouling %. lol
But i looked at the top 20 males for a lit review i wrote and i can’t remember exactly but it was something like 6’2 and 165 lbs for male long jumpers…
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Participant
” date=”1259052578″]Dwight lost like 20lbs this year. He credits that as a big part of him getting back to form.
lol. ok. Do you realise that he had hardly trained for months building upto his 8.20 ish jump at USA Olympic trials…he was heavy then as well right?
But trust, i’ve seen the foul jumps that were better than his 8.74m this season. His approach speeds were also the same this year compared to years past.
Dwight had 12 meets over 8.20m in 2004. And 11 over 8.20m in 2009 plus a new pr jump improving 14cm on 2004 best…
So was he was better this year for sure? But i don’t think you could say that was becuase of his reduced BW alone. He is peaking in terms of age, he is more experienced, he has more training time under his belt etc etc etc…
Jumping 8.60m in 2004 you would expect a healthy Dwight to jump further 5 years later right?
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Participant
I do not comprehend the argument. Kendall and I said he lost a lot of weight to get back to the top of the world. What is the issue?
https://berlin.iaaf.org/news/kind=114/newsid=53978.html
In order to get back to the very top of the world, Phillips not only changed coach but had to work on his own body shape which, since his disappointment of not taking part in the Beijing Olympic Games, was far from ideal shape.“This whole week I have been thinking about my weight,” he naturally admits. “I’ve become like obsessed by my weight. Back in January I was 198 pounds (close to 90kg) and I made a commitment that in order to get the best out of myself I had to lose some weight. I lost 26 pounds (nearly 12kg).”
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Participant
Right…was he 198 when he was “top of the world” in 2004 and 2005?
What i am saying, is that being 185 or being 170 didn’t really do anything for him as the stats I wrote showed. OBVIOUSLY being 198 isn’t good for a long jump.
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Participant
We are talking physical performance and it’s relation to body weight. Like i said body weight doesn’t have anything to do with fouls does it!
Stop pretending like you don’t know what im saying here becuase i know you do.
And that guy was 2-3 inches taller than Dwight.
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Participant
It’s got to make a difference. Say 15# has to make a difference in ability to maintain hip height into, and lift off of, the board – even given the same runway speeds. Dwight is a limited example, though.
Lewis was clearly in his LJing prime in 1990-92 – and he appeared to be about 175 then – though from appearances, he was probably #1 in the world at as light as 165 and as heavy as 185. Powell was pretty lean when he went 8.95.
There have been a lot of Decas going over 8.00 in the LJ at well over 90kg – with it as a secondary event. Wonder how much further they could have gone if 5-10kg lighter??
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Participant
Yeah i’m sure it makes some difference. I just pointed out that it really didn’t for Dwight. Maybe it will next year? who knows…
And yeah the decas who jump 8m are super impressive!
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Participant
i was also curious about this a while ago and checked it out myself.. entering all the stats and stuff came up with this… top 100 meter guys primarily (if the info online i found was correct)
Top Sprinters BMI
Usain Bolt- 6’4″, 198lbs 24.1bmi
Asafa Powell- 6’3″ 193lbs 24.1bmi
Justin Gatlin- 6’1″ 183lbs 24.1bmi
Tim Montgomery- 5’10” 160lbs 23.0bmi
Maurice Greene- 5’9″ 175lbs 25.8bmi
Donovan Bailey- 6’0.5″ 182lbs 24.3bmi
Carl Lewis- 6’2″ 175lbs 22.5bmi
Calvin Smith- 5’10” 152lbs 21.8bmi
Richard Thompson- 6′ 176lbs 23.9bmi
Walter Dix- 5’9″ 190lbs 28.1bmiOverall average- 6 foot, 178.4lbs BMI- 24.17
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Participant
i was also curious about this a while ago and checked it out myself.. entering all the stats and stuff came up with this… top 100 meter guys primarily (if the info online i found was correct)
Top Sprinters BMI
Usain Bolt- 6’4″, 198lbs 24.1bmi
Asafa Powell- 6’3″ 193lbs 24.1bmi
Justin Gatlin- 6’1″ 183lbs 24.1bmi
Tim Montgomery- 5’10” 160lbs 23.0bmi
Maurice Greene- 5’9″ 175lbs 25.8bmi
Donovan Bailey- 6’0.5″ 182lbs 24.3bmi
Carl Lewis- 6’2″ 175lbs 22.5bmi
Calvin Smith- 5’10” 152lbs 21.8bmi
Richard Thompson- 6′ 176lbs 23.9bmi
Walter Dix- 5’9″ 190lbs 28.1bmiOverall average- 6 foot, 178.4lbs BMI- 24.17
That is only, of course, if you believe the listed weights are their actual weights and their listed heights are their actual heights. Asafa, for example, is definitely not 6’3″ and Gatlin not 183lbs at his peak…
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Participant
btw the wind reading of dwights pr. is just bullshit, in the video you can clearly see there is a tailwind.
Haha! Yeah i just noticed that really….
Look at the guys ID card thing around his neck. It is blowing pretty hard in the direction Dwight is running…
Wind readings are pretty bad…i had a jump in England last year which read +1.8 at the center on the runway…about 10m from the board however, i got hit so hard with wind in my face that is literally knocked me off stride…
Anyone know why the wind isn’t measured AT the board?
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Participant
yeah true davin.. not to be confrontational or anything but i said if the info i found online was correct. but yeah asafa is lucky if hes 6’2″ when i saw he was listed at 6’3″ i found it very hard to believe. but yeah the heights are prlly slightly exaggerated for most as they are in all sports and who knows with the weights really but in general im sure its safe to say most guys are in the 23.5 to 25 bmi range, just my guess
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Member
I am kind of moving away from long jump and sprints really quick. I am a high jumper and I was just wondering what the optimal BMI for that would be. I am 6 ft 4 in and 205lbs. I have been looking at professional high jumpers and they all seem to be around 165lbs. I tried to drop my weight but to no avail, I made it to 196 and then came the holidays. Do you think if I were to drop weight it would have a positive effect on my performance?
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Participant
Generally speaking, yes it would. However – more info is needed..
What is your bodyfat? How high have you jumped? What is your vertical? etc.
You haven’t given enough info. While 6’4″/205 is not thin, it is not all that heavy, either – plenty of decathletes have jumped 7′ at that size, with HJ being one of 10 disciplines they’re focused on. Even Sotomayor – listed at 1.95 tall – was 180-185 at a minimum. I realize IAAF lists him at 82kg (180), I’d say he was a fair bit heavier than that.
Weight is a limiting factor, in general, but losing 15#+ could be very difficult to do without sacrificing strength and jumping ability.
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Participant
I am kind of moving away from long jump and sprints really quick. I am a high jumper and I was just wondering what the optimal BMI for that would be. I am 6 ft 4 in and 205lbs. I have been looking at professional high jumpers and they all seem to be around 165lbs. I tried to drop my weight but to no avail, I made it to 196 and then came the holidays. Do you think if I were to drop weight it would have a positive effect on my performance?
If you do have plans to drop weight…make sure you do it intelligently. I know of a Shot Putter on the team last year who tried to lose a bunch of weight(for reasons unrelated to track) and did it very drastically and it affected his performance big time.
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Participant
Generally speaking, yes it would. However – more info is needed..
What is your bodyfat? How high have you jumped? What is your vertical? etc.
You haven’t given enough info. While 6’4″/205 is not thin, it is not all that heavy, either – plenty of decathletes have jumped 7′ at that size, with HJ being one of 10 disciplines they’re focused on. Even Sotomayor – listed at 1.95 tall – was 180-185 at a minimum. I realize IAAF lists him at 82kg (180), I’d say he was a fair bit heavier than that.
Weight is a limiting factor, in general, but losing 15#+ could be very difficult to do without sacrificing strength and jumping ability.
Note – this is related to Andrew’s comment re: his height/weight as a HJer, vs. Original Post.
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Member
Generally speaking, yes it would. However – more info is needed..
What is your bodyfat? How high have you jumped? What is your vertical? etc.
You haven’t given enough info. While 6’4″/205 is not thin, it is not all that heavy, either – plenty of decathletes have jumped 7′ at that size, with HJ being one of 10 disciplines they’re focused on. Even Sotomayor – listed at 1.95 tall – was 180-185 at a minimum. I realize IAAF lists him at 82kg (180), I’d say he was a fair bit heavier than that.
Weight is a limiting factor, in general, but losing 15#+ could be very difficult to do without sacrificing strength and jumping ability.
I have never tested my bodyfat but I have been meaning to do it. As for my jumps my standing vertical is a dismal 25 inches, much lower than than what I would like and my PB in high jump is my height of 6’4″ also much lower than what I would like. I am hoping to drop to 180lbs if I could but like Broadbent said I need to be smart.
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Participant
I have never tested my bodyfat but I have been meaning to do it. As for my jumps my standing vertical is a dismal 25 inches, much lower than than what I would like and my PB in high jump is my height of 6’4″ also much lower than what I would like. I am hoping to drop to 180lbs if I could but like Broadbent said I need to be smart.
Standing vertical is one of the more irrelevant factors in high jump. I believe Stefan Holm and Hollis Conway have/had a standing vertical in the realm of 25″.
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Participant
Why do you honestly believe that? There is simply NO WAY someone that springy AND strong has a vert of 25 inches…impossible!
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Participant
Dude i’ve seen that video…are you seriously telling me you believe that though? The guy was never capable of a vertical higher than that? really ? ? ? ?
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Member
” date=”1263773028″][quote author="Andrew Furst" date="1263769548"]
I have never tested my bodyfat but I have been meaning to do it. As for my jumps my standing vertical is a dismal 25 inches, much lower than than what I would like and my PB in high jump is my height of 6’4″ also much lower than what I would like. I am hoping to drop to 180lbs if I could but like Broadbent said I need to be smart.Standing vertical is one of the more irrelevant factors in high jump. I believe Stefan Holm and Hollis Conway have/had a standing vertical in the realm of 25″.[/quote]
Holm has a vertical of about 23 inches or so and from what I have found Hollis has one that is around 31 inches.
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Participant
I’ve seen so many girls with verts bigger than that…just bullshit.
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Participant
It isn’t about vertical jump…but the training is pretty much the same…
You don’t do plyometrics, squats and cleans for years all at a high level without improving a vertical to over 30 inches.
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Participant
If your aim is to become a good high jumper than you shouldn’t be focusing your training on getting a better vertical jump. If you are addressing power and strength in your training your vertical will take care of itself.
I’m sure your old coach stressed this, but I would spend a lot of time working on developing your approach run. Getting to your takeoff in the correct position is very important. The more speed you are able to bring with you and control, the higher you are going to jump.
Remember, the vertical jump is measured from a stand, off of two feet. High jump success comes from completing an 8-20 step run, with a curve and converting horizontal velocity to vertical velocity, off of one leg. If it were all about the vertical we’d have some sick ass offensive and defensive lineman type high jumpers.
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Participant
Getting back on topic here for a minute.
Andrew, I don’t want to sound insulting, but if seriously losing weight is a goal than you really shouldn’t gain 10 pounds over the Holidays.
Get your eating habits in line first and foremost. If your aim is to get to 180 and you are currently at 204, I would set that as a goal for the start of next year. With ~15 weeks left in the season I don’t know that I would suggest trying to lose that much and still try and compete at your best.
I know some great people in the nutrition department down there, and I’m sure they’d be willing to help you out line a nutrition program. PM me if you are interested.
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Participant
If your aim is to become a good high jumper than you shouldn’t be focusing your training on getting a better vertical jump. If you are addressing power and strength in your training your vertical will take care of itself.
I’m sure your old coach stressed this, but I would spend a lot of time working on developing your approach run. Getting to your takeoff in the correct position is very important. The more speed you are able to bring with you and control, the higher you are going to jump.
Remember, the vertical jump is measured from a stand, off of two feet. High jump success comes from completing an 8-20 step run, with a curve and converting horizontal velocity to vertical velocity, off of one leg. If it were all about the vertical we’d have some sick ass offensive and defensive lineman type high jumpers.
Trust me i understand how to develop a high jumper…Point is a vertical of 30 inches will be attained doing a high jumpers program. We are not talking about 40 + inches here…but his was at least 30 for sure.
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Participant
Ok, so you understand how things work than you can see how they are not related.
Yes, HJ guys do plyos, etc, etc…but their training will be a lot different. I would argue that bounding and plyos on the move will not have a huge roll on improving vertical jump testing.
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Participant
What about those hurdle jumps he (Holms) was doing? The height he reaches on those at least looks like more than 25″, which combined with the lack of a real “high jump approach” horizontal speed to be converted into vertical leads me to believe he’s capable of more than 25″ from a standing position.
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