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BMI and resting energy
Your body mass index, what it can and can't tell a rider, and the energy you burn at rest.
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BMI and resting energyFondoLab
22.2
kg/m²
- At rest, a day
- 1650 kcal
A BMI of 22.2 is below the WHO's cut-off for overweight, 25.
We deliberately don't suggest a target or race weight: chasing one risks eating too little for the riding you do.
How we got this
The formula with your numbers in it, then every constant we used and where it comes from.
The working
- BMI = 72.0 kg ÷ (1.80 m)² = 22.2
- Resting energy = 10 × 72.0 + 6.25 × 180 − 5 × 40 + 5 = 1650 kcal a day
The numbers and their sources
A number marked FondoLab default is our judgement, not a study's finding; we say so rather than borrow authority.
| Number | Value | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Body mass index (BMI) | weight ÷ height²; overweight from 25, obesity from 30 | The WHO's definition and adult cut-offs. They are meant for populations and screening. BMI counts weight, not what it is made of, and the same BMI means more body fat in some populations than in others, so a muscular rider can read high. [1][2] |
| Resting energy | 10 × kg + 6.25 × cm − 5 × age, + 5 for men, − 161 for women (kcal/day) | The Mifflin–St Jeor equation, from 498 healthy adults measured at rest. They were not athletes; muscle burns more at rest than fat, so a lean rider may burn a little more than it says. [3] |
References
-
World Health Organization (2026). Obesity and overweight (fact sheet). who.int. Read it
Fact sheet of an international health body · Adults worldwide; the cut-offs are for populations and screening, not for athletes. · Read by us: Full text
Body mass index (BMI) is weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared.
- For adults, overweight is a BMI of 25 or more, obesity a BMI of 30 or more.
- Other measures, such as waist circumference, can also be used to identify overweight or obesity.
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WHO Expert Consultation (2004). Appropriate body-mass index for Asian populations and its implications for policy and intervention strategies. The Lancet 363(9403):157–163. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(03)15268-3
Expert consultation · Evidence on BMI, body fat and health risk in Asian and European populations. · Read by us: Abstract
Reviewed evidence that the link between BMI, body-fat percentage and health risk differs between populations.
- In different Asian populations, risk rose from BMIs of 22 to 25, below the WHO cut-off for overweight of 25.
- The consultation kept the WHO cut-offs as the international classification, adding further action points at 23, 27.5, 32.5 and 37.5.
For riders, the point is that the same BMI can mean a different amount of body fat: BMI counts weight, not what the weight is made of.
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Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, Hill LA, Scott BJ, Daugherty SA, Koh YO (1990). A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 51(2):241–247. doi:10.1093/ajcn/51.2.241
Cross-sectional measurement study · 498 healthy adults, 247 women and 251 men, aged 19–78, normal weight and obese; resting energy measured by indirect calorimetry. Not athletes. · Read by us: Abstract
Derived an equation for resting energy expenditure from weight, height and age (R² = 0.71):
- Men: 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age (years) + 5 kcal per day.
- Women: the same, − 161 instead of + 5.
The older Harris–Benedict equations overestimated measured resting energy by 5%. Fat-free mass was the best single predictor (R² = 0.64), but adding body build did not improve the equation.