Strong Curves book promotes a woman who's 5'8 and 115 lbs as clients' "ideal" body. Is the weight estimate just off?

[ezra21]

I've started following Strong Curves (a weight lifting program designed for women) and calorie counting. I've read through the book, and Bret Contrera says his clients cite Jessica Biel's physique in her shoot for GQ as their ideal body type (photo 1, photo 2). I thought "Okay cool, she looks healthy and strong!" He talks about how this is an achievable body... then he estimates her at 5'8 and 115 lbs, giving her a BMI of 17.5.

It seems low considering how muscled she is. I've never heard of athletic women being below a healthy BMI unless they're distance runners or ballet dancers. These are candid photos (1, 2) of Jessica Biel around the same time.

As a comparison, this is another woman at 5'8 116 lbs 1, 2.

Did he just guess Jessica Biel's weight wrong? Are strong, fit women often underweight? I don't know what to think.

EDIT: He estimates her height and weight on page 70 of Chapter 7. He writes about her being his clients' ideal physique on page 67.

 

[indi81]

@ezra21 Shes at least 125

 

[wildatheart41]

@ezra21 Hey guys weight can be really deceiving but he may not be that far off. Body composition can really change person to person. I've been more and Ive been less but Im 5'8 130 with substantial muscle (Im a pilates instructor) and Jessica looks smaller then I do. We can't really guess her weight, but there's no way she's more than 125. Her waist is very small. Remember muscle and fat weigh the same, but muscle takes up less space, hence her measurements are small... Muscles pack in. Her legs are not like bodybuilders who are built up, shes just lean. The broadness of shoulders or hips is structure not weight. Everyone is different and can also change over time due to various things! Weight shouldn't matter if the health is there. It is odd that booklet would even focus on weight or write something outside of normal bmi...

 

[sharlene]

@ezra21 I believe the weight estimate is off. I am 5'8" and 140#. I may not be quite as skinny or as in shape as those models (still in good shape though) but I can almost guarantee they are not 115#. Maybe around 125 at least. I just know when I got under 130, I felt super sick and my hair started falling out a lot more than normal. I can't even imagine being 115 at this height and still having the muscles shown in those pictures. It's so funny because in society it seems like there is this magic number for women of around 115-120# regardless of height. Not realistic.

 

[ezra21]

@sharlene It's like "Oh you're 5'4? Your ideal weight is 115. Same if you're 5'8!"

 

[otu12345]

@ezra21 105? Yeah, in your bra

 

[trueservantofthemosthigh]

@ezra21 Even professional men are often bad at guessing women's weights. A lot of people in general are bad at guessing muscular women's weights. My body looked similar to hers at 130lb, 5'6.5. I'd put her in the high 120s to the mid 130s

 

[numenorian]

@trueservantofthemosthigh Ha. So true. Even one of the coaches at my gym just underestimated my weight by 10 lbs.

 

[vrl]

@ezra21 I think it's really weird that he claims there is a single achievable, ideal body type for everyone. Some women have wide hips, some have narrow hips. Different women have different body fat distributions, and that will be apparent even in some fit women, since women need enough body fat to support proper hormonal functioning. I think it's yucky that he says everyone can achieve that body, and apparently should. It seems like we have agreed in the comments that her BMI is actually more like 19, but I'm sure a higher BMI in the normal range is better for some women.

Tl;dr Women's bodies are not one size and shape fits all.

 

[ezra21]

@vrl Well he doesn't claim that there's one ideal body type. He says that when he shows his clients photos of different women—I'm assuming with varying amounts of muscle and fat— most select photos of Jessica Biel in the GQ photo shoot circa 2007.

This is the exact text from the book.

Then he estimates her height and weight on page 70 of Chapter 7.

 

[johnm_]

@ezra21 i believe bret's estimate of 5'8" 116 is wildly inaccurate.

 

[johnw87]

@ezra21 I'm 5'8" and weigh about 123lbs. I am at 13% body fat and am not as bulky she is muscle wise but pretty close. I definitely would put her higher than 115lb. Probably between 120lb and 125lb.

 

[antholmar]

@ezra21 I'm 5'8" and my healthy BMI range is 125-165 pounds. The lightest I've been as an adult was 130ish when I trained for a marathon and my body fat was probably around 16%. However, I have broad shoulders and hips... the pics given show a lean woman who is also has a slight build BUT she also has a reasonable amount of muscle and her skin isn't showing that paperly look that extremely low body fat will do. So... probably not. I'd guess 125-130. And in any event, the BMI he guessed is too low which means there would be risks associated in terms of hormone maintenance, bone loss, nutrition and digestion issues. The idea of 'healthy weight' is a real, medically and statistically proven thing, not an aesthetic concept that someone can toss around. And as a guess, it's an irresponsible one to make because it might influence people to aim for an unhealthy weight.

 

[ezra21]

@antholmar

And as a guess, it's an irresponsible one to make because it might influence people to aim for an unhealthy weight.

My thoughts exactly. While I'm not going to shoot for a BMI of 17.5, someone uninformed might think that this was an acceptable goal.

 

[fredg61]

@ezra21 A lot of women use Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2 to illustrate their idea of "bulky." Yet at that time she was 5'5" 112lbs. http://www.terminatorfiles.com/media/articles/hamilton_006.htm

It's sad, isn't it. Someone who is underweight being thought of as bulky.

 

[jesking]

@fredg61 this is an unpopular opinion, but i don't think it's sad -- I think people using her as an example of their definition of "bulky" are making a very clear point that they don't want ANY visible muscle definition. I would be sad if someone called her fat, or big, but a lot of people say "bulky" and mean "visible muscles" when referring to women.

 

[dicran]

@fredg61 As someone who's only seen screenshots, she looks perpetually dehydrated

 

[fredg61]

@dicran Well that can happen when you're being chased by a killer robot from the future.

 

[kevvome]

@ezra21 he doesn't know, he just made a bad estimate.

115-ish and tall would be on the left, biel is probably closer to 5'7" and 125-130 lb.

http://www.redcarpet-fashionawards.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Jessica-Biel-In-Christian-Cota.jpg

and yes, in my book she is just about perfection. i have no desire for more muscularity than what she has.

 

[ezra21]

@kevvome Excellent comparison. I almost always prefer the celebrities to the models when outfits are compared, though my fashion designer friends say that the runway is for showing how the clothes flow, not how nice the models' bodies are.