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wjholdenyesterday at 10:42 PM1 replyview on HN

It's also possible to be overfat without being overweight! These "skinny fat" people often look normal enough but they carry very little muscle. It is a concerning condition because a doctor might not recommend a normal-weight person to hit the weights.

I like to think of this as four quadrants around two axes. Low fat/low muscle is simply skinny. High fat/high muscle is the "big guy/gal" look that I associate with laborers. Low fat/high muscle is an athletic look; unhealthy in extremes (bodybuilding) but generally desirable. High fat/low muscle is skinny fat, which I associate with sedentary knowledge workers.


Replies

wblyesterday at 10:53 PM

Different athletes look different. A runner vs a Olympic powerlifter vs a quarterback.