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Answers from Danny M O'Dell:

Q. Hi Danny,

This is probably a question from one of your old timer fans - of course I don't feel old at all!

Background: I am 63 years old, and I play hard badminton for about 10 hours/week with players 20 to 30 years younger than me. They feel that my winning is due fact that I won 2 Gold medals & a Silver in the Pan Pacific Masters Games 2004, held on the Gold Coast in beautiful and extremely friendly Australia. I also play some (now infrequently) basketball with my son's school team (about 40 years younger than me), and I won a Bronze Medal in the Asia Pacific Masters Basket ball in 2000. I do watch my diet and exercise irregularly on my Total Gym, as well as some weights and skipping (irregularly).

My problem is fat in my abdominal & Hip area. I am 172.5cm tall, weigh 85 kg, and have a waist measurement of 97.5cm. Please let me know what my weight and waist size should be best (Body type ecto/meso morph) and what I should do to achieve such a target.

Thank you,

Thiagan De Croos

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Answer:

Good day to you,

You certainly are active; that is commendable and indicative of a long productive life span both physically and mentally.

According to my calculations these are the results, converted into inches and pounds for the sake of my understanding, of your physical measurements:

Height-172.5 centimeter = 67.913 385 827 inch= 5.65
Body weight-85 kilogram = 187.392 922 857 lb, lbs
Waist-97.5 centimeter = 38.385 826 772 inch

Comparing these to the height and weight charts you will notice that at 5 feet 6 inches tall and 187 pounds you are over the recommended weight by 23 pounds. Unless you are heavily muscled this is too much weight to be carrying around and is a definite unhealthy stressful drain on your cardiovascular system and the joints in your body. Since you mentioned your waist measurement I will add that it too is over the recommended size for healthy living especially as it is located in your abdominal region.

Waist circumference measurements have gained in popularity due to their ability to predict regional adiposity especially in the abdominal area. Coupling the BMI with a waist measurement increases the ability of predicting health risks than with just one measurement alone. The national cholesterol education program suggests a cut off of greater than 102 cm for men in determining obesity. Other researchers set the limits at 100 cm for men when determining those with a high risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Look over the chart to see where you fall in the risk category.

Chart adapted from the ACSM 2005 guidelines for exercise testing and prescription 7^th edition, Lippincott

Sagittal abdominal diameter is an excellent indirect measure of visceral fat. In this case the test is better suited to those who are lean to moderately overweight rather than the obese. This test carries even greater predictability for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases in both men and women. The procedures of measurement have not been standardized. If you have this test performed make certain the follow up tests are measured at the same location with the same or equal equipment, i.e. the tape measure.

Now then in answer to the second part of your original question, “what I should do to achieve such a target?” Begin by knowing what you are eating and drinking on a daily basis, write down everything that goes into your mouth for a week. Look at the results and make the necessary corrections to improve your diet.

From all appearances the majority of your training is cardiovascular with short spurts of intense activity. My recommendation for you is to begin with a steady program of weight training comprised of the major muscle groups. Your training schedule will be made up of exercises for the upper and lower back, the chest and shoulders and the front and rear leg muscles.

In your particular case the schedule would look similar to this alternate three day full body program. On the days you are not lifting then hit the cardio hard with your other activities. Start with three to four sets of eight repetitions for each exercise that follows.

• Military presses followed by chin ups or pull
• Bench presses followed by barbell rows
• Squats followed by dead lifts or stiff leg dead lifts
• Sit ups with weight
• Triceps extensions
• Calf raises
  

You will see success with these suggestions.

Danny