BMI calculator for Kilimanjaro climbers
Body mass index is your weight against your height: a quick, rough guide to whether you are carrying more than is healthy. Add your waist as well, for a better one.
Imperial weight is in stone and pounds; leave stone empty to enter pounds alone.
What BMI tells you, and what it misses
BMI is weight in kilos divided by the square of height in metres. Under 18.5 is underweight; 18.5 to 24.9 is the healthy range; 25 to 29.9 overweight; 30 and over obese.
It can’t tell muscle from fat. A fit, muscular climber can read as overweight with very little fat at all, and someone slim but unfit can read as healthy while carrying fat around the middle, which is the fat that matters most for the heart.
Two better measures are on this page and in our training plan:
- Your waist. Keep it under half your height. A waist-to-height ratio of 0.5 or more is a sign of fat around the middle, whatever your BMI.
- Your body fat. If you know it from a scan, calipers or a good body-composition scale, enter it in your free training plan: it works out what you burn from your lean mass, and records every new figure.
Weight and the mountain
Every kilo you carry, you carry from the gate to the summit, about 4,000 metres up and down again, whether it’s fat or muscle. The choice to climb is yours, but for a realistic chance of the summit, our guideline is a BMI of 29 or under, and 18 to 25 is the aim. Each kilo you lose before you go is one you don’t have to lift on summit night.
If your BMI is 30 or more, or you’re over 50, see your doctor before you start training, and have your heart checked. Why this matters
Watch it improve
Our free training plan builds your weeks around your climb date and your fitness now, times your sessions, and records your timed runs, weight and body fat, so you can see every improvement.
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