# small framed, large framed - what's it mean?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-framed-large-framed-whats-it-mean/652549>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 10, 2013, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-framed-large-framed-whats-it-mean/652549 "2013-03-10T13:20:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\
**Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-framed-large-framed-whats-it-mean/652549/1 "2013-03-10T13:20:16Z")

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I occasionally do various wacky fitness goals (top score for military fitness tests, deadlift a certain amount, etc) and my current one is to hit the BMI weight range for someone my height. I’m a little over 6’ and 200lbs, and the top of the “normal” range for me is 189lbs. A friend of mine says the top of the range is for large-framed people, but was at a loss as to how you determine if you’re large-framed or small-framed. Is there an objective measure?

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**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\
**Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-framed-large-framed-whats-it-mean/652549/2 "2013-03-10T13:24:13Z")

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The one measure I’ve most frequently seen is wrist size. [Here’s](http://health.bizcalcs.com/Calculator.asp?Calc=Frame-Size-Wrist) one calculator.

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**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\
**Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-framed-large-framed-whats-it-mean/652549/3 "2013-03-10T13:33:55Z")

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Thanks - eveything I checked sent me to bike frame sites. 🙂

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**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\
**Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-framed-large-framed-whats-it-mean/652549/4 "2013-03-10T13:42:22Z")

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Interesting - according to that calculator I have a large frame. Which might explain why the few times I have been at my “ideal weight” I looked gaunt. That site suggests my ideal weight is up to 20 pounds heavier than most charts.

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**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\
**Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-framed-large-framed-whats-it-mean/652549/5 "2013-03-10T14:07:02Z")

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> [@Motorgirl](#):
>
> Interesting - according to that calculator I have a large frame. Which might explain why the few times I have been at my “ideal weight” I looked gaunt. That site suggests my ideal weight is up to 20 pounds heavier than most charts.

Similar to me then. I used to marathon regularly, so I’ve been at the ideal weight it lists for me (165) but I look pretty scrawny at that weight.