My 85kg and ratio analysis…

I weigh 85kg (approx 13.5 stone or 187lbs).

So, how am I doing weight wise? More to the point, what has this got to do with the exams?

Ratio analysis is an important area of the syllabus and one overriding principle to remember when looking at ratio analysis is that a ratio is irrelevant when looked at in isolation. Ratios must be looked at against comparatives or benchmarks in order to interpret them and then to look at the underlying causes.

So, back to my weight of 85kg. How am I doing? Is my weight ok?

85kg by itself is irrelevant. We need to look at comparatives for somebody who is my gender and my height. For example, 85kg for an adult male with a height of 1.90m (6 foot, 3 inches) is a healthy weight. 85kg for an adult female with a height of 1.60m (5 foot, 3 inches) is an unhealthy weight with the person being classified as obese.

Using my example of 85kg, by comparing it with people who are the same height as me is in effect comparing it with “industry standards”.

What about my performance over time? Is my weight increasing, decreasing or remaining static when compared to last year and the year before. Comparing movements within this personal ratio analysis unfortunately reveals that my weight has increased.

Now onto the important issue behind ratio analysis and that is of looking at the underlying cause of the movement in the ratio. Unfortunately, it looks like the cake I have with my afternoon tea could be on the way out…