Let’s Talk about Body Fat Levels and Understanding Body Fat Percentages
Body Fat Percentage (BFP): The total mass of fat divided by total body mass, times 100; body fat includes essential body fat and storage body fat.
Basically, this means that body fat is measured as a percentage and is based on the difference between fatty and muscular mass in the body.
All body fat isn’t bad. Everyone needs a certain amount of essential body fat, which is necessary to maintain life and reproductive functions. But too much excess body fat is where the problem lays.
The percentage of essential body fat for women is greater than that for men, due to the demands of childbearing and other hormonal functions. According to reports the American Council on Exercise, for men, body fat between 18
and 24 percent is considered average, but not necessarily ideal. and between 25 to 31% is average for females.
So, what should your target body fat percentage be?
This will definitely vary depending on the person and a few other components, as we all store fat in different areas of our body. So 15% body fat one person may look completely different than 15% on another. I tend to store body fat around my lower abs and back as with most guys.
Women carry extra body fat, often in the hips and thighs and butt, which supports childbirth. Women’s essential fat is between 10 and 13 percent; it’s recommended that a woman shouldn’t drop below these levels, as doing so could cause serious health consequences such as nutritional deficiencies and the halt of menses.
For most guys, we’ll be looking to hit the 10-15% body fat range. Depending on the amount of muscle mass you’ve put on, this will be the range where you will usually, visibly see your ABs (if trained properly)
Personally, I don’t think it’s necessary to go lower than 8% unless you plan on competing in bodybuilding. Lower than that and you may find it difficult to sustain and participate in social events and such, as you’ll be limited by your caloric intake, but that’s just my personal preference and to each his own!
This program places a priority on building strength, which will lead to developing a solid foundation of muscle mass. The 10-14% body fat range can serve you well as it’s sustainable long-term and leaves flexibility to enjoy foods you like.
Maybe this is your very first time getting lean, or maybe you have already been lean before, but then binge ate your ahh into an unwanted situation and now you tryna get your sexy back.
Maybe you’re a guy who doesn’t care as much about abs, you just want to look strong and powerful.
Maybe you’re a lady and want a well-toned curvy lower body.
In any case, we all have our own ideal image in mind and with a goal level of body fat to reach through our fat loss process.
So regardless of the situation, as you gain experience and results with this program, you’ll start to learn what’s an ideal body fat percentage for your body and what it will take to maintain it. If you’re pretty overweight, you’ll want to target the 15-20% body fat range.
The average American male between 18-24 is of this level of body fat. If you’re currently 30% body fat or higher, then you should feel extremely proud of yourself when you reach this range, but not complacent
Ideally, most guys should target the 10-14% body fat range.
Let’s recap, you should have a pretty solid idea of the game plan.
- You’ll be following a training program focused on developing strength first.
- Nutrition is THE most important key fat loss.
- Cardio should be seen as a tool in your tool belt, (a very helpful tool) that you’ll probably be utilizing.
- You understand the proper way to track your progress using a bodyweight scale and a body tape measure.
- You have a pretty solid understanding of body fat percentage and an idea of your Target Body Fat %