bodyfat % question

The_Bullman

I've heard(read) that the bmi isn't a particularly accurate indicator of being overweight or obese.


So I've been getting my bodyfat percentage taken and it's getting lower each month which is good

My question - with bmi there were ranges of underweight/normal/overweight/obese - Is there a similar range for bf%? I'm mainly interested in the overweight end

Sangre

http://www.healthchecksystems.com/bodyfat.htm

The_Bullman

Classification Women (% fat) Men (% fat)
Essential Fat 10-12% 2-4%
Athletes 14-20% 6-13%
Fitness 21-24% 14-17%
Acceptable 25-31% 18-25%
Obese 32% plus 25% plus

Is that scale reliable?

I'm concerned that there's no overweight range. Basically it goes from an acceptable 24.9% to an obese 25.1%

Would you rate the acceptable range and being overweight - or the top end of acceptable as being overweight - or perhaps the lower end of the obese range?

Or an I fretting over nothing?

DrIndy

Must......... resist............. posting.........

The_Bullman

did I miss something?

DrIndy

There have been frequent debates on this board concerning BMI V Body fat measurement, with some people disregarding BMI as an accurate measurement despite the wealth of scientific trials and fact that proves that BMI is in fact a very good measurement tool.

The_Bullman

That's probably what I'm trying to get at.

According to my bmi I'm obese at 30.8

but my bf% is 19.5 - which according to the link sangre gave leaves me in the acceptable range


I'm trying to figure out how unhealthy I am. I know that I'm overweight but I'm not sure by how much.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

The_Bullman

got the guy in the gym to take it

he took measurements of bicep, tricep, upper back and above the hip with the calipers and did the calculation

LegacyUser

Do they do that in all gyms!?

PJG

The_Bullman wrote:

That's probably what I'm trying to get at.

According to my bmi I'm obese at 30.8

but my bf% is 19.5 - which according to the link sangre gave leaves me in the acceptable range

Go by the bf% and you should have a fair indication yourself by how you look and feel.

Sangre

Well you're by no means obese. Just a tad too much body fat imo.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

The_Bullman

daveirl wrote:

This post has been deleted.

He just said that i was making good progress. Heading in the right direction. It's an improvement of about 1% since I got it done the previous month

bob04

1. Full house = Over or near 20% bodyfat with no visible muscle definition and only a hint of separation between major muscle groups if those groups are very large. Basically a person in this state could be confused for a football linebacker. If you're higher than this bodyfat percentage, you'd be considered overweight/obese.


2. Hard = Some muscle separation appears between delts and upper arm. Abs are still not visible. Approximately 15% bodyfat.


3. Cut = More muscle separation appears particularly in the chest and back, outline of the abs begins to appear slightly. Approximate bodyfat level = 12%


4. Defined = Muscle separations get deeper in the arms, chest, legs and back, and abs appear when flexed. Approx. bodyfat level = 10%


5. Ripped = Abs are clearly visible all the time, vascularity in arms is prominent, chest and back separation is obvious, and face is starting to appear more angular. Condition can be held indefinitely. Approximate bodyfat level = 7-9%


6. Shredded = Striations appear in large muscle groups when they are flexed. You look small in clothes, but look fantastic when you're not. Vascularity appears in lower abdomen and in the legs. Condition can be held for several days with careful dieting. Competitive bodybuilders often aim for this state for competition day. Approximate bodyfat level = 5-7%


7. Sliced = Muscles and tendons begin to appear in the face when chewing, striations appear everywhere and vascularity appears everywhere. Bodyfat levels are close to 3% and subcutaneous water levels are near 0. Condition can only be held for a few hours at a time. Not a healthy condition to stay in due to lower water level.

flywheel

bob04 wrote:

% bodyfat...

hi, where did you source that material? it is a lot more in depth than what they have stuck up in the assessment room at the gym. it just splits it into: very low / low / healthy (?) / high / very high with no explanation.

was always a bit concerned that I was below "healthy" as always seem to come in around 10% (what they labelled very low / low), I suppose "healthy" wasn't the best description to use?

bob04

10% is fantastic bodyfat... pro bodybuilders aim for around 4% on the day of comp.. but eat straight after it.. cant sustain that low.. not healthy... 10% is perfect.. im going to start a cut and 9% would be my aim..just below 10.. any lower would be a bonus but too hard to maintain..plus would starting suffering with the sniffles, sick etc.. need bodyfat to fight off those little things

Transform

Ehhh not true!! A good immune system will keep you from getting colds etc I have maintained mine well below 6% for years now and rarely suffer sickness etc

Eat good fats to boost immune system not have more fat to boost immune system

bob04

Holy sh&* how do you maintain 6% bodyfat.. im soooooooooooo jealeous.... as i have never been below 10% before i dont know about being sick etc.. just going by what someone once told me...

poobum

alot of exercise! and eating very healthy(by healthy i mean usually planned and all counted and no bad fats etc....)! and a certain amount of genes come into it!

incisor71

Transform wrote:

Ehhh not true!! A good immune system will keep you from getting colds etc I have maintained mine well below 6% for years now and rarely suffer sickness etc

Eat good fats to boost immune system not have more fat to boost immune system

The corollary of that is that being above 6%bf (treble that figure in my case but working really hard to shave that down) doesn't mean you're immune to colds!! I guess you're one of the lucky folks who has a constitution approaching that of a horse.

My parents always advocated keeping some fat store in case of sickness; this nugget of wisdom seems more like Fool's Gold to me, however, because I figure that during sickness, when one may not have much of an appetite, muscle tissue would be used before fat tissue. Opinions anyone?

I do acknowledge, though, that taking in good fats is important to keep the hormonal system running properly, which is a point of note for men and women alike.

Flex

Transform wrote:

Ehhh not true!! A good immune system will keep you from getting colds etc I have maintained mine well below 6% for years now and rarely suffer sickness etc

Eat good fats to boost immune system not have more fat to boost immune system

wow, thats a great accomplishment!!!