Normal BMI 18.5-24.9

jwdieter

So I figured my BF is around 17.5-18.3%. What is a good BF% to look lean and buff.

IMO about 12%. Get under 10% and people start getting different opinions about what looks "good". Depends in large part on your muscle mass too. If you're low on muscle, you will look small at low bf (especially with clothing on), despite the muscle definition. Which might be perfectly fine. Depends on what you're going for.

chrs86

I just went on Livestrong to check my BF% on there and it gave me 12.88%. Now I'm not quite sure which is right.

SteveStedge1

Mention BMI=Automatic fail.

Its absolute nonsense.

deksgrl

I just went on Livestrong to check my BF% on there and it gave me 12.88%. Now I'm not quite sure which is right.

These are estimates. You can get an estimate by your measurements with a tape measure (and there are a couple of different methods which give different results - US Navy Circumference Method is generally higher than the Covert-Bailey method ). Some scales and hand held devices will give you a number as well but those vary. Caliper measurements are said to be more accurate (assuming it is done correctly and in the same location every time). You can buy calipers inexpensively and learn how to take the measurements.

You can also estimate based on comparing how you look to the pictures in that chart linked above.

chrs86

I used caliper for the measurements on Livestrong. I haven't weighed myself in awhile so on the first website I put in a guestimate of my weight plus the measurements. Livestrong only asks for height, M/F, abdominal, and neck. I also been back at the gym the past week 90+ minutes everyday on a high protein (100g) between 800-1000cal diet.

cwolfman13

So I figured my BF is around 17.5-18.3%. What is a good BF% to look lean and buff.

You'll likely have to put some muscle on to look buff. 15% or less with some muscle is the prototypical "beach body" look.

Really, it sounds to me like you need to work on body composition more than anything. At this point I'd say, get your *kitten* to the weight room and eat to maintenance. Get lots of protein and lift heavy things and put them down...shed a little fat, build a little muscle...change your body composition. Dieting and getting to a random body weight or even BF% isn't going to cut it...example:

willdob3

BMI is a very bad tool to use to determine fitness.

I am not muscle-bound & bulky but I'd have to lose LBM in addition to all of my fat in order to meet the high end of the "good" BMI weight range for my height.

No thanks. I'll stick with a goal to actually be healthy instead of trying to fit in a box made by people who have no clue.

chrs86

Thanks for the input. I'm in between the 10%vs10% right now. Just can't seem to get the ripped tone going. Maybe it's just my body type. My thing mainly was to get to a weight where I could get some good muscle tone but also have room to gain at least 10 pounds if necessary without going over the BMI. I don't want to look like this if I put on some pounds.https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQpvHiHGKuixvJ2E8FQ1JVs7AT4sKKwr_GgtlR_cZmo64XjO4vp

jwdieter

So I figured my BF is around 17.5-18.3%. What is a good BF% to look lean and buff.

You'll likely have to put some muscle on to look buff. 15% or less with some muscle is the prototypical "beach body" look.

Really, it sounds to me like you need to work on body composition more than anything. At this point I'd say, get your *kitten* to the weight room and eat to maintenance. Get lots of protein and lift heavy things and put them down...shed a little fat, build a little muscle...change your body composition. Dieting and getting to a random body weight or even BF% isn't going to cut it...example:

That's a great post/picture. If the OP is actually 5'9 170 with ~13% BF, he *should* be looking muscular. The skinny guy at 10% is going to be very light.

chrs86

No way the guy on the right has ever been in a gym. Haha.

willdob3

No way the guy on the right has ever been in a gym. Haha.

He could be a cardio bunny...

jwdieter

BMI is a very bad tool to use to determine fitness.

I am not muscle-bound & bulky but I'd have to lose LBM in addition to all of my fat in order to meet the high end of the "good" BMI weight range for my height.

No thanks. I'll stick with a goal to actually be healthy instead of trying to fit in a box made by people who have no clue.

Not sure where the anger is coming from. It's a simple height/weight calculation that ends up being fairly ok most of the time.

Most BMI calculators have disclaimers like (from National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute):

"Although BMI can be used for most men and women, it does have some limits:

It may overestimate body fat in athletes and others who have a muscular build.
It may underestimate body fat in older persons and others who have lost muscle."

For muscular men it can get funny. I'm straddling "overweight" at 10-12% BF. Several NFL RBs are classified as "obese". But for normal folks, the ranges are generally pretty reasonable.

Edit: Since women put on weight differently, the muscularity issue doesn't seem to hit so hard with the standard BMI. For example, full-roid Marion Jones was a 22, whereas most male sprinters seem to end up slightly "overweight" (25-27).

jwpamp

I focus more on Body Fat % than on BMI -- you can have a low or "normal" BMI and be 'fat'....I am at the high normal for BMI (5'7" and 159 pounds) -- but I am considered Lean in terms of Body Fat (I am 23% Body Fat at age 50, and a woman). You can be skinny fat and look loose and out of shape -- I prefer being strong and healthy.

AnvilHead

I used caliper for the measurements on Livestrong. I haven't weighed myself in awhile so on the first website I put in a guestimate of my weight plus the measurements. Livestrong only asks for height, M/F, abdominal, and neck. I also been back at the gym the past week 90+ minutes everyday on a high protein (100g) between 800-1000cal diet.

In your first post you say you don't want to be a twig, but you're on an 800-100 calorie/day diet and working out 90+ minutes a day? No man should be eating that little unless you're about 3'6" with the metabolism of a slug. 100g is not a high protein diet, either. You're setting yourself up to lose lots of lean body mass and look much more like that second 10% picture than the first. You're not going to look "ripped", you're going to look like a skeleton. Read this thread and get your nutrition goals set up right:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

_SABOTEUR_

BMI isn't the best method because it doesn't take into account muscle mass / body fat %. Pick a projected weight based on a healthy body fat percentage instead. There are charts for healthy body fat % depending on your personal goals, and calculators which will project what your weight will be at the desired body fat %.

Do you have any links to those calculators? I've been trying to find some but can't.

My issue with these calculators is they assume you wont lose any LBM but in most cases 10-25% of your loss will come from LBM, depending on protein intake, size of deficit, genetics, strength training program, etc.

I haven't heard this percentage before. Where did you get the information?

AnvilHead

BMI isn't the best method because it doesn't take into account muscle mass / body fat %. Pick a projected weight based on a healthy body fat percentage instead. There are charts for healthy body fat % depending on your personal goals, and calculators which will project what your weight will be at the desired body fat %.

Do you have any links to those calculators? I've been trying to find some but can't.

My issue with these calculators is they assume you wont lose any LBM but in most cases 10-25% of your loss will come from LBM, depending on protein intake, size of deficit, genetics, strength training program, etc.

I haven't heard this percentage before. Where did you get the information?

http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/ibw/

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Thanks for the input. I'm in between the 10%vs10% right now. Just can't seem to get the ripped tone going. Maybe it's just my body type. My thing mainly was to get to a weight where I could get some good muscle tone but also have room to gain at least 10 pounds if necessary without going over the BMI. I don't want to look like this if I put on some pounds.https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQpvHiHGKuixvJ2E8FQ1JVs7AT4sKKwr_GgtlR_cZmo64XjO4vp

It's not your body type, it's your very low calorie diet.

You need to be eating a lot more. Probably more than double what you're eating now. I eat 1900 calories, work out an hour a day, and am a 5'4" woman who weighs 125. If you want to build muscle you've got to eat enough.

AnvilHead

Thanks for the input. I'm in between the 10%vs10% right now. Just can't seem to get the ripped tone going. Maybe it's just my body type. My thing mainly was to get to a weight where I could get some good muscle tone but also have room to gain at least 10 pounds if necessary without going over the BMI. I don't want to look like this if I put on some pounds.https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQpvHiHGKuixvJ2E8FQ1JVs7AT4sKKwr_GgtlR_cZmo64XjO4vp

It's not your body type, it's your very low calorie diet.

You need to be eating a lot more. Probably more than double what you're eating now. I eat 1900 calories, work out an hour a day, and am a 5'4" woman who weighs 125. If you want to build muscle you've got to eat enough.

Running his stats through the calculator at Fat2Fit (24 y/o, 5'9" 160 lb. male), it gives a BMR of somewhere around 1600-1700 calories and a TDEE somewhere between 2750-3050 calories. So he's eating at about a 65-70% cut from TDEE. Ideally, he'd be eating around 2300-2400 calories (15% cut from TDEE) - so yeah, more than double what he's eating now. I can't think of any instance in which a healthy grown man should be eating 800-1000 calories per day. An 8-year old boy should be eating substantially more than that.

chrs86

I understand my intake is low. That is for weight loss purposes to get to a healthy weight. I don't want to stop working out and be 20 pounds over weight with a high BF index. Now that I understand what Bf index is and how to figure it out I'm more comfortable with my decision to lose a little more. I know guys who are over their BMI's that have huge arms and beer gut stomachs. I'd rather be a healthy weight.

chrs86

Also I currently do 35 minutes of cardio at 100% incline and 100% resistence. 300-400 sit ups and crunches. 30 pull-ups. Strength training bench at 120lbs. Free weight 45lbs 30 minutes different exercises. 80 push-ups every other day. Then I alternate machines for back and arms different days.