Body fat % in women

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  • Sumiblue
    Sumiblue Posts: 1,597 Member
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    @sunflowerhippi , your transformation is amazing! You look fab! I think the 10% body fat result must have been off because that is essential fat level for women. But, you are def under 20%. Looking lean!
  • msfitmj15
    msfitmj15 Posts: 11 Member
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    CJ_Holmes wrote: »
    Reaching out to the best forum in MFP! Have you badass women done much bodyfat testing?

    I'd love to see more pictures of female athletes and their various bf%. The photos online are either oiled/tan bodybuilders in competition or non-athletes, and so I have a hard time understanding what the numbers mean. What percent do you normally carry? At what numbers do you perform best? What percentage are you after a bulk or a cut? Are you willing to share pictures?

    We get hydrostatic done at our gym with the mobile dunk tank every few months. According to the test I have gained 10 lb of lean mass over 2 years and gone from 24% down to 16%. I am assuming it's not accurate- I'm not that lean, but it's a good tool to see trends in my training and diet. I'm 5'7" and around 149 lb currently. Right now I'm getting lighter because of summer running, but I'll probably bulk in the fall (I want bigger arms!)

    Thanks for any insight or experiences you want to share.

    Actually the dunk tank is one of the most accurate. The bioscans that you can pay to have done that give you your breakdown of bf% water % muscle mass etc. Everyone looks different depending on where the hold the majority of fat. Some women have abs at 15% while others may need to get lower its what you feel comfortable at,me personally I like around 12 so I can still build but remain lean. By the way good work from 24 to 16
  • leajas1
    leajas1 Posts: 823 Member
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    Checking back in with this thread. You all are amazing!
  • CJ_Holmes
    CJ_Holmes Posts: 759 Member
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    msfitmj15 wrote: »
    CJ_Holmes wrote: »
    Reaching out to the best forum in MFP! Have you badass women done much bodyfat testing?

    Actually the dunk tank is one of the most accurate. The bioscans that you can pay to have done that give you your breakdown of bf% water % muscle mass etc. Everyone looks different depending on where the hold the majority of fat. Some women have abs at 15% while others may need to get lower its what you feel comfortable at,me personally I like around 12 so I can still build but remain lean. By the way good work from 24 to 16

    Thanks, @msfitmj15! Now that I have looked at some action pictures where I'm flexed rather than relaxed, I can see that the test was probably pretty accurate! I'm thinking I'll keep working down to 13/14% and then will bulk. You look amazing, btw!
  • winchestertardisrider
    winchestertardisrider Posts: 21 Member
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    You ladies are amazing Amazon warriors!!!! Well done!
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
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    Wow. Looking at these pictures makes me think I have a way higher body fat percentage than I thought....Sigh. So much work to be done!
  • msfitmj15
    msfitmj15 Posts: 11 Member
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    CJ_Holmes wrote: »
    msfitmj15 wrote: »
    CJ_Holmes wrote: »
    Reaching out to the best forum in MFP! Have you badass women done much bodyfat testing?

    Actually the dunk tank is one of the most accurate. The bioscans that you can pay to have done that give you your breakdown of bf% water % muscle mass etc. Everyone looks different depending on where the hold the majority of fat. Some women have abs at 15% while others may need to get lower its what you feel comfortable at,me personally I like around 12 so I can still build but remain lean. By the way good work from 24 to 16

    Thanks, @msfitmj15! Now that I have looked at some action pictures where I'm flexed rather than relaxed, I can see that the test was probably pretty accurate! I'm thinking I'll keep working down to 13/14% and then will bulk. You look amazing, btw!

    Ty. Keep killing it
  • abs1970
    abs1970 Posts: 235 Member
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    Verdenal wrote: »
    abs1970 wrote: »
    z13tfdpuhopj.jpg
    Tested twice now a couple of months apart - first was 20.01%, second was 20.58% (I was told the gain was down to 'that time of the month', so carrying more water). Still want to lose more but it's a damn slow process :#

    What you do with your body is your business, but you look very lean to me.

    Don't get me wrong, I'm happy but there's always room for improvement :)
  • Ironandwine69
    Ironandwine69 Posts: 2,432 Member
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    My cheap Omron puts me at approx 23%. I have my first Dexa test today. Will see where it puts me but thought ezfv2eeesqwu.jpg
    is 23% is about right.
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,070 Member
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    Hard to tell @Ironandwine69. You look pretty lean, but you also look to have considerable boobs. It'll be interesting to see how the Dexa comes back. As you can see from pictures here, people with the same BF can look drastically different depending on their amount of muscle mass and BF distribution. I would guess closer to 20% just from your pic.
  • Ironandwine69
    Ironandwine69 Posts: 2,432 Member
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    lady_ghost wrote: »
    abs1970 wrote: »
    z13tfdpuhopj.jpg
    Tested twice now a couple of months apart - first was 20.01%, second was 20.58% (I was told the gain was down to 'that time of the month', so carrying more water). Still want to lose more but it's a damn slow process :#

    Loose more? Where you look great!

    Abs. You look great.
    I'm loving this blog. All you ladies look amazing.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    abs1970 wrote: »
    Verdenal wrote: »
    abs1970 wrote: »
    z13tfdpuhopj.jpg
    Tested twice now a couple of months apart - first was 20.01%, second was 20.58% (I was told the gain was down to 'that time of the month', so carrying more water). Still want to lose more but it's a damn slow process :#

    What you do with your body is your business, but you look very lean to me.

    Don't get me wrong, I'm happy but there's always room for improvement :)

    I hear ya... I feel the same way about my booty. I am not sure I will ever be satisfied :#
  • Ironandwine69
    Ironandwine69 Posts: 2,432 Member
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    Hard to tell @Ironandwine69. You look pretty lean, but you also look to have considerable boobs. It'll be interesting to see how the Dexa comes back. As you can see from pictures here, people with the same BF can look drastically different depending on their amount of muscle mass and BF distribution. I would guess closer to 20% just from your pic.

    Yeah boobs...story of my life lol.
    I think I look leaner than I really am because I've been lifting for a while and have a decent muscle mass. I just started a cut a month ago. Am planning on continuing for another two months and see what happens.
  • leajas1
    leajas1 Posts: 823 Member
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    Too much boobage will never be my problem. It was really nice having them back for a few months over the winter.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
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    sardelsa wrote: »
    Thanks @Gimsteinn1 that is interesting. Sounds like Model Fitness is similar to bikini. Sometimes I think I would love to compete but honestly I could not imagine dedicating that much time, money and leaning out that low. It's just not something I think I can do. Maybe in 6-7 years and a few more bulk cycles later, I will give it some more thought ;)

    A lot of our local bodybuilding feds have both bikini and fitness categories. In the feds with both, bikini is generally less muscular, and softer, but still lean. Shape is important, but not so much definition. Fitness girls have more muscle, definition, often do 2 rounds (bikini and sportswear), and need abs. There is also fitness atheltic/performance which is like figure but with an acro/dance routine.

    Ifbb/npc only has bikini, they are harder and more defined than other feds "bikini" categories...
  • Sumiblue
    Sumiblue Posts: 1,597 Member
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    gym4life64 wrote: »
    One thing to remember, is you can't carve a stick, but you can carve a log. Meaning you need low bodyfat AND muscle mass. To see the muscle....you need to have muscle. Don't be afraid to lift heavy! Don't be afraid of high reps! And LOVE doing heavy weights FOR high reps!

    I love that!
  • tiggs862017
    tiggs862017 Posts: 15 Member
    edited May 2017
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    I used the Navy BF% calculator. Based on my neck, waist, hips, height and weight. It gave me 14.5% body fat.

    7vlbvflyitn2.jpg

    Is 14% accurate?
  • gym4life64
    gym4life64 Posts: 824 Member
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    I used the Navy BF% calculator. Based on my neck, waist, hips, height and weight. It gave me 14.5% body fat.

    7vlbvflyitn2.jpg

    Is 14% accurate?

    First, you look incredible! I would suggest getting a caliper, they are inexpensive and that way you can check monthly. Then just compare month to month, to make sure you are going in the right direction.
  • tiggs862017
    tiggs862017 Posts: 15 Member
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    @gym4life64 Thanks! I saw that GNC sells calipers. I thought at first they were only for people trying to lose weight.
    Last month I unintentionally lost 6 lbs taking me down to 89lbs at 4'11". That's alot for me .
    I started lifting again after almost 15 years of not, and doubled my caloric intake.
    I have gained 5lbs in 2 weeks. Hoping to be a lean 105lbs by October. Fingers crossed.