Body Fat Percentage

lisaelainee

Can somebody help me calculate my body fat percentage? and tell me a little about what it means, what percentage I should be and how to achieve it?

slay0r

I don't think most tests are that accurate from reading a thread about it a while ago. Any estimates you do will be miles off, you'd need to go and get tested somewhere, some gyms have devices that push a current through you that tell you that way, I hear there are inconsistencies here but that's the only way I've ever done it.

Crystalchaos72

If you google it there are a few.....the range is 3% from each other from 23%-25.95%.....

ETA: if there are bod pods available or hydrostatic testing in your area, that would be the most accurate. Good luck

LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo

There is only one method that will guarantee 100% accuracy however that is the last thing that we all want to do & that is AUTOPSY. The rest are just rough estimates with variances depending on the method. The "gold standard" or the more accurate ones but at the same time the most expensive ones are hydrostatic weighing-in & DEXA scan. The cheapest that you can find are the online calculators that will give you a rough estimate based on your body measurements but at the same time they're the least accurate ones since one cannot tell the body fat percentage based on the body measurements alone. There's also the BIA & skinfold testing using calipers (the latter being more accurate) that are available in some fitness centers. I suggest you have your body fat checked by a professional using skinfold calipers.

The body fat percentage for woman are as follows:

10-12% - essential fat (very lean)
14-20% - athletic (lean)
21-24.9% - fitness (good)
25-29.9% - average (fair but needs improvement)
30% & above - overfat (poor)

A healthy body fat percentage for a woman would be under the "fitness" category although there are some people who are fine with the average but again not all people.

Gt3ch

There is only one method that will guarantee 100% accuracy however that is the last thing that we all want to do & that is AUTOPSY. The rest are just rough estimates with variances depending on the method. The "gold standard" or the more accurate ones but at the same time the most expensive ones are hydrostatic weighing-in & DEXA scan. The cheapest that you can find are the online calculators that will give you a rough estimate based on your body measurements but at the same time they're the least accurate ones since one cannot tell the body fat percentage based on the body measurements alone. There's also the BIA & skinfold testing using calipers (the latter being more accurate) that are available in some fitness centers. I suggest you have your body fat checked by a professional using skinfold calipers.

The body fat percentage for woman are as follows:

10-12% - essential fat (very lean)
14-20% - athletic (lean)
21-24.9% - fitness (good)
25-29.9% - average (fair but needs improvement)
30% & above - overfat (poor)

^ ^ This. I'd only add that you can get scales and relatively inexpensive devices with Bioelectrical impedance but they basically are not accurate. Calipers are cheap if you want to try them. Unfortunately there's a bit of a learning curve for accurate results. Absolutely agree go to a pro. Also any men viewing the thread should disregard those body-fat ranges.

Cait_Sidhe

http://fat2fitradio.com

People seem to like to Military Body Fat Test.

LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo

There is only one method that will guarantee 100% accuracy however that is the last thing that we all want to do & that is AUTOPSY. The rest are just rough estimates with variances depending on the method. The "gold standard" or the more accurate ones but at the same time the most expensive ones are hydrostatic weighing-in & DEXA scan. The cheapest that you can find are the online calculators that will give you a rough estimate based on your body measurements but at the same time they're the least accurate ones since one cannot tell the body fat percentage based on the body measurements alone. There's also the BIA & skinfold testing using calipers (the latter being more accurate) that are available in some fitness centers. I suggest you have your body fat checked by a professional using skinfold calipers.

The body fat percentage for woman are as follows:

10-12% - essential fat (very lean)
14-20% - athletic (lean)
21-24.9% - fitness (good)
25-29.9% - average (fair but needs improvement)
30% & above - overfat (poor)

^ ^ This. I'd only add that you can get scales and relatively inexpensive devices with Bioelectrical impedance but they basically are not accurate. Calipers are cheap if you want to try them. Unfortunately there's a bit of a learning curve for accurate results. Absolutely agree go to a pro. Also any men viewing the thread should disregard those body-fat ranges.

Sorry for not including the men, but anyway I researched it & here's what I came up:

2-4% - essential fat (very lean)
6-13% - athletes (lean)
14-17% - fitness (good)
18-25% - acceptable/average (fair but needs improvement)
25% & above - obese (poor)

Gt3ch

No Worries. The OP was't a dude.

I don't know how useful the online calculators are in even getting a ballpark figure. It seems like it would be pretty easy to not fit into their assumptions and have the numbers be totally off. OTOH I did try one last week that was in the general neighborhood.

FYI there are a number of sources of pictures of people with different levels of body-fat.

Here's one for example:
http://www.leighpeele.com/body-fat-pictures-and-percentages

Pictures can be misleading, though. You're muscular development affects the numbers and your appearance. Might be worth a look, though, if you can't get to a pro.