ideal bf?

bluecrayonz

I had my BF percentage calculated at the gym and he said it was 25%. He also said that that is pretty high and I'm at risk for all sorts of things but he's a fitness freak so i was wondering how bad is it really? Also I'm 5"4 and around 142

toddis

LoraF83

I'm guessing you had your bf% tested by a trainer.....who would profit if you bought training sessions, right?

25% is average - not "really high". But, if you freaked out and got all worried, would you be more likely to buy training sessions and pad his/her pocket? It's all in the sales pitch

As far as "ideal" goes - everyone has a different standard for that. Some people want low body fat. Some want higher. It all depends on what "look" you are going for. If you're not happy with your current appearance, then try to lower your bf%. If you are happy, then stay where you are and work on other things.

bluecrayonz

thanks!

erinablitt

Well I have to say congrats on being only 25% body fat! I agree with the post above that your "trainer" must really only want you to get some expensive sessions! My goal at the moment is to get from 30% down to 25% so go with how you feel and look not by how someone trying to make a buck says!

bluecrayonz

Well I have to say congrats on being only 25% body fat! I agree with the post above that your "trainer" must really only want you to get some expensive sessions! My goal at the moment is to get from 30% down to 25% so go with how you feel and look not by how someone trying to make a buck says!

u guys are the cutest couple everrr and u look beautiful...screw bf percentages

sjohnny

Get a new trainer. 25% shouldn't have you at risk of anything but getting hit on.

SPBROOKS68

HOLY HECK....I thought this was Ideal Boyfriend and I have a list....

I am 44 years old...5"7", 142 pounds and my BF percentage it 27% and I am perfectly happy with that.....but looking for a Boyfriend

SPBROOKS68

Get a new trainer. 25% shouldn't have you at risk of anything but getting hit on.

^^^^ Agree

kimi131

HOLY HECK....I thought this was Ideal Boyfriend and I have a list....

I am 44 years old...5"7", 142 pounds and my BF percentage it 27% and I am perfectly happy with that.....but looking for a Boyfriend

LOL. That's why I clicked on it too. What do people think this place is... a fitness site?! :laugh:

MoreBean13

Get a new trainer. 25% shouldn't have you at risk of anything but getting hit on.

So motivational!
FR Sent!

25% isn't bad. ~20% is my goal, but 25% is healthy and normal.

ladyark

I am currently at 33 % as of mid december....my goal is 20% but, the trainer i use at times told me exactly what your chart shows. She was not trying to get me to be anything but healthy and i myself chose the 20% to push myself harder and be as fit as i can. I do believe the bf% is more important than the scale however, in how you want your body to look. Just be at whatever feels best for you and that you can maintain.

ObtainingBalance

I have 37% body fat and that's bad.

25% is within the healthy range.. lol.

Agree with the other commenters...

MoreBean13

Just thought I'd throw this in here- it's by NO means perfect, and women can look very different at the same BF% depending on muscle mass and how you carry your fat, but it's kind of nice to have some visual representation of what the numbers mean. PS- there's OFTEN threads that pop up asking people which BF% they prefer the most, and 25% (according to this visual) is VERY popular in those threads.

MoreBean13

Here's another option:

Firefox7275

How were you tested, bioimpedance, calipers or another method? I prefer the American College of Sports Medicine chart because there are age group splits but, even so, you are in the healthy range for a woman in her twenties. Having said that generally adult bodyfat calculations and charts are not used for teens, BMI and waist to hip ratio may be. Did the trainer use an adolescent specific chart or is he just being hugely irresponsible?
http://tpm.scgov.net/ssDocuments/1140/Wellness program/H & F Screening/All screening results.pdf

ladyark

Just thought I'd throw this in here- it's by NO means perfect, and women can look very different at the same BF% depending on muscle mass and how you carry your fat, but it's kind of nice to have some visual representation of what the numbers mean. PS- there's OFTEN threads that pop up asking people which BF% they prefer the most, and 25% (according to this visual) is VERY popular in those threads.

Id take the 11% - 15%!!! Love that body.

Oishii

I wonder, OP, if your trainer thought you were a man. Below is the BF% chart touted as being from NIH and WHO (though I can't find it on their sites). My scales follow these and tell me off if I get below 21%! As you can see, 25% is too high for a young male.

Female
Age. Underweight Healthy Overweight Obese
20-40 yrs Under 21% 21-33% 33-39% Over 39%
41-60 yrs Under 23% 23-35% 35-40% Over 40%
61-79 yrs Under 24% 24-36% 36-42% Over 42%
Male
Age Underweight Healthy Overweight Obese
20-40 yrs Under 8% 8-19% 19-25% Over 25%
41-60 yrs Under 11% 11-22% 22-27% Over 27%
61-79 yrs Under 13% 13-25% 25-30% Over 30%
* Source - World Health Organization and National Institutes of Health

AEFidgets

Get a new trainer. 25% shouldn't have you at risk of anything but getting hit on.

I totally agree with this. I'm at 35% now and my goal is to get down to the low 20s depending upon how I feel at that point.

kairisika

To the one who likes the 11-15% bodies. Note that they are all onstage or in photoshoots? That's generally not a sustainable body. People with those bodies generally stay at least a few percentages higher for most of their life, and then cut hard immediately before a competition or shoot so as to get down to the minimal bodyfat for a short term. Generally the bodies in those photos are also stripped of all water and everything as well.
Even the people who look like that don't walk around the street looking like that.

Bodyfat will definitely distribute differently on different people, which affects how you will look. Assuming the numbers are correct, there's a huge difference between the two 25% bodies shown. in the 6-photo spread, the 25% has one hell of a belly, as well as not much of a waist, and is probably at risk for the things that people with midsection fat are at risk for. The 30% same but worse. Those two people could definitely stand to lose that extraneous fat and could only look better for it.
In the 9-photo spread, the 25% looks much better proportioned, with a small waist and relatively flat stomach, even if she's not very hourglass-y. She does not appear to have unhealthy extra fat. Even the 30% there seems to be a very dramatically curved girl. She could certainly lose some fat, without negative health effects, but doesn't appear to have much problem where she is. She too has a favourable waist to hip ratio

So assuming the numbers are correct, how do you carry your weight? Science suggests that extra belly fat (no matter your ultimate weight or bf%) is unhealthy, and it would be healthier to lose it. Thigh fat, on the other hand, is actually suggested to be maybe even beneficial to women. As long as the rest of you is at a reasonably healthy level, more fat on the thighs doesn't hurt at all. It can possibly even act as a sink to contain assorted bad things that might otherwise move around the body.
So what does your 25% fat body look like?

the 20% in the 6-photo spread looks potentially photoshopped. It's too tiny to tell, but it's a very perfect curve, and a photoshoot-type photo that makes me suspicious as to whether it's accurate and untouched. Completely irrelevant to how the bodyfat looks. It's just a suspiciousish photo.

bdamaster60

Stage BF%: 4 - 5%
Off season: I feel comfortable at 10 - 12%

sjohnny

Stage BF%: 4 - 5%
Off season: I feel comfortable at 10 - 12%

You're a boy. The OP is a girl.

Boys are different from girls.


You're welcome.

Mutant13

I'm currently 18%, ultimate goal is 15-16 depending on how I look and feel

bdamaster60

Stage BF%: 4 - 5%
Off season: I feel comfortable at 10 - 12%

You're a boy. The OP is a girl.

Boys are different from girls.


You're welcome.

thanks for stating the obvious genius.

sjohnny

Stage BF%: 4 - 5%
Off season: I feel comfortable at 10 - 12%

You're a boy. The OP is a girl.

Boys are different from girls.


You're welcome.

thanks for stating the obvious genius.

You're welcome!

pkw58

I am 54, female and perfectly happy at 20%.

AliceRabbit13

Stage BF%: 4 - 5%
Off season: I feel comfortable at 10 - 12%

You're a boy. The OP is a girl.

Boys are different from girls.


You're welcome.

thanks for stating the obvious genius.

You're welcome!

LMAO!!!

OP, in nursing we have a saying - treat the patient, not the monitor. Different numbers are different puzzle pieces and don't mean much except when put together. You can have a body fat % of less than 10%, but look like complete crap because you're anorexic or bulemic. Don't go by numbers, go by what you want to look like, what fitness level you want, etc. Drop that trainer, and look for one who has YOUR goals in mind.