Body fat %age

[Swafe]

Anyone know about this?

I had it done at a gym, twice, to make sure, but it really doesnt make sense

From what I make out, the computer attatched to the scales does some jiggery pokery with chucking a few currents thru you and measuring what %age is fat, and what %age is water.

I had this done a week ago and my body fat %age was 7.4%, not knowing what this meant at all, I just said oh, and the bloke at the gym were like jeez you must be like a twig under that t shirt.

Apparently the ideal weight is 8-20% (For a man) so I'm classed as underweight, but what I didnt get was how come my mates who also had it done were 10% and 12%, yet you can physically see I have a small beer belly, yet they are pure flat skin and bone.


Is it possible its wrong? I would have thought I would have been more than them, ~15%, but it was the other way round which has confused me, maybe all my fat is just centrallised around my belly? (Probably is I cant lose it as anything under 8% is apparently dangeroiusly bad for you) Anyone know any better? And anyone know how to lose 'beer belly' syndrome? Tried countless situps to tighten my stomach and rowing, cycling, etc, but it just stays the same, even now after I've stopped drinking almost, for a couple of months and started eating healthierliyierly.

[midzt]

I thought that body fat % had nothing to do with your weight and if you are underweight or not. I've had the impression that the lower fat% you have the better, that just what I've gathered tho.

I remember reading somewhere, for most men to have a six pack you really need a body fat % of under 10%.

Also, I thought they measured body fat % by them tweezer things to see how much fat they can grab or something?

[kidzer]

I know i'm underweight, but I've a fair lot of fat on me so i'm probably prety near the top end of that ideal figues but I'm not really sure.

[TooNice]

I thought that body fat % had nothing to do with your weight and if you are underweight or not. I've had the impression that the lower fat% you have the better, that just what I've gathered tho.

I remember reading somewhere, for most men to have a six pack you really need a body fat % of under 10%.

Also, I thought they measured body fat % by them tweezer things to see how much fat they can grab or something?

Nope. Underweight is the opposite of obese, and you can't tell if someone is obese by how much he weight but rather his fat % (25% for males, 32% females, with slight variations on ethnicity and other personal variables).
I'd say body fat is the most proper way to measure wheter you are underweight or not.
The alternative way is to use BMI (Body Mass Index). This method is easier since you only need to know your weight and height, but it is not as accurate because it doesn't handle exceptions (e.g. athletes) as well.
It's true that for a six pack you would ideally have under 10% of body fat, but straying too much from that is not considered "healthy". You need about 5% of essential fat. You are obese at over 25%. So theorically, everything in between is acceptable, but for the average male (all previous figures are for men, women need a bit more fat - a bit ironic since they tend to worry about diet more than guys), with the fit but non athletic/skinny nor chubby person being in the in the 12-18% region give or take 1-2%.

So unless you are a bodybuilder, runner or some kind of athlete, 7.4% is on the low side... But it is not exactly terrible. I am inclined to say that the measurement is not accurate to the 0.1% anyway. Oh yea, you don't control where your fat goes. All you can do is to reduce it. Sit up won't really help there if you have layers of fat covering your abs. Cardio (like cycling, rowing, but also, and jogging) should be your priority. Umm.. And eat healthy (more of the good carbs, more protein etc. etc.). If you are physically active, I wouldn't be too concerned being under 8%.

Speaking of measurements. There are a few ways to measure your weight. The easiest way is what Swafe had to go through. I am guessing that the scale looks vaguely like one of those Tanita scale you can find at Boots, Argos or certain sports shop. For most intent and purpose, they are okay, and certainly the most convenient method. But they aren't the most accurate because they can be affected by a few variables. Since the scale work by sending current through your body and recording the time it takes to travel through it, it will report a lower % if you are well hydrated since the current will travel faster. And vice-versa if you are dehydrated.

Clippers can work quite well... but the effectiveness of clippers (good old fashioned way) is highly dependant on the skills of the person measuring. And it takes longer than just standing on a scale for 5 seconds

Then there are more exotic ways like DEXA (basically uses X-Rays), and underwater weighting. Those are accurate, but more costly.

[Swafe]

Cheers mate It was a tanita one, I've got the slip here,

From reading both of your replies it seems I need under 10% body fat to have a 6 pack, and even tho I do sit ups like a mad man you still can't see it under the flab!

I often do 5k on the rowing machine just to try and keep fit as well as building muscles, etc, so I think Ill try and ramp it to 8km a time to see if I can lose some of this belly flabby

[TooNice]

Well, it is the way fat is distributed differently for everyone.

For men, I think the waist (i.e. me) and below (i.e. you) is the most common.
You could try some jogging as well. And the diet is important (carb is important if you are active, but watch what sort of carb you take, protein good and saturated fat bad).

[Taz]

Aerobic exercise and a healthy diet is the only way to reduce body fat. Sit-ups etc., just tone and define muscle. Increasing muscle fibre also helps to burn a few more calories every day.

The equation is really simple: burn more calories than you eat and you will lose weight. Unfortunately, with no exercise you will burn away muscle as well! Hence, to dip into your fat reserves and to ensure they are burnt away, you need to increase your heart rate on a regular basis and exercise your muscles.

Light jogging is one of the quickest ways to burn fat. You're supporting your whole body weight and using the biggest muscles in your body. Skipping is also good.

I mentioned in another post that belly flab is the hardest fat to remove. It's also the most dangerous type of fat to have in your body (as it releases toxins I believe). Unfortunately for most men, the belly is the first place where fat accumulates.

Don't forget about visceral fat (fat around your major organs). This is not immediately visible and a realtively thin person at below or average weight who does not exercise can have a dangerous amount of visceral fat.

[Swafe]

Well im useless at skipping, always have been, if I do some more rowing, possibly intorudce a bit of jogging, do you think that would help?

At my gym they have cross trainers too, which seem to knacker me out pretty quick... will they help me? Or is sticking to rowing, jogging going to do me more good?

At the moment my diet is really pretty crap, I eat a fair amount of protein and low saturated fat, but I do still end up eating a fair amount of carbs which burn off from time to time but I think some days I take in more than I burn

[TooNice]

Well im useless at skipping, always have been, if I do some more rowing, possibly intorudce a bit of jogging, do you think that would help?

At my gym they have cross trainers too, which seem to knacker me out pretty quick... will they help me? Or is sticking to rowing, jogging going to do me more good?

At the moment my diet is really pretty crap, I eat a fair amount of protein and low saturated fat, but I do still end up eating a fair amount of carbs which burn off from time to time but I think some days I take in more than I burn

What are crosstrainers?

The key with rowing/jogging/cycling etc. is that you should aim for distance rather than speed to burn fat. If I remember right, a faster pace will burn more carbs, but a slower pace (that doesn't mean walking pace - of course) will burn more fat. Quite often, people use heart rate to guide them at going the right pace (I *think* that it is 60% of your maximum heart rate for the best way to burn fat, but don't quote me on this one).

After that, its keeping it regular.. which is MY downfall (as soon as my life get busier, the first thing I sacrifice is my exercise routine =/).

[Lowe]

Funny this should come up. Where I work (at a university) the department below me is the sports science dept, and we're all pretty good workmates. I'm in the process of trying to bulk up a little bit, so I asked the guys if they'd measure my bodyfat levels - just so I have a base level to start from.

Anyways, they go back to the skin caliper method. They won't use the electronic versions since they're really not that accurate. Proper calibrated skin calipers taken at quite a few sites around the body at least 2-3 times and then averaged out is the best method by far.

My results came out at 10.23% which for a 27 year old bloke who isn't that active on the grand scale of things isn't that bad. Took about 20-30 mins to do, and I'm still covered in pen marks I'm gonna have a test done every 4-6 weeks so I can see my progress. As I put a bit of muscle on, hopefully my weight will go up whilst eventually getting back to 10%. The first few readings I imagine the percentage to raise, but after cutting back a bit, hopefully I'll lean off.

[Theo]

I wouldn't trust that BF% measurement, tbh. As has already been said - you should take caliper measurements from several different sites, a number of times at each site, then average it. You can buy body fat calipers for about a tenner. Yeah it's a bit of plastic, but you'll be using them over and over again.

Do this:
http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/BMI.html

Then have a look at this:
http://www.exrx.net/Testing/BodyCompSites.html

Then get some help to do this:
http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/BodyComp.html

When you've worked out an accurate BF% and BMI, have a look in the mirror and decide whether it would be worth cutting more, or whether you should bulk then cut. If you have very little muscle, and a relatively low BF%, go for a bulk. Your BF% will increase while you gain muscle, but you'll have far more definition when you cut back down. I'd only do that if you're a scrawn though. If you have plenty of muscle, do a proper cut.

Anyway yeah.. for a cut, weights for increasing metabolism and minimizing muscle loss three times a week (Monday - Back/Biceps, Wednesday - Legs/Shoulders/Abs, Friday - Chest/Triceps), and regular cardio (2-3 days a week of HIT, or 3-5 days a week of fasted LISS). Be sure to keep a small calorie deficit from your BMI (about 200ish calories), eat clean, regular meals - every 2-3 hours, reduce carbs to morning/pre/post workout, cut out alcohol and junk foods.

Another thing regarding the beer belly is water retention. If you're a regular drinker, you'll most likely be holding onto a lot of water - causing you to look slightly bloated and a little more podgy than you actually are.

[Swafe]

What are crosstrainers?

The key with rowing/jogging/cycling etc. is that you should aim for distance rather than speed to burn fat. If I remember right, a faster pace will burn more carbs, but a slower pace (that doesn't mean walking pace - of course) will burn more fat. Quite often, people use heart rate to guide them at going the right pace (I *think* that it is 60% of your maximum heart rate for the best way to burn fat, but don't quote me on this one).

After that, its keeping it regular.. which is MY downfall (as soon as my life get busier, the first thing I sacrifice is my exercise routine =/).

Crosstrainers are also known as skiing machines, at my local gym because it looks like your skiing, theres 2 pedals that go up and down and 2 that you move with your arms backwards and fowards, its sort of like walking with some arm waving, but theres more reistance so instead of a running machine where you put in more speed- you go faster, you put in more resistance, you go the same pace but more power is needed

[Theo]

Also known as an elliptical, if I'm not mistaken. It really doesn't matter how you do your cardio though - the main thing is elevating your heart rate. If you were doing fasted LISS and twiddling your fingers brought your heart rate upto 70% of maximum, that'd be just as good as any rowing machine or elliptical. Of course, that's a ridiculous statement to make as noone in the world would be able to get out of breath from finger twiddling

[Taz]

Your heart rate does have a factor in fat-burning. There is usually a zone which is some way below your maximum heart rate (which decreases with age) which is known as the 'fat-burn zone'. In this zone your muscles operate aerobically and your body can start to convert the fat deposits into simple sugars to produce energy. This is a fairly 'slow' process so the exertion must be controlled.

When you stress your heart beyond the fat-burn zone, your body can no longer supply energy efficiently in the quantities and time required required by your muscles. It then turns to other was to generate energy (anaerobically) and this is when you start developing lactic acid in your muscles.

Hence, something like light jogging or brisk walking to elevate to heart rate to a comfotable but highish level is your fat-burn zone. Cross-trainers are also quite good but these are usually better for toning your body as they work your upper body as well as your legs. You don't burn as many calories as running.

Try the stair climber as an alternative to running/jogging. Don't hold on to the side supports. This was you will be using your whole body weight and you will automatically be strengthening your core body as you will have to balance as well. This is almost as good as running for burning calories. One thing I see in the gym (which my trainer pointed out) is people using the stair climber but supporting their body weight by holding on to the side supports. That is a totally pointless exercise!

[Rave]

If you go beyond the 'fat burning zone' you're still burning fat, and plenty of it- it's just that your body can't keep up with your energy demands from fat alone and will start using up stored glycogen too.

[Swafe]

Well, I finally forked out and joined the gym yesturday instead of just going once a week or so , so hopefully now if I go 2/3 times a week I can lower it a bit.

Most the machines have 'fat burn' on their settings, so I'll be hammering that button