The ratio of fat and muscle in a woman's body. Three fat rules: how much fat a healthy body needs

What is a normal percentage of body fat

Previously, men (and even some women) set their main goal - to pump muscles. But times are changing and now the main thing is “dry” mass, namely getting rid of fat mass in order to show the muscles as much as possible. Just think of Brad Pitt in Fight Club or Cristiano Ronaldo at any point in time over the last ten years. Expressed muscles, not adipose tissue.

A similar figure - dry body weight, without unnecessary deposits - has recently become the main goal of trainers and gym visitors. But even if you do not strive for such pronounced muscles, it is worth knowing what percentage of body fat is the norm and whether you need to change it, since this amount is one of the main indicators of the health of the body.

"A normal body fat percentage reduces the risk of developing a variety of diseases," explains Dr. Luke Powles of Bupa's Crossrail Medical Center in London.

“It has been repeatedly shown that increased body fat leads to increased levels of cholesterol and blood pressure, which are risk factors for the development of cardiovascular disease. It can also cause certain types of cancer and diabetes. In men, high body fat leads to erectile dysfunction.

But the percentage of body fat to muscle mass should not be too low, as underweight also leads to the development of a number of diseases.

How much fat should ideally be? For men 20-39 years old, the rate of body fat varies from 8 to 20%, for men aged 40-59 - from 11 to 22%. Now it is much easier to find out your body fat percentage: smart scales, pocket scanners and fitness trackers will easily provide all the information about body composition. For conservatives (or economical) there is also an option - a caliper.

Before you start losing fat, it's worth learning a little about the biological processes behind it. Let's start with two types of fat: irreplaceable and accumulated.

Essential Fats

Essential fats are fats that are necessary for the healthy and normal functioning of our body. For men, this is about 3% of the total body weight. Without essential fatty acids, such as omega-3 fatty fish, nuts, and seeds, the body is unable to process nutrients such as vitamins A, K, and D, which are responsible for immunity, blood clotting, and calcium absorption. Fat is also needed to protect internal organs and to regulate core body temperature.

Accumulated fat

The other kind, cumulative, is the result of an excess of calories consumed. When we eat, calories that are not immediately used for functioning (for example, to provide energy for breathing or maintain a heart rate) are converted into triglycerides, which make up stored fat. Frequent calorie surplus causing fat accumulation leads to weight gain. On the other hand, repeated calorie deficits force the body to use stored fat mass for energy, depleting stores and leading to weight loss.

Percentage of body fat

Simply put, fat is unused energy that is life-threatening. Its percentage in the body is the ratio of fat mass to total body weight. Returning to the question of what percentage of fat should be in the human body, it should be noted that this number is influenced by many factors, such as height, gender and heredity. It is generally considered that the "healthy" percentage for men aged 20 to 40 is at least 8% and no more than 20%. A healthy woman in the same age group should have between 15% and 31% body fat. These figures are based on data from the Royal College of Nursing for November 2015.

Table of percentage of body fat for men of different age groups

Most people can navigate by these indicators, however, it should be remembered that the table does not take into account the individual fitness goals of each. Bodybuilders typically aim for ultra-lean muscle mass and a body fat percentage of no more than 5-8%. Cyclists, gymnasts - some of the "drier" athletes - usually have from 5 to 12% body fat. In order to look as bold as possible, the indicator should be from 5 to 10%.

BMI and body weight

Body fat percentage is the best indicator of health. It is better suited for determining the constitution than the body mass index (BMI) that is starting to become obsolete or just weighing. Weight can vary significantly depending on hormonal surges, time of day, amount of food and drink before getting on the scales.

If you are very tall and heavily muscled, you are more likely to be in the overweight or even obese category according to your BMI. The problem is, BMI was developed in 1832 by the Belgian mathematician Adolphe Quetelet to determine the average person (determining how weight increases according to height), and not to detect underweight or obesity.

In the 1980s, BMI was adopted as a powerful tool for determining life expectancy, and has been the bane of muscular people ever since. Often, due to BMI, young people cannot get into the service of the police and other physical condition-oriented structures, since they still use this indicator when they are admitted. However, by measuring your body fat percentage, you're actually measuring body fat, not getting an estimate based on height and weight alone.

Many people who lose weight have a bad habit of weighing themselves several times a day and focusing only on the weight parameter. This is fundamentally wrong, since one of the most objective indicators is not weight, but the ratio of muscle and fat in the body. Not everyone knows how to determine the percentage of fat in the body, but at the same time it can be easily done at home. Consider the methods that can be used.

Losing weight is a loose concept. The task of each losing weight is to get rid of fat, and many of them make the mistake of losing weight and muscle. Even with proper nutrition, with every three kilograms of fat, a kilogram of muscle will go away. Muscle, by the way, is heavier than fat, so two people with the same height and weight can look completely different. The lower the percentage of fat and the greater the percentage of muscle, the more prominent and “dry” the body looks. In women, due to the peculiarities of the physiology of fat cells, there are always more, and therefore it is more difficult for women to build muscle mass.

You also need to say a little about why the body still needs fat, and why its deficiency is no less dangerous than its excess. Fat performs a protective and reserve function, it helps to prevent problems with potency in men and problems with the menstrual cycle and fertility in women. Fat protects the organs of the body, helps to maintain normal temperature in the body and preserve nutrients, softens the joints and helps to conserve energy. It is especially important for women, because with its shortage, the menstrual cycle is disturbed, and the lady may not be able to bear and give birth to a child. Therefore, when fighting fat, it is important not to overdo it and not bring its percentage to a critically low one.

The norm of fat for women averages 18-26%, for men - 10-18%. Professional athletes usually strive for lower rates, but for ordinary people it is not worth falling below the norm.

How to calculate the percentage of body fat: popular methods

If you need to calculate the percentage of body fat as accurately as possible, moreover, the number of its different types separately, then you can visit a clinic or health center where specialists will help you with this using modern technologies and equipment. Accurate results in this regard are provided by MRI, x-rays, weighing in water and bioimpedance - a device that works with the use of a weak current. Passing it through the body, it analyzes the speed of passage and, based on this, calculates the percentage of fat.

However, many are interested in how to measure the percentage of body fat at home without visiting any institutions. There are ways to do this, but keep in mind that none of them gives one hundred percent accuracy, so you can try using several at once. Now let's look at what methods to use.

Measurement of fat from a photo

The easiest option is to look at yourself in a swimsuit, take a photo and compare the result with photographs that show what the body looks like with a different percentage of body fat.

For men it looks like this:

For women, yes.

Of course, this method will not allow you to get a perfectly accurate result, but it will make it possible to have at least a rough idea. Just evaluate yourself objectively - it is better to ask someone to help find a match.

Body Composition Scales

In large fitness clubs you can often find electronic scales-analyzers, which, based on modern technologies, immediately determine the percentage of fat and muscle mass in the body. They work due to electrical impulses and are based on the calculation of the resistance of different tissues in the body when impulses are passed through them. Impulses can pass through only an organic mass, in which there are no fats. Given this, the scales and output data.

It is possible to purchase such scales for the home, but this system is not ideal, as the numbers may be erroneous.

Body fat measurement

Another way to find out the percentage of body fat, which is quite convenient and accurate, is to measure fat folds with a ruler. You can use a caliper or buy caliper- a special device for measuring fat. It is quite inexpensive, and at the same time gives very accurate results.

The essence of this measurement method is that you need to measure the thickness of the fat fold in four different places on the body, and based on this, calculate the percentage of body fat. The end result will be as close to real as possible, so this method is considered by many to be optimal.

So, using a caliper, you need to measure the thickness of the fold in such places:

• Triceps: Centered between the shoulder and elbow joints at the back of the arm.
• Biceps: In the center between the shoulder and elbow joints, but already from the front.
• Shoulder: The fold should be taken just below the shoulder blade, at about a 45-degree angle.
• Waist: 8-10 cm to the right or left of the navel at the same level.

Then you need to add the received four values ​​\u200b\u200band find the figure of the received amount in the first column of the table. Please note that even with the same values, the percentage of fat will be different depending on gender and age. See table for exact results.

Using different calculators

You can find a lot of calculators on the net that help you calculate the percentage of body fat based on data such as gender, age, height, weight, and volumes. This method does not differ in accuracy, but, like those presented above, it gives a general understanding of the state of your body.

Fat percentage and body condition

Now you know how to find out the percentage of fat in the body, and what the body looks like with one or another of its contents. Let's take a closer look at what happens to the body and the body, depending on the percentage of fat.

Men

• 3-4%. This percentage of fat is mainly found in bodybuilders before preparing for competitions. At the same time, increased vascularity is always observed - that is, veins are visible on almost every muscle. Such a percentage of fat is found in units, and people who are not professionally engaged in bodybuilding should not strive for it, since they can seriously undermine their health.
• 6-7%. Not as categorical as the previous one, but still for most men this is not the norm. Typically, this percentage of fat is found in fitness models who have very clearly defined muscles.
• 10-12%. Normal for a man. The abdominal muscles are not as clearly visible as in the previous case, but the weight is still clearly visible. This is a kind of ideal that most of the stronger sex strives for. Furrows in this case can not be seen on every muscle, but mostly only on the arms and shoulders.
• 15-20%. Level corresponding to men with a slim and fit figure. The contours of the muscles are clearly visible, although without a clear separation. The grooves may be covered with a small amount of fat, but this will not spoil the figure at all.
• 20-25%. At this level, the muscles and blood vessels do not stand out too much. Most often, men can have a small tummy.
• 25-30%. In this case, the volume of the body is somewhat increased, the muscles and blood vessels are practically invisible. Characterized by a slight increase in the neck, the presence of small fat folds, but under the clothes it is almost not noticeable. The critical waist size is 101 cm.
• 30-35%. Fat is distributed throughout the body. The waist looks larger than the hips, the stomach sags, the muscles are not visible at all.
• 35-40%. As body weight increases, so does the amount of fat, with most of it accumulating in the abdomen. The abdomen in this case is even more sagging, the waist disappears completely. With this percentage of fat, men always have a characteristic "beer belly".
• 40% or more. With this indicator, the waist circumference can be more than 140 cm. A person has difficulty moving, it is difficult for him to bend over. Keep in mind that these are the first signs of obesity.

Women

• 10-12%. For women, this is the minimum level that can only be found in professional bodybuilders. Vessels and muscle grooves are visible. Such a percentage of fat can be dangerous for women, so those who are not associated with professional bodybuilding should definitely not strive for it.
• 15-17%. An indicator typical for models advertising underwear. However, it can also be dangerous. In this case, the muscles of the press, shoulders, limbs are clearly visible, but the shape of the hips and buttocks will be poorly expressed.
• 20-22%. This is the percentage of fat found in the body of most athletes. Silent fat can be seen on the limbs, the abdominal muscles are clearly visible. Muscles are minimally separated from each other.
• 25%. Percentage typical for most women. In this case, the lady will be neither thin nor fat. There is some fat on the buttocks, the curves of the hips are clearly visible.
• thirty%. In men, with this fat content, it is mainly deposited on the stomach, but in women, on the hips and buttocks. 30% body fat is the upper limit for the average woman.
• 35%. Rounded shapes in this case can already acquire the face and neck. The hips can exceed the volume of 100 cm, the waist - 80 cm. The stomach begins to sag.
• 40%. Hips can be wider than 106 cm, waist - from 90 cm. A woman will be expressed as full.
• 45%. This level is characterized by the presence of noticeable folds, deterioration of the skin. The hips can be more than 115 cm in volume, the waist - more than 90 cm. The shoulders will look clearly narrower than the hips.
• 50%. The percentage characteristic of a woman whose height will be 163 cm and weight - 90 kg. In this case, the hips will be even wider, the fat is clearly visible, the skin condition will worsen. Hips and waist may exceed critical values.

Knowing how to calculate the body fat content, you can not only lose weight, but harmoniously improve the condition of the figure, working to reduce fat while maintaining muscle mass. Remember that weight loss should be healthy, so do not stoop to the indicators of professional bodybuilders.

In its most general form, the percentage of body fat is the ratio of available fat to everything else that is in the body (organs, muscles, bones, tendons, etc.). Fat is necessary for survival: it protects internal organs, serves as a reserve source of energy, and performs many other important functions.

How much fat do we need

This table shows the generally accepted body fat percentage for men and women.

Essential fat is the minimum you need to survive. For this reason, bodybuilders dry the body to this mark only before the competition. The rest of the time, they maintain a higher percentage of fat, so as not to undermine health and effectively.

• If you're aiming to be lean, aim for an athletic body fat percentage.
• If you want to look healthy and fit, aim for a body fat percentage for an athletic physique.

If your body fat percentage is approaching the maximum allowable value for a normal physique or falls under obesity, you would do well to reduce this figure.

What does body fat percentage look like?

It is important to understand that body fat percentage only reflects body fat and has nothing to do with muscle mass. Two people with the same body fat percentage but different muscle mass will look completely different.

How to measure body fat percentage

There are seven main methods that differ from each other in accuracy, simplicity and cost.

1. Visual way

It consists in comparing yourself with the pictures above and determining who you are approximately similar to. A very imprecise way.

2. Using a caliper

Pull back the skin with subcutaneous fat, grab it with the caliper and find the percentage of fat corresponding to the readings of the caliper in the table. As a rule, calipers show a lower percentage of fat than they actually are.

3. Using the formula

For example, you can use the US Navy formula or the YMCA formula. This method is usually wrong in a big way.

4. With electric monitors

A weak electric current is passed through the body, and then a "biometric resistance" analysis is performed. As practice has shown, this method gives very inaccurate results.

5. With Bod Pod System

With the help of a special device, the air displaced by the body is measured, based on the data obtained, the body mass, its volume and density are calculated. This method is considered very accurate, but expensive.

6. Water displacement method

Very accurate (with an error of only 1–3%), but an expensive, complicated and inconvenient method.

7. dexa scan

This method is considered the most accurate and consists in a complete study of body composition using x-rays. It's also a very inexpensive way.

Whatever method you choose, try to take measurements at the same time and under similar conditions: for example, on a certain day of the week, in the morning, on an empty stomach. Even if the data received is inaccurate, you will be able to understand if there is progress.

How to reduce body fat percentage

calorie deficit

Spend more than you consume. But keep in mind that if you do not exercise at the same time and limit yourself in carbohydrates, then along with fat you will lose muscle mass. This is not the best way, but fat loss is guaranteed.

Pull the iron

When training with weights (as well as during intense training with your own weight), you maintain muscle mass, as well as accelerate your metabolism and achieve a "afterburn" effect, where calories continue to be consumed after the workout is over.

The percentage of body fat is an important indicator that many people ignore, focusing only on kilograms and an arrow on the scales. But we all want to get rid of fat, and not the weight of bones and muscles. In addition, people with the same weight can look completely different. Therefore, knowing how much fat is in the body is much more useful.

How to find out the percentage of fat?

There is no exact way to say this with 100% hit. There are more precise methods, there are simple methods that show this approximately.

1. Identification from a photograph

The fastest and easiest way. To determine your body fat percentage, you need to find a figure that is as similar as possible to yours.

2. Using the caliper

Caliper is a special device that measures the thickness of the skin-fat fold in different parts of the body. Based on the numbers obtained, the percentage of fat is determined using special tables or formulas.

Method number 1: measurements for women

1. Back surface of the shoulder: the fold is taken vertically in the middle between the shoulder joint and the elbow.

2. On the side: the fold is taken from the side diagonally in the middle between the lower rib and the thigh bones.

3. On the stomach: the fold is taken vertically at a distance of +-2.5 cm away from the navel.

We calculate the percentage of fat using the formula:

% fat \u003d (A-B + C) + 4.03653, Where:

A\u003d 0.41563 x (sum of all three folds in mm)

IN\u003d 0.00112 x (sum of all three folds in mm squared)

WITH= 0.03661 x age in years

Method number 2: measurement for women and men

We add the obtained numbers in mm and find out the percentage of subcutaneous fat using the table:

3. Bioimpedance analysis

Through the body with the help of electrodes attached to the ankles and wrists, a weak current is passed, after which the electrical resistance of the tissues is measured. The method is based on the fact that the fat mass and the rest of the “dry” body mass have different resistance.

4. Scales with body fat analyzer

The principle is the same as in bioimpedance: the device passes a weak current through you and calculates the tissue resistance.

5. Underwater weighing method

The method is based on the law of Archimedes: a solid body immersed in water loses as much in its weight as the liquid displaced by it weighs. Since lean body mass and fat mass are different in density, by comparing body density after normal weighing and underwater, the percentage of fat mass is determined. The method is complex and rarely used.

6. Definition by body mass index from Lyle McDonald

The method is suitable only for untrained people, i.e. for beginners who have not yet begun to engage in strength training. For happy owners of visible muscles built in the gym in excess of the "norm", this method is not suitable.

Probably everyone understands that the percentage of fat in the body is an important indicator.

It should not be overlooked, focusing on losing weight only on kilograms and an arrow on the scales. Because we want to get rid of from fat, not muscle.

In addition, people with the same weight can look completely different. Therefore, knowing how much fat is in the body is much more useful.

Subcutaneous and visceral

How to determine the amount of visceral fat? Excess is easy to notice by the disturbed proportions of the body: the stomach protrudes noticeably forward.

What percentage of internal fat should be in women and men? No more than 15% of total body fat, regardless of gender. You can also understand that the norm of visceral fat is exceeded by simply changing the waist. For women, a dangerous figure will be 80 cm, for a strong half of humanity - 90.

Of course, these are not ideal and not completely reliable methods, but they are the only ones available to people at home!

Why is it necessary to know?

Muscle is heavier than fat, therefore, even with the same weight, two people can have a completely different body quality. The lower the percentage of fat in the body and the greater the percentage of muscles, the more prominent the body will be. So beautiful, athletic body - not kilograms on the scales, because the "quantity of the body" does not always correspond to its "quality". Women, for physiological reasons, have more fat cells than men, so it is always more difficult for women to build muscle mass.

A beautiful body is really a lot of work on yourself. Not the search for "miracle diets", magic pills or the cunning technique of the third wife of the Chinese Emperor Jing, but daily nutrition control, regular exercise in the gym and the desire to understand how it all works. Like the work of a sculptor who calmly and methodically carves a beautiful statue out of a shapeless stone.

If you are losing weight and monitor the quality of your body, then try to measure the percentage of fat in the body at least once a month. This will help you not mindlessly lose extra pounds, but systematically improve body composition.

Besides:

• You can track the change in your fat mass during both weight loss and muscle gain. This is much more revealing than the scales.
• Knowing the weight of your lean muscle mass, you can use to find out the rate of calories.

The norm for women and men: what should be

So, what is the normal percentage of fat in a woman is considered:

• up to 30 years - 15-23%;
• from 30 to 50 years - 19-25%;
• from 50 years old - 20-27%.

Normal body fat percentage for men:

• up to 30 years - 11-18%;
• from 30 to 50 years - 14-20%;
• from 50 years old - 16-22%.

In the presence of fat in an amount of more than 32%, a person develops obesity.

More visual tables:

How to find out on your own at home?

There is no exact way to find out how much fat is in the body. There are more precise methods, there are simple methods that show this approximately.

How to identify by photo

Cheap and cheerful: to determine your body fat percentage, you need to find a figure that is as similar as possible to yours:

For girls and women, an athletic physique is characterized by 14-20% body fat, a good physical shape - 21-24%, an average fat level - 25-31%. At the same time, the level of fat below 10% is extremely dangerous for the female body and leads to the cessation .

For men, 6-13 percent of body fat means a toned athletic physique and a fairly embossed press, 14-17% - good physical shape with a small amount of fat in problem areas, 18-25% - the average level of form, above 25% - obesity.

From the positive: it is the fastest, free and easiest way. To determine your body fat percentage, you need to find a figure that is as similar as possible to yours.

From the negative: requires your assessment of yourself, which is not always objective. We can unconsciously “throw off” a few kilograms in our mind and compare ourselves with a more slender version in the photo. In a word, with a probability of 80%, this method is “a finger to the sky”.

How to measure with a caliper

Caliper- a special device that measures the thickness of the skin-fat fold in different parts of the body. Based on the numbers obtained, the percentage of subcutaneous fat is determined using special tables or formulas.

How to measure body fat with a caliper - !! only for women!!

1. Back of the shoulder: The fold is taken vertically in the middle between the shoulder joint and the elbow.
2. on the side: The fold is taken from the side diagonally in the middle between the lower rib and the bones of the thigh.
3. On the stomach: the fold is taken vertically at a distance of + -2.5 cm away from the navel.

% fat \u003d (A-B + C) + 4.03653, where:

• A \u003d 0.41563 x (sum of all three folds in mm),
• B \u003d 0.00112 x (the sum of all three folds in mm squared),
• C \u003d 0.03661 x age in years.

Measurement common for women and men

We add the obtained numbers in mm and find out the percentage of subcutaneous fat using the table:

From the positive: inexpensive, fast, you can do it yourself at home, fairly accurate indicators.

From the negative: you need practice to learn how to use it correctly or someone else's help, calculations are required using formulas.

How to calculate online

There are also many body fat percentage calculators on the internet based on various body measurements. So you can easily calculate online. For example, here are these:

From the positive: quickly, does not require any activity.

From the negative: calculation is invalid.

How to calculate by weights with an analyzer

How scales determine the amount of fat and muscle in the body: the device passes a weak current through you and calculates the resistance of the tissues.

From the positive: fast, suitable for regular home use.

From the negative: the same as for bioimpedance - not always accurate indicators, since the water balance (edema) can affect the figure. High-quality scales will cost more than 10,000, and it is better to refuse cheap ones - money down the drain. When measured again, fluid loss may show on the scales a decrease in the percentage of fat mass, although in fact it remained unchanged. The only way to use such scales will be to follow the trend - let the number lie, but it is important to increase or decrease over time.

How to calculate body mass index from Lyle MacDonald

The method is only suitable for untrained people, i.e. for beginners who have not yet begun to engage in strength training. For happy owners of visible muscles built in the gym in excess of the "norm", this method is not suitable.

To determine your body fat percentage, you need to know your body mass index: BMI = weight in kg / height in square meters

How to check with professionals

How to calculate the amount of bioimpedance analysis