Does anyone remember the commercial where the older man looks in great shape at the pool? All the women have eyes transfixed upon him as he jumps off the diving board… and then promptly embarrasses himself with his lack of true health?
What’s the moral of that commercial? Just because someone looks fit, it doesn’t mean he is.
How Much Body Fat Is Too Much?
All body fat percentages divide into male and female charts. The American College of Sports Medicine divides the charts into subjects over and under 40-years old as well as fitness and health recommendations. If a person falls above these guidelines, he or she would be considered obese.
Female (under 40) - 16%-28% Fitness, 20%-35% Health
Female (over 40) - 16%-33% Fitness, 20%-38% Health
Male (under 40) - 5%-15% Fitness, 8%-22% Health
Male (over 40) - 5%-18% Fitness, 8%-25% Health
FUN FACT:
According to Charles Poliquin, people can start seeing the upper row of abdominal muscles with a body fat percentage of 15%. To have “6-pack abs,” one must have a body fat percentage no higher than 9.8%.
Is There Such A Thing As Too Little Body Fat?
Yes. Fat is a necessary evil. For starters, body fat lubricates and protects joints, is necessary for cellular development, bone density and builds brain matter.
Men need to maintain a body fat percentage of at least 5% for health reasons. A layer of fat surrounds all the body’s organs in order to protect them. Without this fat, the organs become susceptible to impact injuries.
Women need a body fat percentage of 15% to maintain a healthy menstrual cycle. The longer a woman is lower than 15% body fat percentage the less likely it is that she can become pregnant. The hormonal imbalances can cause psychological diseases such as anorexia and bulimia.
What Is The Best Way To Measure Body Fat?
The most common ways to measure body fat percentage are the infamous calipers, body (DEXA) scan, underwater testing and bioelectrical impedance.
The DEXA body scan is the most reliable, yet most unavailable method of determining body fat percentage. Used at hospitals and medical facilities, the body scan works much like an MRI. The scan is as close as one can get to 100% accuracy.
Underwater testing is becoming dated. Accuracy problems arise if subjects have asthma, get nervous, or don’t blow all the air out of their lungs. It’s hard to find underwater body fat testing these days.
The bioelectrical impedance measurers are found on home scales and hand-held devices. These measurers send an electrical current through the body from one side and time how long it takes to travel through the body and reach the other side. This method is wildly inaccurate because of hydration levels. The more hydrated a person is, the lower body fat reading. Along the same lines, the less hydrated a person is at the time of measurement, the higher the body fat percentage measurement.
Calipers, the infamous “fat pinchers,” are the most common method of measuring body fat. A skilled practitioner of the calipers can come within 1% of The DEXA body scan. As a general rule, a fitness professional who has measured body fat 4,000 times will be much more accurate than one who has only measured 4 people.
Conclusion
Bite the bullet and let a fitness or medical professional take your body fat percentage. Body fat percentage is a much more reliable method of determining obesity and fitness levels than Body Mass Index (BMI).
Sources:
Poliquin, Charles. “Question of Strength: January” T-Nation, January 2008
American College of Sports Medicine
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