Bodyfat Levels - Time to Get Real

[BendtheBar]

This is meant as a loving, gentle push in the right direction for 95% of mouth-breathers:

Your bodyfat percentage is higher than you think.

I just had a discussion that went something like this. Stats are real, but the name was changed to protect the innocent.

Bob: I am 5'8" 145 with 5% bodyfat. I want abs, help!

BTB: First off Bob, your bodyfat is most likely over 12-14% if you do not have abs.

Bob: No, sorry, you are wrong. Trainer X did etc. and told me my percentage is 5%.

BTB: Hi Bob. At 5% you would already have crazy, shredded abs. I am not trying to sound argumentative, but I do want to give you a realistic snapshot of your bodyfat levels...

Bob: You &%$# idiot! You don't know %*&$#$^$!

[ricka182]

Really? Some people are so stupid, and ignorant.

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by ricka182

Really? Some people are so stupid, and ignorant.

It's such a touchy subject for most. If you tell them that their bodyfat percentage is a few points higher than they think, they take it the same as if you called them fat.

The difference is usually only 5 to 10 pounds of fat.

[glwanabe]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

This is meant as a loving, gentle push in the right direction for 95% of mouth-breathers:

Your bodyfat percentage is higher than you think.

I just had a discussion that went something like this. Stats are real, but the name was changed to protect the innocent.

Bob: I am 5'8" 145 with 5% bodyfat. I want abs, help!

BTB: First off Bob, your bodyfat is most likely over 12-14% if you do not have abs.

Bob: No, sorry, you are wrong. Trainer X did etc. and told me my percentage is 5%.

BTB: Hi Bob. At 5% you would already have crazy, shredded abs. I am not trying to sound argumentative, but I do want to give you a realistic snapshot of your bodyfat levels...

Bob: You &%$# idiot! You don't know %*&$#$^$!

This whole conversation sounds too much like the "Normal kid meets power lifter" vid.

I'm Glwanabe, and I don't have visible abs.

Now ask me if I care!

I love my abs, that's why I keep them protected with a layer of insulation.

Another important point that needs to be talked about is this.

Bob's stats: I am 5'8" 145 with 5% bodyfat. I want abs, help!


Um, Bob. You're a skinny little beotch, who needs to eat a DBL Whopper. Worrying about a six pack is putting the cart before the horse.

[BendtheBar]

If I can be honest here, without ticking anyone off, I am tired of people tearing me a new arse because they don't believe me about their body composition.

Either they want to believe they have the same muscle mass as a bodybuilder, but they do NOT look like a bodybuilder, or they think they have 15% bodyfat when in reality they have 30% bodyfat.

I am like a punching bag when someone brings up composition. It never ends well.

If I had a dollar for every person who belied they had the same muscle mass as Elite Bodybuilder X I could retire...

Please, stop taking it personally! Do you want an honest assessment, or bull crap?

[glwanabe]

You can be completely honest with me. I posted a few pics of myself a few days ago. Had you said I was at a higher BF% than what I estimated myslef to be, it would not have hurt my feeling at all.

People need to drop the ego, and face reality.

Farcical claims of BF% are just as bad as saying you can lift weight X, when nothing about what you're currently doing supports your claim.

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by glwanabe

You can be completely honest with me. I posted a few pics of myself a few days ago. Had you said I was at a higher BF% than what I estimated myslef to be, it would not have hurt my feeling at all.

It's generally not folks like you who take offense. I am pretty sure your calculations are close enough to be of no concern.

The majority of problems come from men who weigh over 200 pounds and want to believe they have 15% bodyfat.

[bigtim27]

Bob sounds a bit foolish. To be at 5% bf and have no visable abs is really crazy. Wish I knew my bf%

[Carl1174]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

It's generally not folks like you who take offense. I am pretty sure your calculations are close enough to be of no concern.

The majority of problems come from men who weigh over 200 pounds and want to believe they have 15% bodyfat.

what people dont understand is if they were 200lbs with a 15% bf they wouldnt be worring about it cos they would look good anyway lol.. I have to admit i fell in to the trap of wanting a low bodyfat%, but after reading and reading (mostly on this site) i have realised there is no way i have the body fat levels that i thought i had cos i would awesome, and i dont lol

I said in my log earlier today, i am almost at my natural porential for a lot of my measurements. if i was 12-14%bf i would look fckn awesome lol, Body fat makes a masive difference as does where you carry it, but it should not be a number to get obsesed about. It is just another number to be neurotic about IMO. If you are competing then yeh you need to get it right down, if your not then i dont think it really matter what the number says as long as you lok like you want to look.

Its sad that some people put so much stock on to it that they look in the mirror but feel better about them selves bacause they have been tld they have a 6%bf...

Use it as a guide to make sure the diet is working right, or to see how well you are doing on gaining lbm, but otherwise i dont think it matters that much...

Carl.

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by Carl1174

what people dont understand is if they were 200lbs with a 15% bf they wouldnt be worring about it cos they would look good anyway lol..

That's an excellent point. At 200 pounds and 15% they would look like a beefy off-season natty bodybuilder.

Most likely they would have 16.5 to 17" guns.