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Body Fat % Terminology and Pictures

57K views 64 replies 37 participants last post by  rocky666 
#1 ·
I thought it was interesting to see actual pictures of % body fat and the terminology used for that %.

What is the optimum body fat % that is healthy for a person who does not necessarily want to compete but does want a lean, firm, strong body?

For those interested in competing. See how these champions achieved their success HERE.

Pscarb, Raikey, Tatyana, Paul G, Tinytom, Ironman, DB, Hackskii, and any


other member who knows his/her % body fat


Send me the link(s) to the picture(s) you want to display for the correct bodyfat % and I will post it/them.

You guys are simply inspiring and awesome!

"Excellence is the result of disciplined practice."

--------------------------------------------------------

% Body Fat Terminology and Pictures

1. Full house = Over or near 20% bodyfat with no visible muscle definition and only a hint of separation between major muscle groups if those groups are very large. Basically a person in this state could be confused for a football linebacker. If you're higher than this bodyfat percentage, you'd be considered overweight/obese.

Full House-Tatyana

Full House2-Tatyana

Full House2-CrazyCati

Full House-Dred

2. Hard = Some muscle separation appears between delts and upper arm. Abs are still not visible. Approximately 15% bodyfat.

Hard-Ironman

3. Cut = More muscle separation appears particularly in the chest and back, outline of the abs begins to appear slightly. Approximate bodyfat level = 12%

Cut-Paul Govier

Cut-Jimmer

4. Defined = Muscle separations get deeper in the arms, chest, legs and back, and abs appear when flexed. Approx. bodyfat level = 10%

Defined-Tinytom

5. Ripped = Abs are clearly visible all the time, vascularity in arms is prominent, chest and back separation is obvious, and face is starting to appear more angular. Condition can be held indefinitely. Approximate bodyfat level = 7-9%

Ripped-Tinytom

Ripped-Raikey

Ripped-DB

6. Shredded = Striations appear in large muscle groups when they are flexed. You look small in clothes, but look fantastic when you're not. Vascularity appears in lower abdomen and in the legs. Condition can be held for several days with careful dieting. Competitive bodybuilders often aim for this state for competition day. Approximate bodyfat level = 5-7%

Shredded-Pscarb

Shredded2-Pscarb

Shredded-Tinytom

Shredded-James Llewellin

Shredded-James Llewellin

Shredded-Alain Petriz

7. Sliced = Muscles and tendons begin to appear in the face when chewing, striations appear everywhere and vascularity appears everywhere. Bodyfat levels are close to 3% and subcutaneous water levels are near 0. Condition can only be held for a few hours at a time. Not a healthy condition to stay in due to lower water level.

Sliced

Paul Booth

Source: "SLICED" (by Bill Reynolds & Negrita Jayde)
 
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#2 ·
Tatyana, I'm waiting to put you in the ripped catagory!!! :)

Hey, Pscarb, Tinytom, DB, John G, Ironman... thanks for the pics.. If you have larger ones (not you Pscarb) it would be even better!!

Raikey, I'd love to see you up on this too...

Do any of you want to be sliced???

Do we have anyone who is a Full House on this board???
 
#5 ·
That would be great, Pscarb!!!!

Thank you.

Cap: where are you in your % body fat?

You know I could see this becoming a contest between all the big guys..

Sort a hall of fame kind of thread.

A friendly competitive incentive and motivation to better health and training for all of us.

UK-M Hall of Fame!!

Can we do that, mods??? May we make a new Hall of Fame Sticky and use those dusty trophy smileys!!!! :)

What could we title the sticky??? Hall of Fame is too hackneyed....

Catagories will be %body fat.

I think it would be fun to see everyone moving up by lowering the %body fat.

Tatyana sort your piccies out for me so I can put you in each level.

I still can't judge accurately yet... but I will the more pictures I see and study.

Hackskii didn't you do a post about healthy %body fat??? That would be good to have in this thread.
 
#6 ·
Peg said:
That would be great, Pscarb!!!!

Thank you.

Cap: where are you in your % body fat?

You know I could see this becoming a contest between all the big guys..

Sort a hall of fame kind of thread.

A friendly competitive incentive and motivation to better health and training for all of us.

UK-M Hall of Fame!!

Can we do that, mods??? May we make a new Hall of Fame Sticky and use those dusty trophy smileys!!!! :)

What could we title the sticky??? Hall of Fame is too hackneyed....

Catagories will be %body fat.

I think it would be fun to see everyone moving up by lowering the %body fat.

Tatyana sort your piccies out for me so I can put you in each level.

I still can't judge accurately yet... but I will the more pictures I see and study.

Hackskii didn't you do a post about healthy %body fat??? That would be good to have in this thread.
Peg

my bodyfat at the moment is probably around 13-15% not quite sure if I have enough muscle yet to be in the hall of fame though :D
 
#7 ·
Cap, you'd be in the Hard catagory.

The catagories go from 20% to less than 4%.

Send me a piccy!!! :) and let's get you in there!

You'll be great!

I'd love to have everyone in it somewhere..

I know we have the journals and the picture threads but this would be a fun way to see everyone and their progress in one thread.. !!!! (I'm an organizing and time efficiency fiend!!!! ) :) :bounce:
 
#11 ·
Hey Peg,

Just found this post, it is GREAT!

I will email you some ripped and shredded, although the bodyfat will be different for women.

This is how I think it would go for the girlies, any of you other more experienced BBers feel free to correct!

Women's Body fat

Full House 20% +

Hard 17-20 %

Cut 14-17%

Defined 12-14 %

Ripped 10-12 %

Shredded 8-10%

Sliced 6-8%

I am still full HOUSE!

x

x

x

T
 
#12 ·
Hey Peg,

In my avatar i'm approx 10-11% that was according to BF measurement scales.

In my profile picture im 13%. I'm not aware if others can view this? I think they can.

I am currently 14-15%. Have got some pic's done couple of days ago at the start of my course. Will be putting them onto PC at wkend.
 
#14 ·
Jimmer said:
Hey Peg,

In my avatar i'm approx 10-11% that was according to BF measurement scales.

In my profile picture im 13%. I'm not aware if others can view this? I think they can.

I am currently 14-15%. Have got some pic's done couple of days ago at the start of my course. Will be putting them onto PC at wkend.
them electric scales are crap. your avatar pic id say was about 8-9%

im using calipers at the min and they say im about 12% and i only have 4 visible abs
 
#20 ·
no sorry, now where near

the lowest I have ever been is proabaly about 8% and that was when I was boxing a long time ago.

Since doing weights I don't think I have been much lower than 10 or 12%

To get to single figures is hard enough so max respect to those who can retain muscle and go lower... it's not just determination and it's knowledge as well as they say knowledge is power and all that.
 
#21 ·
Agreed. 100% + respect for those who go single digit. You have to know how to coerce and trick the body into losing the fat and maintaining the muscle.

It takes the strictest of discpline as well. I'm happy around 10% to 12%. it's hard enough for me to get to that, but I'm working on changing my lifestyle to maintain that level of bodyfat.

I don't think I will compete. I weight train more for my health and the feel good high strenuous exercise gives me. I like to be efficient with my time too, so I kill 2 or 3 birds with one stone in that time period as they say.

It really amazes me that the public perception of bodybuilders is that of dumb brutish men when by far they are some of the most disciplined and knowledgable about the health of the body.

How do you maintain your bodyfat% and muscle mass?
 
#22 ·
Peg said:
How do you maintain your bodyfat% and muscle mass?
This man works with Jay Cutler.

Chris Aceto's Instruction Book for Bodybuilding Championship Bodybuilding

Page 194 section Staying Lean

I will summarise:

Muscle builds the metabolism, more muscle, more calories required.

Fat is dormant, the more fat you carry, the more difficult it becomes to lose fat and the harder it is to build muscle.

Muscle and fat act as a see-saw.

Both have receptors for insulin, insulin is a double edged sword.

It can store and divert the calories eaten towards both muscle and fat.

Lot of muscle, little fat, ratio of receptor sites for insulin are more favourable towards muscle.

When calories are consumed and insulin released, the calories will have a greater affinity for muscle.

Therefore the greater muscle mass you begin to carry, the greater likelihood that what you eat will be funneled towards building more muscle as long as body fat levels fall within the 12% range for men and 17% range for women.

This is sometimes referred to as 'repartioning'.

Once body fat levels are out of control, the repartioning effect to favour muscle building wanes, leaving the foods you eat more likely to begin to favour fat storage.

A person who is fat and eats a 700 calorie meal will release more insulin than the person who is lean and muscular. The fat person will more easily store fat.

This is the good news. It may take some effort to get to these body fat percentages, but once you are there, as long as you are sensible, easy to maintain.

However, don't become complacent as I did and think your body is then 'bomb-proof' cause it is not.

Healthy diet and training are a lifestyle, not just to a means to an end. It gets easier, but that doesn't mean you can stop.

x

x

x

T
 
#23 ·
Peg said:
Agreed. 100% + respect for those who go single digit. You have to know how to coerce and trick the body into losing the fat and maintaining the muscle.

It takes the strictest of discpline as well. I'm happy around 10% to 12%. it's hard enough for me to get to that, but I'm working on changing my lifestyle to maintain that level of bodyfat.
I think people confuse the men's and women's body fat percentages.

I am 10-12% bodyfat in these pics.

In some ways I don't like these pics, cause with dehydration, being tired, feeling weak, you do look like POO but your body will look better.

x

x

x

T

NPA SE Qualifier Sept 2005 Photos by Eric Guy

My side symmetry is really bad as well! Posing is an art form unto itself!

post-3257-143614008074_thumb.jpg

post-3257-143614008075_thumb.jpg

post-3257-143614008077_thumb.jpg
 

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#24 ·
I know this thread has fizzled out but thought I'd add a little note. This year, just before the UKBFF Britain, I had my skinfolds done (as I do anyway periodically). Using a four site method of bicep, tricep, sub scapular & supra illiac, the sum total of all four sites came to 4mm. All the charts I have put me so far off the scale at the bottom end I cannot accurately say what it was, but the chart goes down to 10mm, where for my age it quoted a BF% of 5.05.

James Llewellin has a pic of me on his fridge door taken backstage last year at Leamington when I was in the same condition. I presume he uses it as an appetite supressant!

It's not nice when you get that low, sitting down becomes painful as there's no padding anywhere. Even the soles of the feet can suffer. Nice. Coupled with that, my wife won't go near me so I can forget about any 'physical contact' till I'm fat & happy again!
 
#25 ·
Sadly the picture has now gone but it was certainly an eye opener and motivator. I have seen Paul at these low percentages and it is a little scary but then the places Paul goes to get like that are also scary; places very few will dare venture!!

I think we all have to step back a little and draw the line when BBing becomes a dieting competition and health and mental function are severely comprimised. My body fat never gets that low even on stage but when you carry a lot of muscle (as I do) I think you can look more conditioned than you actually are especially if you have carbed up enough and the muscle is pushing hard against the skin.

However in saying that a really conditioned BBer is a real sight to behold and just shows you what the human body is actually capable of esp if that person within the body has the resolve and dedication of a true warrior!!

James
 
#26 ·
James has hit the nail on the head there. Although I do go to extremes with the condition thing, I actually believe a balance of condition and size is what we should be aiming for, not just freaky, horrible ripped.

Having said that, as I am not blessed with the slabs of muscle James has, next time I'll get so cut you'll be able to see the non return valves opening & closing in my veins!
 
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