# Body Fat % Terminology and Pictures



## Peg

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."*

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*% 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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## Peg

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???


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## Captain Hero

Nice post Peg


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## 3752

Peg i have one from last year when i was 15% if you want it


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## Peg

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.


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## Captain Hero

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


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## Peg

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:


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## Aris Mesh

Wow! It's gonna take me eons to look anything like any of those pic's. The sliced one was a bit scary for me though!

Cheers for explaining, from looking at that I think my bodyfat % must be pretty high - better drop the cakes!


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## Peg

Bump for James pictures in the low end shredded catagory. He might even have been sliced but it was hard for me to tell by the pictures. One digit body fat % was achieved.

Congratulations on winning in both

competitions


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## John

that is tight, reminded me of looking at andreas munzer a bit.:eek:


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## Tatyana

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


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## Jimmer

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.


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## Peg

Thanks Jimmer. According to the definition of abs and your profile picture, your picture would say you were more towards cut than hard. 

Thanks Tatyana for the woman's values!


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## andye

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


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## Spangle1187

I think I am around 18% at the moment but I am bulking so dont think its that bad ? mind you I would say I look like I have more than 18%!:boohoo:


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## JohnOvManc

Nice guide.

There's another one here that is very good also...

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showpost.php?p=2280540&postcount=9

worth a look.


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## Peg

Yup, that is where I found the book resource and used the sliced picture from there. They've got some good examples, too.

Just waiting for one of our members to get to sliced.


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## JohnOvManc

Peg said:


> Yup, that is where I found the book resource and used the sliced picture from there. They've got some good examples, too.
> 
> Just waiting for one of our members to get to sliced.


That is some incredable condition getting BF that low isn't it.


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## Peg

It is amazing conditioning and discipline!!!!

Have you ever been sliced?


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## JohnOvManc

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.


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## Peg

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?


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## Tatyana

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


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## Tatyana

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!


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## Nine Pack

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!


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## supercell

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


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## Nine Pack

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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## DB

oh paul thats the worst when sitting down hurts as u have no fat or water on your ass...


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## Nine Pack

Yup, it's a hoot. It was uncomfortable sitting on the sofa, let alone a hard chair. In reality, I was in that state for only about 3 weeks so it's not too bad. Next time, whenever it will be, I'll go further down as even at the skinfiold levels I had, there was still a bit to come off here & there.


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## DB

lol yeah he last 6 weeks on a hardchair but the last 2 weeks were somethign else i had to lay down all the time!!

its nice having a big ass back lol

i use to have to put a cushion on my exercise bike it was so painfull!!


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## Da Goon

Where can I get a decent pair of body calipers from and is it difficult to do your own 4 site test for body fat?


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## carly

Tatyana said:


> 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


oh fab cant wait to see the female version!!! xx


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## UKNaturalMuscle

Being a new member I have only just come across this and have to say that's an interesting little chart that you've created. Are you hoping it will be adopted as an international standard?


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## kaz28

Tatyana - thanks for the info.

As a female newbie to BB I am unsure exactly where body fat levels should be when in the off-season. How can you drop body fat whilst keeping good energy levels??????


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## MultipleMadness

I am Defined.. WOOP WOOP

Be getting to ripped in about 3 weeks though


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## anabolic ant

i did a project using calipers and working out bodyfat %...which was to do with obesity...and here is the jackson & pollock equation i used to calculate bodyfat percentage in the correct way with 3 skinfold measurements:[abdomen is 2-3inches to the right of the belly button,suprailiac is about 2 inches above your hip on the right and triceps would be the most meatiest part,pinched all the way to the muscle,mid upper arm muscle(MUAM)]

There were 4 skinfolds taken where 3 skinfolds were used (Abdomen, Suprailiac and Triceps) for the Jackson and Pollock 3 skinfold bodyfat % equation to calculate bodyfat % using:

% body fat = (0.39287 x sum of three skinfolds) - (0.00105 x [sum of three skinfolds]2 ) + (0.15772 x age) - 5.18845

= (0.39287 X _________) - (0.00105 X [________] 2) + (0.15772 X_______)

(skinfolds) (skinfolds) (age)

- 5.18845 = _________% (Jackson &Pollock1985).

(the sum of 3 skinfolds is the first 2 blank spaces,then the age is for the last blank space,it doesnt quite come out ok on here as it did in my thesis)

i know that this equation if used correctly with values input correct,will give you within 0.001 % correct bodyfat %

better than any bathroom scale machine or gym facility!!!

i cant give you the gold standards,but next best thing would be the bodpod at your nearest uni that runs bio-sciences,sports science or human nutrition!!!!!

anyway...hope this helped for getting correct calculations for bodyfat %...as a scientist i think some values are badly calculated and mis-represented way off the truth!!!

just be careful how you use bodyfat % and how its determined by lets say the gym rat idea as oppose to a scientists definition!!!

dont mean to be a bummer...just i couldnt believe anyone being 2-3% bodyfat level...this would mean your very close to death's door.looking very emaciated and bony...taking into account internal organ fat as well....serious medical conditions arise from this kind of starvation which i studied from people suffering from mal-nutrition or under-nutrition in poorer under-developed countries!


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## chrismac

What would you say I am in my avatar?


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## anabolic ant

i would say your in the 10%12% bracket chrismac...but thats a total guess and nothing to go by,you may be loads less or more,hope not...but i say get the calipers out n get cracking,haha!!!

looking good tho bro...keep training hard!!!



chrismac said:


> What would you say I am in my avatar?


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## chrismac

Thanks mate, I have some accumeasure calipers, might have to dig them out soon!

BTW -is that you in your avatar? Fcuking huge!


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## anabolic ant

yep that is me...thanks for the compliment...,i dont think i'm big at all,guess its just camera angles...we all striving to get bigger n stronger tho...blimey,you aint small either dude!!!

keep training hard...!!


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## kawikid

Can someone update this thread. It's a brilliant thread to use as a reference, but some of the pictures are tiny and others dont show a human at all.

<<<<<<<<<< any guesses at a rough % for me??


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## YoungGun

Think im a full house lol, except i dont have loads of muscle! Think im around 17/18 percent, im adding cardio from now on! ha:tongue:


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## anabolic ant

yeah that illustration that comes with bodpods is a great picture illustration that shows people of different bodyfat % levels,with a separate one for men and women...if i can get my hands on it or grab it off the net somewhere i'll post it for visual representation of bodyfat % pics!!!


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## slype

How do I measure my body fat?


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## Goose

Right its time to get some calipers! Anyone know of a decent source?

I reckon im off the scale for shizzle!

-Matt


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## musclefox

If i stick a photo up of my back would you be able to tell roughly what my bodyfat percentage is Cheers.


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## Guest

PMSL at TinyToms pic and the 10% if he is 10% i am 30%!!!!!!!!1


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## Guest

musclefox said:


> If i stick a photo up of my back would you be able to tell roughly what my bodyfat percentage is Cheers.


 Post it up mate i enjoy guessing games obviously you can only guess the % on your back as we all hold it differently.


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## musclefox

Ok here goes, im in the middle


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## Guest

Leaner than me .......now fvck off!

:lol:Man your sub q fat must be 3-4% surely?

Bf is such a weird thing to measure because some people include internal/inermuscular fat and others only include sub q.


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## musclefox

Hopefully will be leaner this year:thumb: i did measure it for my last show at 3% but wasnt really convinced, thanks Con, il hang about for a bit then fvck off:thumbup1:


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## davidsw8

Hmm, according to this, at 7.5% body fat, I'm classed as ripped. I'd have said my scales were off somewhat but I've always had readings from different scales of anywhere between 7% and 11% over the years. Anyway, suffice to say, I definitely ain't ripped. There could be two elements to this:

a) Variations in body fat percentages are relative to the individual and so it's wise to only use these classifications as a general guide.

B) Some people carry all their bodyfat in one place, i.e. I carry it all in my midsection.

I'm currently working on upping my cardio to reduce the midsection so it'll be interesting to see what the body fat percentage comes out as when I manage to get rid...

Actually, how do people measure their body fat? I've always used scales with that added function.


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## newdur

them scales mate are complete sh!t mate, they can be will off the mark depending on lots of factors but the main one being how much fluid youve had


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## davidsw8

newdur said:


> them scales mate are complete sh!t mate, they can be will off the mark depending on lots of factors but the main one being how much fluid youve had


I agree  . I try to do it at the same time each Saturday morning so I guess it's just useful as a comparative rather than an absolute measurement.


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## MillionG

> Actually, how do people measure their body fat? I've always used scales with that added function.


Just what I was thinking, how do you accurately and easily

measure your body fat. Is there a nice easy way?

Also what would you guys estimate from my profile pic? Because I really haven't a clue where I fit in the scale.


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## grantandjoel

hello


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## Mark W H

Our scales at home have a body fat % measure in them and they are crap. According to the scales i am obese (well over 30%bf) but i would guess i am somewhere between 12 and 15%. To be fair the scales small print did mention that they would not work for well muscled individuals.


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## dasheleboopi

oh crap its seems im a bit more than a full house, more like a semi detatched


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## littlesimon

dasheleboopi said:


> oh crap its seems im a bit more than a full house, more like a semi detatched


I'm a block of flats mate


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## IrishRaver

littlesimon said:


> I'm a block of flats mate


hahahaa!!


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## Wardy211436114751

Yikes looking at Tinytoms pic of 10% fat makes me realise I must be 15%+ atleast! Always liked to think I could be kinda 12%


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## JoePro

Can you post in here and have a bodyfat estimation?


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## JoePro

Callipers read 14.7%... I really don't think that's true what-so ever. Most of my fat carries on my ass, lower back and a bbit on my hams.

Does age contribute to fat %s?


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## barrettmma1436114759

or










or










what would my body fat % be?


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## Wardy211436114751

JoePro said:


> Callipers read 14.7%... I really don't think that's true what-so ever. Most of my fat carries on my ass, lower back and a bbit on my hams.
> 
> Does age contribute to fat %s?


Oi tubs work on some definition  Id say your about 20%ish


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## rocky666

anyone know where i can buy one of those christmas trees from on james l shredded pic i want one?


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