# Bodyfat Percentages - a Visual Guide



## DiggyV (May 6, 2011)

Thought people might find this useful when wondering roughly what bodyfat percentage they are. Will never obviously make up for accurate multi point calliper readings, or even better a body pod, but at least will point you in the right direction.


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## alex the bear (Mar 7, 2012)

Am aiming for 10-15%, am at 25%+ now :sad:


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## DiggyV (May 6, 2011)

I am at 15-17% right now, and am going to be at 12% very shortly - 3 months. :thumb:


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## Goosh (Jun 24, 2012)

If that's true, i'm now disappointed lol


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## mygym-mytemple (Jun 8, 2012)

alex the bear said:


> Am aiming for 10-15%, am at 25%+ now :sad:


I went from 25+ to around 10-12% in 6 months.

Train hard eat right and it can be done

Good luck


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## alex the bear (Mar 7, 2012)

It's mad because I would happily have the body of the girl @ 25% but she definitely wouldn't have me :lol:


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## alex the bear (Mar 7, 2012)

mygym said:


> I went from 25+ to around 10-12% in 6 months.
> 
> Train hard eat right and it can be done
> 
> Good luck


Good effort bud!!!!! wow that's good going, I'm being realistic and given myself plenty of time and a 10-15% target but I am not giving up until I'm there. Having seen this pic 12-15% and I'll be buzzing


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## DiggyV (May 6, 2011)

DiggyV said:


> I am at 15-17% right now, and am going to be at 12% very shortly - 3 months. :thumb:


Should have mentioned I started at about 38% :lol:

The body of a God - Buddha!


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## DiggyV (May 6, 2011)

Goosh said:


> If that's true, i'm now disappointed lol


Its pretty accurate TBH.


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## bailey-bose (Dec 30, 2011)

ill aim for that 25% woman, sheeeeees fine!!


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## Goosh (Jun 24, 2012)

DiggyV said:


> Its pretty accurate TBH.


Gonna have get myself remeasured as I am a good 10% off what I thought.


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## alex the bear (Mar 7, 2012)

DiggyV said:


> Should have mentioned I started at about 38% :lol:
> 
> The body of a God - Buddha!


So you basically lost an entire mans worth of weight to get where you are today :clap: well mate at 12% you'll be more Hercules than buddha :lol:

My body is a temple, fat at the bottom and thin at the top :laugh:


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## sigarner (Mar 26, 2013)

I'm a fat lump in that case! No way am I 25%.


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## AleisterCrowley (Jul 28, 2013)

Good thread,i'd say i'm 25% but I will be starting a diet tomorrow.


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## sigarner (Mar 26, 2013)

I'd also like to say I'm not fat but I don't have a 6 pack either like most the guy on there.


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## Poke (May 31, 2012)

Im about 17-18% judging by that, but am carrying water bloat atm from DNP so is hard to tell.

looking to get down to 12-13% and lean bulk from there


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## Poke (May 31, 2012)

sigarner said:



> I'd also like to say I'm not fat but I don't have a 6 pack either like most the guy on there.


w3ater bloat and sodium intake has allot to do with it.

You could be 15% but have abs like someone who is 18% but just go keto for a few days or eat plain chicken and a little plain rice and you will lose the water.


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## DiggyV (May 6, 2011)

A lot of people mis judge their body fat, believing it to be lower than it is. Also the more extreme levels on that table are actually unhealthy. Fat is critically important to your body's function. It is required for the production of a lot of the major hormones and enzymes and also for correct central nervous function. Your typical men's health cover model is in the 10-12% bracket as that is a level that is maintainable without it becoming a constant battle, and fight against your body.

Competitive BB-ers live, briefly, in the lower levels, although not all are in the <5% category.

The photos are pretty accurate and reflect how I have guesstimated people when prepping them for shows back in the day.

If anyone has been measuring themselves using any of the array of plastic callipers from eBay (or similar) then they place me at 12.4% currently (I use a set not for accuracy, just for general direction of % movement) when I KNOW I am at 16-17%.


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## DiggyV (May 6, 2011)

alex the bear said:


> So you basically lost an entire mans worth of weight to get where you are today :clap: well mate at 12% you'll be more Hercules than buddha :lol:
> 
> My body is a temple, fat at the bottom and thin at the top :laugh:


Over 5st of fat lost and about 2 stone of muscle gained. Pretty happy. Have a little loose skin which I have to live with now, its slowly shrinking, but at 47 I am not expecting miracles.


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## Mish (May 1, 2011)

Not accurate at all. There are no legs or glutes visible in any of those pictures. The biggest muscle group and the single biggest muscle on the body. Everyone hold fat in different places.

It stands to reason that a very large percentage of people will hold fat in their upper thigh and a*se area.


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## reza85 (Jan 11, 2009)

Mish said:


> Not accurate at all. There are no legs or glutes visible in any of those pictures. The biggest muscle group and the single biggest muscle on the body. Everyone hold fat in different places.
> 
> It stands to reason that a very large percentage of people will hold fat in their upper thigh and a*se area.


X2


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## reza85 (Jan 11, 2009)

I reckon I'm around 12/14


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## bigmitch69 (May 14, 2008)

I reckon I'm about 15% in the mornings


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## marknorthumbria (Oct 1, 2009)

I've had my body up and down the bf scale but I've been sub 10% all year, 8-9 going from these pictures, I've used the pictures OP posted to gauge mine,

Too fkin lazy to find where to get my body fat measured here ha


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## warsteiner (Jul 15, 2013)

A good guide although a little depressing when you realise you are higher than you like to think you are. Time to increase the cardio and get back to the strict diet.


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## 2004mark (Oct 26, 2013)

I'd say it's a good guide. Better than the other one people post.


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## DiggyV (May 6, 2011)

Mish said:


> Not accurate at all. There are no legs or glutes visible in any of those pictures. The biggest muscle group and the single biggest muscle on the body. Everyone hold fat in different places.
> 
> It stands to reason that a very large percentage of people will hold fat in their upper thigh and a*se area.


Most people tend to hold it evenly across their body with different 'hotspots' based on either hormone issues or just genetics. In the main these will be chest, glutes and upper quads, lower back, gut etc. My upper quads are probably my lowest fat percentage points on my body. However as a guide they are more accurate than most of the others I have seen. Also will give most people a better understanding of where they are, and a damn sight more accurate than some of the guesstimates that are posted on here when people put up pics asking for opinions on BF%.

If you look at the original message, I did state the ONLY accurate ways of doing it are multi point with good quality callipers, or by using a body pod.


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## simonthepieman (Jun 11, 2012)

height x width rations will skew results too.

It makes me under 15% which is a nice number at the end of a bulk, so i will take it


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## Leigh (Jun 13, 2012)

@DiggyV

I DO NOT LIKE the picture!!!

AAAAAHHHHHhhhhh!!!!

(quietly goes to corner:crying


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## Smitch (Dec 29, 2008)

Goosh said:


> If that's true, i'm now disappointed lol


Dunno why people get so hung up on BF%

If you don't like the way you look then keep cutting, not worry about some fictional number put in your head by people on an internet forum!


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## funkdocta (May 29, 2013)

Smitch said:


> Dunno why people get so hung up on BF%
> 
> If you don't like the way you look then keep cutting, not worry about some fictional number put in your head by people on an internet forum!


Yeah thats my opinion too. Unless your competing then it doesnt matter how low the % is as long as you are happy how you look.


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## Goosh (Jun 24, 2012)

Smitch said:


> Dunno why people get so hung up on BF%
> 
> If you don't like the way you look then keep cutting, not worry about some fictional number put in your head by people on an internet forum!


Was a comment said in jest mate. I'm only disappointed as I was trying to be good during my last bulk and measuring myself with callipers and my callipers are WAY wrong as they had me down as 9% (so I assumed margin of error and had 14% in my head). According to those pics I'd be about 22-25%.

More than happy with how I look tbh. Just have more disappointment at my **** measuring skills than how I look.


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## [email protected] (Dec 9, 2012)

Leigh L said:


> @DiggyV
> 
> I DO NOT LIKE the picture!!!
> 
> ...


I don't like it either :no:

I think we should kill it with fire!


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## [email protected] (Dec 9, 2012)

@BritishAssassin


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## BritishAssassin (Nov 26, 2007)

[email protected] said:


> @BritishAssassin


PM'd

xx


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## Destiny1 (Dec 20, 2012)

Any body else like 10 -15 % upper body and legs yet

20-25 lower belly


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