Ideal Bodyfat Percent?

[quote]Dr. Pangloss wrote:

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Even mentioning “ideal” is discussing a subjective definition…which means “ideal for what?”.
[/quote]

I mean, it’s this exactly.

Ideal for a bodybuilder about to step on stage: %4
Ideal for a bodybuilder 10 weeks out: %10
Ideal if you’re a PL’er: whatever puts you in your most competitive weight bracket
Ideal for me to just see my abs: %8
Ideal for someone else to just see their abs: %14
Ideal if lost at sea: %50
Ideal if lost as sea with a bunch of people who are increasingly hungry: %4
Ideal according to your mom: she loves you just the way you are
Ideal according to your insecure girlfriend: enough so that other girls don’t look at you

So, 9 different scenarios and 9 different right answers.
[/quote]

I like this but technically you didn’t answer the ? It’s what’s your opinion for yourself.

[quote]Smashingweights wrote:
I don’t get some of the answers in here?
The OP asked for people’s opinions on what each individual thinks the ideal BF% is and left it wide open based on goals.

Just give your opinion on what your answer is and knock off the “deeerp, dum question OP” comments.
Obviously the answer is different for different people, that’s why he asked for opinions and not absolute scientific prime numbers.
Geez, some of you like to argue and be negative just for the hell of it[/quote]

x2

as long as my belly isn’t sticking out further then my chest and I don’t have dick do then I’m good.

[quote]ryanbCXG wrote:
I like this but technically you didn’t answer the ? It’s what’s your opinion for yourself. [/quote]

I hover around %12, anything much less than that takes too much mental energy to maintain and is incompatible with parts of my lifestyle…the parts that like eating out and gin.

Obviously you’re getting different answers because people have different goals, but as I’ve said many times in the past, it will also depend a lot on how you honestly feel comfortable walking around.

As a bodybuilder, I know what ‘offseason’ weight range I can maintain comfortably while making honest progress and still being able to diet down without much effort for a show. Still, even if it meant that I’d gain an extra lb or two of muscle when I dieted down, I’d have to ask myself would it be worth pushing that offseason weight up another 10-15 lbs and walking around like that for the majority of the year. All in all, an individual concern no matter how you look at it.

In my own case (and no one else’s), while I couldn’t tell you bodyfat percentages, I know that if i can’t see my abs flexed, I know I’ve gotten too heavy to lie to myself about looking “good for offseason”.

S

[quote]Dr. Pangloss wrote:

[quote]ryanbCXG wrote:
I like this but technically you didn’t answer the ? It’s what’s your opinion for yourself. [/quote]

I hover around %12, anything much less than that takes too much mental energy to maintain and is incompatible with parts of my lifestyle…the parts that like eating out and gin.[/quote]

I love food. Thank god I love working out too I’d be disturbingly fat otherwise

[quote]ryanbCXG wrote:

[quote]Dr. Pangloss wrote:

[quote]ryanbCXG wrote:
I like this but technically you didn’t answer the ? It’s what’s your opinion for yourself. [/quote]

I hover around %12, anything much less than that takes too much mental energy to maintain and is incompatible with parts of my lifestyle…the parts that like eating out and gin.[/quote]

I love food. Thank god I love working out too I’d be disturbingly fat otherwise [/quote]

I vote for this one.

12%ish is good. Yes, you do look better been at 10%ish, but in my opinion that takes too much effort for what its worth.

tweet

-3%

What happened with honesty.
I am sure some like the bungalow, the duplex, the triplex look.
To each his fullhouse preference.
I had homeless times, it was cool.

[quote]Dr. Pangloss wrote:

[quote]ryanbCXG wrote:
I like this but technically you didn’t answer the ? It’s what’s your opinion for yourself. [/quote]
gin.[/quote]

12-18

[quote]Dr. Pangloss wrote:
%8.31415943524623642pancakes352352

[/quote]

You are so stupid! It’s %8.31415943524623642pancakes352351 !!!

[quote]Dr. Pangloss wrote:
%8.31415943524623642pancakes352352[/quote]

Reciting pi or a happy coincidence that 314159 all came in a row?

[quote]The Rattler wrote:

[quote]Dr. Pangloss wrote:
%8.31415943524623642pancakes352352[/quote]

Reciting pi or a happy coincidence that 314159 all came in a row?[/quote]

I did throw pi in there.

However, it was a happy coincidence that the letters I typed just happened to spell “pancakes”

[quote]Professor X wrote:

[quote]CMdad wrote:
So what do you guys/girls think the ideal bf % is to walk around at? You could take this anyway you want from any perspective ie. esthetics, health, athletic performance etc.
I’d say 10-15% is probably ideal. You’d have decent muscle definition but also enough fat reserves to maintain proper body fucnction and enough to tap into in case of an “emergency” such as a prolonged illness where food intake was minimal. Also, I think for most people, this is a reasonably easily maintained level that wouldn’t require excessive effort.[/quote]

You know…I don’t think your body gives a shit exactly what “number” you are.

Even mentioning “ideal” is discussing a subjective definition…which means “ideal for what?”.

Why would a powerlifter care what “number” they were? Why would it be the same for everyone?

If anyone even begins arguing an exact “number range” they ignore basic biology and sports specific training.[/quote]

Except having too high of a body fat percentage can lead to insulin insensitivity, increased risk of cardiac disease and a whole swack of other health problems, likewise having too low of a body fat percentage can be hard on your joints, hormonal issues, ect

[quote]Jbott1988 wrote:
Except having too high of a body fat percentage can lead to insulin insensitivity, increased risk of cardiac disease and a whole swack of other health problems, likewise having too low of a body fat percentage can be hard on your joints, hormonal issues, ect[/quote]

Syndrome X, Obesity and all that goes with it is what leads to “insulin sensitivity”. No one should become obese and someone showing signs of syndrome X is is usually NOT someone training regularly. Someone who does will not respond the same as a sedentary person.

Yes, being too lean can be hard on your joints. Where that line is would also be individual but I have mentioned this before especially when the primary focus is on gaining all out size and strength.

[quote]CMdad wrote:
So what do you guys/girls think the ideal bf % is to walk around at? You could take this anyway you want from any perspective ie. esthetics, health, athletic performance etc.[/quote]
Lo, and there be shown unto he an article titled “The Perfect Bodyfat Percentage”. And it shall have been written by an expert. And it shall discuss the benefits, problems, and guidelines for different people and different fat levels. And it was a good article. And we were happy and at peace.

But yeah, like a few others have said, your actual bodyfat percentage number is kinda like your IQ. Knowing what number you are is only good for telling people what number you are. There’s no real world use for it. “Pretty close to seeing abs” is probably what I’d call “ideal”, as in a reasonable 24/7/365 compromise between strength, speed, athleticism, and appearance.

[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:

[/quote]

Interesting that Starnes believes in Setpoints also…especially with the talk against it I have seen here.

[quote]Set Point Considerations
The human body has a lot of internal thermostat-type processes that help it maintain homeostasis. It tries to keep some semblance of “normal” in terms of bodily processes, and it can be quite difficult to change that set point.

Ever notice how after dieting your body tries to fall back to the weight you started at? That’s your set point. It’s what your body is used to, and it wants to get back to that state.

One way to help re-set your set point is to maintain the new weight for a longer period of time in an attempt to get your body to recognize the new weight as its new set point.

Resetting your set point can take months. So rather than getting your weight up to a certain point and then immediately dieting back down, hold that new weight for six months or longer. It will help you hold on to more of that new muscle when you do eventually diet down.

This doesn’t mean get fat and stay fat! It means put on muscle, keep your body fat under control, then hold that new weight for a while before slowly leaning out.[/quote]

I have written pretty much exactly the same here before but was met with much obstinance.

[quote]Professor X wrote:

[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:

[/quote]

Interesting that Starnes believes in Setpoints also…especially with the talk against it I have seen here.

[quote]Set Point Considerations
The human body has a lot of internal thermostat-type processes that help it maintain homeostasis. It tries to keep some semblance of “normal” in terms of bodily processes, and it can be quite difficult to change that set point.

Ever notice how after dieting your body tries to fall back to the weight you started at? That’s your set point. It’s what your body is used to, and it wants to get back to that state.

One way to help re-set your set point is to maintain the new weight for a longer period of time in an attempt to get your body to recognize the new weight as its new set point.

Resetting your set point can take months. So rather than getting your weight up to a certain point and then immediately dieting back down, hold that new weight for six months or longer. It will help you hold on to more of that new muscle when you do eventually diet down.

This doesn’t mean get fat and stay fat! It means put on muscle, keep your body fat under control, then hold that new weight for a while before slowly leaning out.[/quote]

I have written pretty much exactly the same here before but was met with much obstinance.[/quote]

I think that’s for the same reason the ‘lower bf = better insulin sensitivity = better gains’ gets debated. Both have basis in science and anecdotal evidence, but is still just ya know, ‘theory’.

Pertaining to the OP, I think I feel best at lower BF%, like 10-12%. But to gain weight muscle, I seem to kind of have to creep to 15ish, mid teens, whatever. But after a certain point I feel lethargic. Having 'abs, really isn’t a good indicator for me, because the way I hold fat abs are there at higher bf levels. Once getting past 15% I start getting bad love handles/hip/lower back fat. Throws off any v-taper.

Damnit spidey you have not been near 15