Is my BF% really that high? Pics

allright, i am on phase 1 of growth surge and before i started i took my BF% with some calipers and it said i was at 12.5%. i didnt think i was doing it right and figured it would be a pain in the ass to take caliper measurements all the time so i finally broke down and bought a tanita body fat scale to monitor my progress. the tanita has consistently given me a reading of 12% on athlete mode since i got it a few days ago though. 12-13% just seems kind of high. can you guys tell me approximately what you think my BF% would be. here are some pics i just put up on the internet: http://hometown.aol.com/nict450. The first one is a relaxed picture and the second one i am flexing. Thanks in advance. -Nic

ABS look good bro…i’d say you look about 10.5%-11% give or take…

It’s hard to tell, my BF readings say 12/13% right now and i can see my abs too.

The thing is maybe you store more fat at your love handles than in your habs, like i do.

I think it’s possible you are 13%, but who knows? I dont really care much about readings anymore, now its the mirror and the scale.

Damn that looks pretty good. I would be content with that level of fatness. I hope to be there in a couple of weeks.

11% ?

I’d say at least 12%. No offense, but though you can see your abs some what, you’re not what most would call “ripped”. You have enough BF% to hide the definition of your abs. If you got below 10%, you’d really see your abs. I’m just coming off cutting phase and went from 15% to 6-7% as measured by accumeasure caliper and tanita athlete BF scale. My abs looked like yours when at about 12%. Big difference when got below 8%.

I look something like that in my midsection and I’m 12%.

Since I cannot see the rest of your body, I cannot provide a real good answer. About 12% is pretty close. Really the range could be 9-14% just from what I have seen in my measurement experience. Some things to consider about body composition. Accuracy is not all that important. (Sure, we want accuracy but most methods will have you in the ballpark.) Use body composition measurements to track your changes and monitor progress.

cool, thanks for the replies. the only thing that had me skeptical was that i got measured at the gym by a personal trainer about a year ago and they told me my BF% was 7%. that was when i weighed about 162. right now i weigh 170 and i feel like i put on at least 5 pounds of muscle. assuming that the reading now and the reading then are both correct that would mean i actually lost a couple of pounds of muscle and gained about 10 pounds of fat, which i just don’t think is possible. if so though then basically besides my strength gains, the last year i have spent in the gym has been a complete waste. well, anyways, i plan on taking pictures for each phase of growth surge and when i get done about 2 months from now and am 175 at 6% BF on the tanita i will put the pics on a web page so you can see my progress. once again, thanks for the replies. - Nic

I would guess around 10%. I did my bodyfat test hydrostatically last week. I was pretty interesting how they did it. Either my abs aren’t as developed as yours or your BF is lower than mine. I’m at 9.8% right now and my abs don’t look like that. (not a fan of ab exercises)

Nic,
In my experience electric bf measuring devices read about 2% higher than calipers on most people.

the tanita measuring device definitely has some error in it. I know of someone who has one and registers 2.5%BF and even less upon waking (before he drinks fluids). He IS on a CR (calorie reduced) diet however.

My tanita in athlete mode always measures 1-2% LOWER than calipers and the tanita can vary several % during the day and even from 1 morn to the next morn. I’ve heard the same thing from others and just use the tanita as an indication of progress over time and average the tanita values over several days or a week. For reliable BF measurment, I rely on my accu-measure caliper which provides consistant measurement. I’m just ending cutting cycle and my accumeasure measures 7% using the 1 site accumeasure method and 6.7% using the 3 site method from enforcergraphics but the tanita will measure anything from 4.7 to 7.5%, being usually around 6%. And I can measure the 4.7% and 7.5% on the same day, just different times (morn vs nite). I find the tanita value depends greatly on my current level of hydration.

I also have the Tanita scale and my BF% fluctuates between 11-13% depending on what time of day it is. Also last August I had a personal trainer use calipers on 7 different areas on my body that showed I was 13% BF. I believe you are lower because I do not have the definition in my abs like you do.

Your under 10 % for sure. My guess is 8%.

your abs are great dude… you can never tell… im around 235 - 240 and my abs are pretty good but i know my bodyfat is about 15% you look about 9 or 10 percent