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How to Calculate Your Ideal Body Fat Percentage. by: E. LaMeaux Many of us ask the question, "what body fat percentage am I?

Mayo Clinic staff, as well as other health professionals, list the following age-adjusted body fat percentile recommendations: Women: yrs old: Underfat: under 21 percent, Healthy: percent, Overweight: percent, Obese: Over 39 percent yrs old: Underfat: under 23 percent, Healthy: percent, Overweight : percent Obese: over 40 percent yrs old: Underfat: under 24 percent, Healthy: percent, Overweight: percent, Obese: over 42 percent Men: yrs old: Underfat: under 8 percent, Healthy: percent, Overweight: percent, Obese: over 25 percent yrs old: Underfat: under 11 percent, Healthy: percent, Overweight: percent, Obese: over 27 percent yrs old: Underfat: under 13 percent, Healthy: percent, Overweight: percent, Obese: over 30 percent.

Step 2: Weigh yourself. Step 3: Calculate your body mass index BMI. Step 4: Calculating body fat percentage. Women: 1. Step 5: Compare your body fat percentage to the percentiles listed in Step 1.

We begin learning through both subtle and overt cues, messages, observations and images what the values and norms of that culture are in that time and place. Here's the lowdown. Body fat is measured by percentage, calculated by how much body fat you have in relation to the rest of your body like your bones, muscle mass, organs, etc.

While body fat percentage can be a fairly useful indicator of health — as mentioned, both high and low body fat are associated with certain health risks. Depends who you ask. The NHS uses BMI body mass index , which requires no special tools or tech to calculate.

Working it out is simple: just divide your weight in kilograms by your height in metres squared. As you've likely heard, BMI is not a perfect measure — for example, it fails to account for muscle mass, which, of course, body fat percentage does.

However, unless professionally done, body fat percentage measures are pretty inaccurate sorry, fancy scale at your gym. Overall measures of body fat also usually don't pinpoint where on the body excess fit sits. Is there a way to calculate your own body fat percentage?

There are several — many of which can be done at home and without eye-watering costs. But there's always a but, isn't there? as previously mentioned, you're not going to have an exact figure without the help of medical professionals and a stint in a lab.

Here are some of the options available. If you're happy with a rough estimate, then, luckily for you, maths is here to help. A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition uses the following equations to predict body fat percentages:.

For women: 1. As such, say you were a 5ft, 4-inch year-old woman who weighs pounds — you would have a BMI of This rather old-school — and uncomfortable — method of body fat measurement involves using calipers to pinch the fat on certain areas of the body triceps, chest, quad, waist, etc.

and measuring the skinfold. The caliper method can be useful in identifying where you may be carrying excess body fat, as a precursor to diagnosing certain conditions. For example, the amount of fat we carry around our waist can increase our risk of serious health ailments such as heart disease, diabetes, strokes and high blood pressure.

Still, you'll need an expert to help you with this one. Even then, there's a risk of human error. While they're not as cheap as your average bathroom scales , there are plenty of smart scales on the market that provide weight readings, as well as your body fat, muscle mass, water and bone density.

Prices range from about £30 upwards, and while accuracy may vary, it may be helpful to use the readings as a benchmark, if you're looking to increase or decrease body fat. Another fairly accessible option is body composition measuring machines, such as DEXA and other 3D scanners.

These contraptions work using something called bioelectrical impedance analysis, the rate at which an electrical current can travel through your body. Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis is quick and easy, but the data doesn't show where your fat is stored. The Bod Pod is highly accurate and detailed, but it'll take a sizeable bite out of your wallet.

In terms of reliability, the greatest inaccuracies are typically found in home measuring methods. For example, Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis is pretty spot-on when it uses widely-published maths formulas, a study published in BMJ Open found — but the machine-generated calculations found in home body fat scales vastly under- or over-estimate a person's data.

If you've got a set at home, try not to get strung up on the baseline digits — instead, focus on whether they rise or fall over time.

Lowering your body fat percentage requires tactical management of both your diet and your exercise regime. However, in a nutshell, if you're in a calorie deficit — burning more calories than you consume — your body fat percentage will fall. Start by using an online TDEE calculator to work out your daily calorie expenditure and reduce that by around kcals to begin crafting losses.

To crank things up a notch, try adding some high intensity sessions into your routine. Give the following workouts a crack and your six-pack should be on show in no time:. You might be wondering how BMI fits into the picture.

A BMI calculator pits your weight against your height to ascertain whether you're a "healthy" weight, though some online calculators factor in additional information such as age, gender and activity level. At its simplest, though, the formula divides your weight in kilograms by your height in metres , and the results are categorised as follows:.

There are some serious limitations in attempting to quantify your gym progress with a BMI calculator. This one-size-fits-all approach fails to take into account some pretty crucial data about your body composition — your ratio of muscle and fat, particularly visceral fat the dangerous kind that wraps around your organs , as well as your lifestyle.

By BMI's calculations, the strongest, fittest bloke on the rugby pitch could be overweight. A professional bodybuilder? Similarly, someone with a lower weight and high proportion of fat to muscle think: dad-bod could be considered "healthy", even if they rarely exercise and smoke a packet of cigarettes a day.

As body composition metrics go, tracking your body fat percentage can certainly be useful for h oning a washboard stomach , but it doesn't provide a reliable snapshot of your wellbeing. Much like the BMI calculation, your body fat percentage doesn't reflect how well you sleep , how stressed you are , or how nourishing your diet is — all crucial factors that contribute towards your progress in the gym, and your general physical and mental health outside of it.

Think about it this way: it's no use carving out a six-pack if you're too burned out to maintain it. If you have any concerns about your BMI or body fat percentage, speak with your doctor, a certified personal trainer or registered dietitian.

They will be able to provide sound, safe advice to help you hit your goals in a responsible manner that fits your needs and lifestyle. Struggling to find personal trainer or dietitian? As with most things, word of mouth and reputation go a long way.

Failing that, speak to your local gym as they should have contacts that are certified. Could Ice Baths Be Hurting Your Gains?