Calculation of percentages of women. The percentage of body fat is an important criterion for health and beauty. Types of fat deposits in the body

Let's explore what constitutes a normal percentage of body fat

Previously, men (and even some women) set their main goal to build muscles. But times are changing and now the main thing is “lean” mass, namely getting rid of fat mass in order to maximize muscle manifestation. Just think of Brad Pitt in Fight Club or Cristiano Ronaldo at any point in the last ten years. Pronounced muscles, not fat tissue.

A similar figure - lean body mass, without excess deposits - has recently become main goal trainers and visitors gyms. But even if you are not striving for such pronounced muscles, it is worth finding out what percentage of body fat is normal and whether you need to change it, since this amount is one of the main indicators of the health of the body.

« Normal percentage body fat reduces the risk of developing a variety of diseases,” explains Dr Luke Powles from Bupa’s Crossrail Medical Center in London.

“It has been shown repeatedly that increased body fat leads to increased cholesterol levels and blood pressure, both of which are risk factors for developing cardiovascular diseases. This condition can also cause certain types of cancer and diabetes. In men high rate fat leads to erectile dysfunction.

But percentage body fat to muscle mass should not be too low, since underweight also leads to the development of a number of diseases.”

How much fat should you ideally have? For men aged 20-39 years old, the norm of body fat varies from 8 to 20%, for men aged 40-59 – from 11 to 22%. Now it’s much easier to find out your body fat percentage: smart scales, pocket scanners and fitness trackers can easily provide all the information about your body composition. For conservatives (or budget-conscious) there is also an option - a caliper.

Before you start losing fat, it's worth learning a little about the biological processes behind it. Let's start with the two types of fat: essential and stored.

Essential fats

Essential fats are fats that are necessary for the healthy and normal functioning of our body. For men, this is about 3% of total body weight. Without irreplaceable fatty acids, such as omega-3s from fatty fish, nuts and seeds, the body is unable to process nutrients such as vitamins A, K and D, which are responsible for immunity, blood clotting and calcium absorption. Fat is also necessary to protect internal organs and to regulate core body temperature.

Accumulated fat

Another type - accumulated - is the result of excess calories consumed. When we eat, calories that are not immediately used for functioning (such as providing energy for breathing or maintaining heart rate) are converted into triglycerides, which make up stored fat. Frequent excess calories, which cause fat accumulation, lead to weight gain. On the other hand, a repeated calorie deficit forces the body to use stored fat mass as energy, depleting reserves and leading to weight loss.

Body fat percentage

Simply put, fat is unused energy that is life-threatening. Its percentage in the body is the ratio of fat mass to total body weight. Returning to the question of what percentage of fat a person should have in the body, it should be noted that this number is influenced by many factors, such as height, gender and heredity. A "healthy" percentage for men aged 20 to 40 is generally considered to be no less than 8% and no more than 20%. A healthy woman in the same age group should have a body fat percentage between 15% and 31%. These figures are based on November 2015 data from the Royal College of Nursing.

Table of body fat percentage for men of different age groups

Most people can be guided by these indicators, but it should be remembered that the table does not take into account individual fitness everyone's goals. Bodybuilders typically aim for ultra-lean muscle mass and a body fat percentage of no more than 5-8%. Cyclists and gymnasts are among the leanest athletes and typically have between 5 and 12% body fat. In order to look as prominent as possible, the indicator should be from 5 to 10%.

BMI and body weight

Body fat percentage is the best indicator of health. It is better suited for determining the constitution than the aging body mass index (BMI) or simply weighing. Weight can vary significantly depending on hormonal fluctuations, time of day, and the amount of food eaten and drunk before stepping on the scale.

If you are very tall and have significant muscle mass, your BMI will likely put you in the overweight or even obese category. The problem is that BMI was developed in 1832 by Belgian mathematician Adolphe Quetelet to identify the average person (determining how weight increases with height), not to identify underweight or obesity.

In the 1980s, BMI was adopted as a useful tool for determining life expectancy, and has been the bane of muscular people ever since. BMI often prevents young people from joining the police and other fitness-oriented agencies because they still use this indicator for admission. However, by measuring your body fat percentage, you are measuring the amount of fat mass, rather than getting an estimate based solely on height and weight.

It's hard to train without motivation. The ideal option for any athlete is when he sees changes happening to his body. What influences the appearance of a figure? The answer is obvious:
Muscle mass;
Body fat percentage.

If changes in the first parameter are easy to see by how training weights and volumes increase, then the second requires measurements. We'll tell you how to do this.

How and where does the body store fat reserves?

A man with low testosterone levels is often effeminate in appearance - wide hips complemented by breast formation female type, so-called gynecomastia. At the same time, women with low estrogen levels, if they accumulate fat, then, like in men, it gravitates to the folds on the abdomen.

Fat amount range

Too little fat content can lead to health problems. Don't forget: fat is necessary for normal height hair ( participates in the formation of the hair follicle along with proteins); synovial lubrication in joints ( ensures the sliding of the bone head along the cartilaginous substrate) also consists of fat.

Fat is used by the body to produce sex hormones. If its level is too low in men, testosterone production deteriorates. Having trouble recruiting or maintaining muscle mass, no sexual desire. In women, the menstrual cycle is disrupted.
Finally, too little fat percentage has a negative impact on the skin.

The optimal amount of fat in the body is considered 12-20% for men And 18-25% for women. In this case, the figure looks athletic, moderately sculpted, and health does not suffer in any way.

With age, with a constant subcutaneous layer of fat, its total amount increases: intramuscular fat and fat cells surrounding the internal organs accumulate.

Men with 30% fat and women with 35% have obvious external signs of obesity. In addition to aesthetics, health problems begin here: the number of problems with the heart and blood vessels increases sharply.

Ways to measure fat

Bioimpedance (electrical resistance measurement). Muscles, bones, fat and water have different electrical resistance. This fact has long been used by doctors when determining the exact percentage of fat ( the error of the method is no more than two percent). Relatively recently, household scales have appeared on the market that measure the percentage composition of the body using the bioimpedance method.

The essence of the method is that a very weak electric current is passed through the body. Based on the strength of the current at a known potential difference, it is possible to calculate the electrical resistance of body tissues, and if so, then their composition.

Using the bioimpedance method has several nuances:
Measurements are taken in a warm room. Sweat or, conversely, narrowing of capillaries after a walk on a winter street is unacceptable.
Measurements are taken on an empty stomach; in addition, taking diuretics greatly distorts the results.
A heavy workout or shower shortly before the measurement will affect skin moisture and the amount of water and salts in the body. If so, again the results will be distorted.
The electric current follows the shortest path, so when measuring with scales, only the resistance of the legs is taken into account, but not the torso. This method is not suitable for potbellies with thin legs.

Ultrasound. Estimates of the accuracy of this method vary greatly among different specialists. Fabrics of different densities conduct acoustic vibrations differently; theoretically, their patency in different parts of the body should give an accurate picture. In practice, sometimes you can see paradoxical results like 40% fat from a prize-winner in a bodybuilding competition.

Weighing in water. Fat has a different density than muscle tissue, remember? If so, the difference between body weight in air and in water will allow us to calculate the percentage of body fat using rather complex formulas.

WITH practical side it looks like this: you are seated in a chair suspended from scales, and after a deep exhalation, you are immersed in water for 10 seconds. For greater accuracy, the procedure is repeated three times. We can only hope that the mechanism that lifts you out of the water is very reliable and cannot jam.

X-ray scanner. The most expensive and most accurate method for determining fat. You will have to try to find a clinic that has such equipment, and then spend several thousand rubles on the examination. It might be better to buy a caliper, which will be discussed later.

Measuring fat folds. Finally, the simplest method of measuring fat percentage, which does not require complex instruments with acceptable accuracy of the result, is to pinch the fat folds at several points and measure them.

Doctors use a special meter for measurements - a caliper. At home, you can easily get by with a caliper or a regular ruler. We need to measure the folds at four points.

1 . We measure the thickness of the fat fold on the triceps, approximately at the same distance from the shoulder and elbow joints.

2 . Similarly, measure the fold on the biceps, on the opposite side of the arm.

3 . We measure fat fold on the shoulder blade. To be precise, the thickness of the tuck is measured just below any of the shoulder blades; the skin is pinched at an angle of 45 degrees to the vertical so that the fold is directed along the line connecting the cervical vertebrae and sides. Of course, you will need help to take measurements.

4 . We measure the fat fold at the waist in the navel area, where the most fat is.

The results are summarized. The following table is used to calculate your fat percentage:

As you can see, the table adjusts not only for gender, but also for age. The reason has already been mentioned: with age, the amount of fat inside the muscles and in abdominal cavity, around internal organs.

The approximate accuracy of the method is 2-3% error when correctly measured with a caliper.

Finding out your fat percentage is, of course, very interesting. However, from a practical point of view, this data does not provide much. If you are burning fat, it is enough to measure the volumes and enjoy the dynamics of their reduction. When the waist decreases by 2 cm, it is visible to the naked eye. When your body fat percentage decreases by X%, you may not notice anything visually.

Bonus! Visually measure your body fat percentage

Dietetics does not stand still. To calculate your ideal weight It is not enough to take into account only individual structure and growth. Standards for body fat content have been created for both sexes, as well as for three body types, height and age.

Such simple options, we will not consider here how to weigh yourself on an electronic scale that will show you the % of fat. Let's consider more interesting options.

How to calculate the percentage of fat by body volume? There are two special formulas, one for men and one for women. As you know, men and women accumulate fat in different ways: in men it is usually on the stomach, in women, as a rule, on the thighs and abdomen.

Formula for men: 495/(1.0324-0.19077(log(Waist-Neck))+0.15456(log(Height)))-450

Formula for women: 495/(1.29579-0.35004(log(Waist+Hip-Neck))+0.22100(log(Height)))-450

How to estimate the ratio of waist and hips? There is a simple method, although it does not give exact numbers, but it shows whether you have excess fat. Divide your waist size by your hip size. If you get a number greater than 0.8, you have excess fat, if less, your fat percentage is normal, everything is fine.

However, this method will not always show the exact amount of excess, so it can be used by not very obese people in order to prevent excess numbers and respond in a timely manner.

Calculation of body fat percentage based on skin fold thickness

Some fat measurement methods are only carried out by professionals, as the accuracy of the assessment depends on this. Let's look at them in more detail. As a rule, such methods are used in health centers and fitness clubs. The most popular of them is the method of measuring the thickness of the skin fold. A special device is used to pinch a fold of skin, the thickness of which is measured according to the applied scale. Typically, the thickness of the fold is measured on the abdomen, hips, chest, and upper back.

After this, the data is entered into the computer. The percentage of fat is calculated by a special program.

Answering the question “what % of fat is normal,” we can say the following:

Professional bodybuilders increase their body fat percentage before competition to 3-4%. This percentage of fat only lasts during competitions and beyond. fat mass is growing, because 3-4% is negligible for the body, especially for the female. It leads to hormonal imbalances and deterioration of skin and hair condition.

The minimum fat mass index is considered to be 5% for men and 10% for women. But this is precisely the minimum index, which is also achieved for some purposes for a short period. It is undesirable for health to have a constant percentage of body fat at such a low level.

The normal amount of adipose tissue in men is considered to be 12-20% and in women - 18-25%. In this case, the person looks athletic and fit, without excess fat, with a beautiful relief.

A clear excess of adipose tissue is when the percentage of fat in men exceeds 30%, and in women - 35%. Clear signs overweight and obesity: underdevelopment of muscles, excess fat deposits, health problems.

Calculation of body fat percentage using ultrasound

When using ultrasound, an ultrasound scan is performed in several areas of the body, since fatty tissues have different densities, after which the total amount of fat in the body is calculated. This calculation is made only in medical institutions that have special equipment.

Calculation of fat percentage from the picture (visually)

You can estimate your body fat percentage approximately. Look at the pictures and at yourself in the mirror and decide which option looks most like you.

In addition to those described above, the BES (bioelectric resistance) method is also used: a weak electric current is passed through your body through electrodes attached to your arms and legs. It is known that fat tissue does not conduct current, so it is believed that the faster the current passes through the body, the less fat you have. This method is used in portable devices that are similar to scales. This device is called a fat analyzer, and it can even be purchased at a very affordable price.

Modern electronic scales also have this function, however, they do not always give an accurate result, since the measurement is only taken in the feet, where the percentage of fat is small. Therefore, the readings may not be entirely accurate.

The last known method for measuring body fat percentage is water weighing. This type of measurement is carried out under water for 10 seconds on a special chair. Several approaches are made, the result is derived based on the three maximum results. This is a rather labor-intensive and inconvenient method; it is used exclusively for research purposes.

So, we have looked at several ways to measure the percentage of body fat. You learned that men and women gain weight in different ways, how to correctly measure volumes using a measuring tape, how to estimate the ratio of waist and hip volumes, you became acquainted with methods for assessing fat used for research purposes, this is: the method of measuring the thickness of the skin fold, ultrasound method, BES (bioelectric resistance) method, as well as weighing in water. You have the opportunity to assess the amount of fat in your body and take appropriate measures in time.

For athletes, and ordinary people who think about their health and those who want to lose weight, it is very important to know the percentage of fat in the body. After all, trying to get rid of extra pounds, people mean fat storage, not muscle or bone tissue. Many people simply ignore this indicator, focusing only on the arrow on the scales, but in vain.

Knowing the percentage of fat accumulation in the body is much more useful in order to correctly carry out procedures to eliminate it. Further in the material we will present methods how to determine body fat percentage, which is a constant process when losing weight, cutting and building muscle tissue. The methods presented below can be used independently or by contacting a specialist - a nutritionist or fitness trainer. These specialists will be able to determine exactly what the person seeking help needs to do. By studying individual characteristics, you can achieve the desired results.

When you step on the scale, you can see every time that your weight changes in one direction or another, even if it’s a small amount. But this does not mean that the content of fat accumulation has decreased - it could be simple dehydration or a decrease in muscle mass. If you really want to lose weight, then you need to get rid of the subcutaneous fat layer.

This is important: As a rule, people who want to reset excess weight, strive to go on a fast-acting diet. This leads to positive results, but in fact a person loses water and muscle mass - fat remains unchanged, or slightly leaves the abdomen.

The subsequent transition to a normal diet leads to a sharp replenishment of water and muscle mass - this happens in even larger quantities (which is why a person gains even more after a diet). To formula good weight was more correct, it is necessary to know exactly the percentage of fat contained in the body. That is why it is necessary to find out this indicator, for which several determination methods have been developed.

Normal for humans

For normal functioning of the body, it must contain an optimal percentage of fat. A minimum percentage of body fat is required for survival: men should have 3-5% body fat, and women should have 8-13%. You cannot get rid of it completely, since fat cells are necessary for the functioning of the body, otherwise you can simply die. Fat that is part of the nervous system and the one that surrounds the internal organs.

The bulk of body fat is found in the adipose tissue located under the layer of skin and around the organs - this is visceral fat. A small part is found in tissue cells throughout the body. All fats play an important role in the functioning of the body, but excess can lead to the development of heart and vascular diseases, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cardiac ischemia, and some types of oncology. Fat deposits in the body should be optimal because they maintain body temperature, protect internal organs from damage, promote the synthesis of hormones and other chemical compounds, and also perform other functions.

The table clearly shows that normal fats not so little is required if the person is not an athlete. If you try to reduce the amount of fat below the lowest level, then the body in general, and especially the internal organs, will suffer from this. You won’t be able to recover quickly - it’s quite difficult to return the optimal percentage of fat.

This is important: Too low a percentage contributes to the cross-section of the muscles, which makes them appear dissected and “striped,” dividing the muscle into small ridges. Everyone can achieve perfect body through exercise and diet, but maintain yourself in perfect shape It's quite difficult for a long time. To do this, it is necessary to constantly monitor calorie intake, and this is too difficult, especially if the body constitution is not conducive to being slim.

You need to stay within the healthy fat range and try not to go out of there. For normal well-being and reducing the risk of chronic pathologies, it is necessary to monitor the accumulation of fat cells and try to avoid overdoing it.

Expert opinion

Egorova Natalya Sergeevna
Dietitian, Nizhny Novgorod

The ratio of visceral and subcutaneous fat 1:9. That is, in the body of a healthy person, 10% of fat should be localized around internal organs, and 90% in subcutaneous fat. Violation of this ratio can have adverse consequences for the body.

Visceral fat is located around the internal organs and supports them. When its quantity is insufficient, these same organs begin to react painfully to increases in intra-abdominal pressure (for example, when coughing). And this can cause prolapse of the kidneys, spleen, liver, gallbladder, and intestines.

Excess visceral fat is even more dangerous than its lack, because visceral obesity is the main risk factor for a number of dangerous diseases: atherosclerosis, coronary disease heart, arterial hypertension, etc.

Thus, it is important to determine not only the total amount of fat in the body, but also its location, that is, how many percent of it is localized around the internal organs.

How to find out your fat percentage

There are many ways to determine the percentage of fat in the human body.

The simplest of them are presented in the following form:

• Scales with determination of body fat mass. It is important to know that such measuring instruments always have an error factor.
• Take a good look at yourself in the mirror and visually determine excess fat deposits.
• Use a centimeter ruler to measure the size of your waist and forearm. If your waist size has decreased and your forearms have increased, then fat has begun to be burned, and muscle grow.

All methods are easy to perform and accessible to everyone, but they do not give a specific result. Using these methods, you can find out the general condition of the fat layer.

Ideal weight formula

Having learned this, you can look at the result in the table:

This method is usually used by girls to determine the size of the fat layer.

Online calculator

The calculator, which is easy to find on the Internet, will quickly and correctly determine your indicator using five formulas. The results of the checks will be reflected on the graph of fat content categories in the table, where the percentage of fat and age will be expressed. In the gallery you can find photos of bodies with different levels of fatty tissue in the body. You just need to go to the online calculator page and fill out all the fields and click on the “calculate” button.

Result: Your body contains approximately fat (or ).

The result will be calculated using all formulas if all fields are filled in correctly. If you ignore something, the calculation will be made using an incomplete number of formulas. When completely filled out, the result will be immediately displayed on graphs, photos, and tables.

Please note: The online calculator determines the percentage in five ways and then gives the average value. Any of the methods produces an error in the range of +- 3%. The more methods are used, the more accurate the result will be.

Each method gives an indicator in percentage and its weight in kg. The methods have their own graphs, where the result of the test is highlighted with a yellow line. The second level of the graph, which is visible on the outer circle, highlights the scale, according to which the results are assessed as percentages. Next are two summary graphs, the first one shows the results of all formulas and the average value. The second graph shows a more accurate estimate of the percentage of fat, which was carried out taking into account age. In addition to calculating the percentage of body fat, the graph gives recommendations on further actions.

Other calculation methods

What other ways can you calculate your fat percentage?

• US Navy method. When recruited into the US military, everyone's body fat percentage is checked; weight doesn't matter. For this purpose, height, hip, waist and neck circumference are taken.
• Covert Bailey method. The results are based on age. For the calculation, the size of the hips, thighs, legs, wrists and age are taken.
• Using BMI. The calculation is based on height, weight and age. It is important to know that after 30 years the accuracy of the indicator decreases.
• Additional method. Its calculations are based on a larger number of parameters. Weight, wrist, hip, forearm and waist circumference are taken.

The resulting numbers are summed up and the average is calculated, which will be closer to reality.

Caliper Application

Women who diet to perfect their body are required to frequently calculate their body fat percentage. After all, health can suffer significantly from fluctuations in the fat layer. A special device called a caliper will help you quickly and accurately calculate the percentage of body fat for women. It is designed to measure the thickness of the fat layer anywhere on the body.

How can you determine the indicator using this device:

• Measure the thickness of the fold of fat at the back of the shoulder.
• Do the same between the ribs and the thigh bone.
• Measure the thickness on the stomach, slightly away from the navel.
• Calculate the indicator using the following formula: (Sum of all folds in cm + the same amount, but squared + 0.03661 x number of years lived) + 4.03653.

This is a difficult calculation, but with practice it can be done easily. This device can also calculate indicators in men.

Correcting the amount of fat in the body

According to the law of energy balance, the more energy is spent, the more fat is burned. But this is up to a certain point, after the main burning of the fat layer it becomes quite difficult to achieve its destruction. If you are planning to lose 10 kg, then burning the first half will be much easier and faster than the last 5 kg. To bring your body to the desired slimness, you will have to apply additional methods- playing sports. As the amount of fat decreases, each kilogram lost will become increasingly difficult.

Please note: Visceral or internal fat accumulates in adults with an increase in the total number of fat cells in the body, and not due to a hereditary predisposition. In men, it begins to accumulate when the body fat percentage reaches 20.6, and in women – from 39.4.

To move from one fat indicator to another, you need to follow some rules.

Gain fat

• What to do: eat processed foods and other fast food, eat more food at a fast pace.
• Restrictions: move little, do not exercise, exclude vegetables and fruits, healthy foods, sleep less.

Reduce fat

• What to do: eat 2 servings of protein foods per day, 1-2 vegetable dishes, exercise sports exercises 3-5 times a week.
• Restrictions: Eat fewer processed carbohydrates and drink less high-calorie drinks.

It is not recommended to burn fat to a critical point, because the whole body will begin to suffer from this, and most of all the internal organs. It is recommended to lose weight in small steps, gradually approaching the cherished number on the scales. The body should not experience stress during the weight loss process, otherwise it may malfunction and it will be difficult to recover.

Body fat percentage is the percentage of your weight that is made up of fatty tissue.

For example, A 70 kg woman with 30% body fat has 21.1 kg of adipose tissue. The remaining 48.9 falls on its muscles, bones, nerves, tissues, internal organs, etc.

The percentage of body fat directly depends on the level physical training, so it is a better indicator of health than body mass index (BMI).

The table shows the percentage of body fat in men and women, and their level of training

*For men, the condition is considered borderline at 25% of adipose tissue, and clinical obesity at 30%. In women, there is a borderline state at 30% of adipose tissue, and clinical obesity at 35%.
**Low body fat in women increases the likelihood of amenorrhea (cessation of menstruation).

How to measure body fat percentage correctly

To take measurements correctly, you must use a caliper. However, measurements will require the help of an outsider. Follow this algorithm:

1. Grasp the fold with two fingers and pinch it tightly;
2. Without releasing the fold, close the caliper jaws tightly just below;
3. Record the result and move on to the next part of the body.

Having body fat is normal

A certain percentage of fat must be present in the body. Humans need fat tissue to regulate hormone production and maintain body temperature. Too low a fat percentage poses a health risk.

The lower threshold for fat content for men is 5%; for women – 13%.

Based on materials:

• Jackson, A. S., & Pollock, M. L. (1978). Generalized equations for predicting body density of men. British Journal of Nutrition, 40, 497-504.
• Jackson, A. S., Pollock, M. L., & Ward, A. (1980). Generalized equations for predicting body density of women. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 12, 175-182.