How much does fat weigh. The norm of human muscle mass

Everyone who is at least somewhat interested in a healthy lifestyle and weight loss knows that a big role for appearance plays exactly percentage of body fat. The fashion for a magnificent figure has long passed, and by modern standards, beauty lies in a slender, toned, athletic body. Accordingly, the lower its percentage in the body, the more aesthetically pleasing a person looks.

But here, too, there are norms, neglecting which you risk getting obesity or anorexia instead of beauty. Also, the content of fats in the body within the normal range is extremely important for health. Deviations in one direction or another can lead to disastrous consequences, sometimes even irreparable. The fat layer is gained not only on muscle tissues, but also on internal organs, which is especially dangerous. You've probably heard the term "visceral fat". So what is the optimal body fat content? How to properly reduce its percentage and not harm health? Where is the line between beautiful slenderness and excessive thinness, and where is the "take" the desired relief? To understand how to determine the percentage of body fat, read the information below to find out the answers to the questions.

If you are overweight and you can see with the naked eye that the percentage of fat is above the norm, then you do not need accurate measurements. They are necessary for athletes who carefully control their nutrition and exercise. It is difficult for them to determine something “by eye”.

There are many methods for determining its percentage in the body, but, unfortunately, not all of them are accurate:

• caliper - a specialized device with a scale - has a high error;
• x-ray - minimal deviations;
• special scales and other gadgets - an error of about 6% (strongly depends on the current state of the body);
• bioelectrical resistance - there is also an error;
• "by eye" - the error is large, but the method is the simplest and most common.

Let's take a closer look at each. The caliper measures the thickness of the skin on the fat fold. Measurements are taken at multiple locations, and then the results are summed up and applied to multiple equations. Cons of this method: the equations are not accurate initially, clamping less skin you will get an underestimated result, and holding more, respectively, overestimated. So it will not work to calculate the correct coefficient. X-ray has a smaller error than the previous method, but still not accurate, this has already been proven by a number of studies. Moreover, a lot depends on the device itself, body condition, gender, weight and many other factors. The error ranges from 4 to 10%. by the most exact method determining the percentage of body fat is a four-section analysis.

Here the body is conditionally divided into four components:

• bones;
• water;
• muscles;
• adipose tissues.

All this is individually “weighed”, and the results go through a special formula. This method will help to reliably calculate the percentage of body fat for women and men. Judging by eye, relief body about 10% fat, when in a slender, without relief already up to 20%. Well, if there is obesity of any stage - there is no less than 50%.

Practical advice: When determining the percentage in this way, you need to remember the role of muscle mass. The same indicator will be for the "rolling" and thin. The difference is only in the relief.

body fat calculator

Result: There is approximately fat (or) in your body.

What is the minimum body fat percentage

It is completely impossible to get rid of the fat layer, since it is also necessary for normal operation organism.

Please note: For men, the minimum content is 5%, for women - 13%. If the percentage is below normal, failure of the internal organs will follow.

There is such a case in history. A bodybuilder who overdid it with getting rid of fat has died. A small part of the fat is and should be in all human organs and systems.

In addition to it, there are 2 more types:

• subcutaneous;
• visceral.

The latter accumulates on the internal organs and it is more difficult to get rid of it. A small amount of fat is provided for the normal functioning of the body, but its excess leads to many serious diseases.

Expert opinion

Smirnov Viktor Petrovich
Nutritionist, Samara

It is known that without fat life is impossible. And therefore, you should not spend all the time on the fight against excess fat. Even in aesthetic terms, a harmoniously developed figure is not one in which knotty muscles intertwined with a protruding venous network, but with pronounced, but smooth lines. In the process of losing weight, both men and women need to take into account the characteristics of the body and, first of all, pay attention to them. So, it is necessary to understand what type of physique a person belongs to: normosthenic, asthenic or hypersthenic. At different types weight loss starts differently. In addition, you should not pay attention to where the fat leaves. It almost always happens that a person wants to first lose weight on the stomach, and the neck or buttocks begin to lose weight. The body itself knows where it will utilize the excess energy supply from, and therefore you should not get upset and interfere with the natural process.

Normal (healthy) body fat percentage

Completeness cannot be healthy by definition. The World Health Organization has a table that indicates a healthy percentage of body fat.

As mentioned earlier, a low content of subcutaneous (and not only) fiber leads to death, and a high content leads to many diseases. There is a norm of body fat content and it should be adhered to.

Visceral fat

For a long time, the accumulation of visceral fat in adults was attributed to genetics - predisposition and so on. But scientists nevertheless proved that a fat aunt is not to blame for your fullness. The content of visceral fat increases along with subcutaneous fat, and genetics has nothing to do with it.

It becomes harmful when contained:

• in men from 20%;
• in women from 40%.

Decreased percentage of body fat

Losing weight is a difficult task, but doable. In the first pair, kilograms go faster than the last. At first glance, everything is simple - you need to eat less (kcal) than you spend. So the body begins to take energy from fat reserves, burning them. But the slimmer you become, the harder it is to get rid of a couple of extra pounds.

Please note: The greater the initial body weight (fat), the faster it goes away from the first weeks of training. Further more difficult. As fat mass decreases, more and more efforts are required to achieve the next result.

For example, the initial weight is 100 kg. For the first month of training and proper nutrition you can lose 5-10 kg. For the second month, 3-7 kg are spent with the same loads, and so on. Therefore, you need to increase the load as the weight decreases. With the choice of the correct initial and further exercises, an experienced trainer can help, and it is better to contact a nutritionist for the selection of a diet. The percentage of body fat in both weight loss and professional pursuits sports is more important than calculating BMI (body mass index). The latter shows only the ratio of height and weight, there are even calculators for calculating it. But for a full assessment physical development This is not enough.

What to do to get the desired relief

When losing weight, it is important not only to get rid of fat, but also to achieve firmness and relief of muscles, albeit not very pronounced. Below are recommendations on what to do and what not to do every day to move from one "fat category" to another.

Normal body fat percentage requires constant maintenance: proper nutrition, physical activity. Above normal levels can lead to many diseases, including diabetes, problems with the heart muscle and the entire vascular system, joint diseases, and so on. List possible complications too long.

Important! An underestimated percentage of fat is also considered a disease - anorexia. And it can end in death.

With the current low body fat content, it takes a lot of effort to maintain it. The greater the initial weight, the easier the fat deposits go. The less fat becomes, the more difficult it begins to leave. It is important to monitor nutrition and activity - a sedentary lifestyle and eating fast food only contributes to the accumulation of unnecessary and dangerous body fat.

Fortunately, in recent times as a definition of a person's overall health, they track the percentage of fat in the body, and not the body mass index, as was the case before.

Many articles have been written about body fat percentage, including "Fat Percentage Chart" and "5 Ways to Measure Body Fat Percentage", as well as "Weight Formula perfect body". This article combines the main ideas of the above articles and will help you visualize how much fat is in the body of a man and a woman.

Thousands of photographs were used to write this article. Most of them were purchased from specialized sites. Other photos were free access. If any of the photographs used in this article are protected by copyright, please report it and they will be removed or changed.

Below are some terms and concepts for a better understanding of this article and photos.

Percent fat content is the amount of fat (in kg) divided by total weight body and converted into percentages. For example, the percentage of fat in a man whose body weight is 80 kg and whose fat mass is 13 kg is 16% (30/180).

Body fat distribution

Each of us distributes body fat differently. For example, some women have very little fat in the abdomen and a lot of fat in the thighs and triceps. For others, it's the other way around. The same is true for men. However, in most men, fat tends to be deposited mostly in the abdomen. The following photographs show the most common areas of fat distribution in men and women.

Human's figure

Each of us has a different figure, so two absolute different figures may have the same body fat percentage even if they don't look the same. A great example is slender models and athletes. They have exactly the same percentage of fat.

Age

The photographs in this article show people from 25 to 35 years old. With age, the fat content in the human body increases. For example, a 20-year-old and a 50-year-old man have the same amount subcutaneous fat, however, for a 20-year-old this number will be 15%, and for a 50-year-old - 20%. With age, fat around organs (visceral) and in muscles (intramuscular) tends to increase.

Muscular furrows

When the human body becomes more prominent, the muscles become more visible and look like fine grooves.

Vascularity- that is, the appearance of veins in different parts body as fat content decreases.

A visual representation of the fat content in men

3 – 4% body fat in men

The percentage of fat in bodybuilders during their preparation for the competition can reach as little as 3 - 4%. This fat content is characterized by increased vascularity, so that the veins are visible literally on every muscle of the body. Even on the buttocks you can see small gaps between the muscles. If there are none on the gluteal muscles, then the fat content is very low. The normal amount of fat content in men is considered to be about 2%. This is required amount for the normal functioning of the body, since fat protects the internal organs of the chest and abdominal cavity.

6 - 7% body fat in men

6 - 7% body fat in men is not as categorical as 3 - 4%, but, nevertheless, even such a percentage is not normal for most men. With such a percentage of fat, the face becomes emaciated, and your family begins to worry about you. Most models tend to have exactly this level of fat content and it is marked by clearly defined muscles and bright vascularity of most muscles, including the muscles of the arms, legs and abdomen. Clearly visible muscles in the abdomen are a sign of low fat content. Just like a clear separation of muscles.

10 - 12% body fat in men

This is the normal level of fat in the body of a man, in which the abdominal muscles are not visible in the same way as in men with a content of 6 - 7% fat. However, the abdominal muscles are clearly visible. This is exactly the body that many men aspire to and that women like. Muscle grooves are not very visible on each muscle, but only on the shoulders and arms.

Men with this fat content are called "slender and fit." The contours of the muscles are clearly visible, but there is no clear separation between them. The muscle grooves are usually covered with a small layer of fat. Nevertheless, the overall shape of the body is quite beautiful, despite the absence of clearly visible muscles.

20% fat content in men

25% fat content in men

Muscles and blood vessels are practically invisible, and the waist increases significantly in volume (the ratio of the volume of the hips and waist is approximately 0.9). It turns out that a man with a height of 180 cm has a waist circumference of 91 cm. The volume of the neck also increases slightly and small fat folds However, in clothes this fat content is almost imperceptible. Men with more than 25% body fat have problems with obesity. A waist circumference of more than 101 cm is considered abdominal obesity.

30% fat content in men

35% body fat in men

As a man gets bigger and bigger and gains fat, most of the fat is stored in the belly. At 35% content, the belly hangs even more, and the waist is not visible at all. Such men are called "beer belly". Waist can be more than 101 cm.

40% fat content in men

As with 35%, fat accumulates in the abdomen and waist. The waist can reach 145 cm or even more. With this fat content, daily movements, such as walking up stairs or bending over, become difficult. A man at this level is already close to obese, and the body mass index exceeds 35. To better understand: a man with a height of 180 cm, who weighs 122 kg, has 73 kg of muscle mass and 40% fat content.

A visual representation of body fat in women

10 – 12% body fat in women

This is an extremely low level of body fat that is only found in female bodybuilders. The minimum fat content in a woman's body is 8 - 10%, while in men it is only 2%. Why such a big difference? The fact is that women have more fat in the tissues of the mammary glands and in the area around the uterus. This level of fat content is not considered normal for a woman and can be hazardous to health and may even cause menstruation to stop. Muscle grooves and vessels are clearly visible. The woman in the photo most likely has 12% body fat, as the vessels are not very visible.

15 – 17% body fat in women

This level of fat is also very low and equates to 6-7% body fat in men. Most lingerie models have exactly this level of body fat and many of them have obvious malfunctions. female body. The muscles of the press, legs, arms and shoulders are clearly visible. The hips and buttocks usually have a less pronounced shape due to the low fat content.

20 – 22% body fat in women

This level is typical for many athletes. The abdominal muscles are clearly visible, and there is some fat on the arms and legs. There is a level of separation between the muscles, but it is minimal.

25% body fat in women

This level is inherent in most women. Not too skinny, but not too fat either. The bend of the hips is clearly visible, and there are small fat deposits on the buttocks. A woman with a height of 163 cm and a weight of 59 kg has 25% body fat.

30% body fat in women

While in men fat accumulates in the abdomen, in most women it is deposited in the thighs and buttocks. With this fat content, the thighs are pronounced and have a rounded shape. This is considered the limit of body fat in a normal woman.

35% body fat in women

The hips become even larger, and the face and neck are rounded. The circumference of the hips can reach more than 100 cm, and the waist more than 80 cm. The abdomen begins to droop.

40% body fat in women

The hips and buttocks get bigger. Hips can reach over 106 cm in circumference, waist over 90, and hips over 63 cm.

45% body fat in women

The skin loses its beauty, and clearly visible folds appear. The circumference of the hips can reach more than 115 cm, and the waist more than 90 cm. The hips become noticeably wider than the shoulders.

50% body fat in women

Fat becomes clearly visible on the skin. The circumference of the hips can reach more than 115 cm, and the waist more than 101 cm. The hips become clearly wider than the shoulders. For a better understanding: a woman with a height of 163 cm and a weight of 90 kg has 45 kg of muscle mass and 50% fat content.

So you might be interested to know the most popular .

In the very general view body fat percentage is the ratio of available fat to everything else in the body (organs, muscles, bones, tendons, etc.). Fat is necessary for survival: it protects the internal organs, serves as a reserve source of energy, and performs many other important functions.

How much fat do we need

This table shows the generally accepted body fat percentage for men and women.

Essential fat is the minimum you need to survive. For this reason, bodybuilders dry the body to this mark only before the competition. The rest of the time, they maintain a higher percentage of fat, so as not to undermine health and effectively.

• If you're aiming to be lean, aim for an athletic body fat percentage.
• If you want to look healthy and fit, aim for a body fat percentage for an athletic physique.

If your body fat percentage approaches the maximum valid value normal build or falls under obesity, it would not hurt you to reduce this figure.

What does body fat percentage look like?

It is important to understand that body fat percentage only reflects body fat and has nothing to do with muscle mass. Two people with the same body fat percentage but different muscle mass will look completely different.

How to measure body fat percentage

There are seven main methods that differ from each other in accuracy, simplicity and cost.

1. Visual way

It consists in comparing yourself with the pictures above and determining who you are approximately similar to. A very imprecise way.

2. Using a caliper

Pull back the skin with subcutaneous fat, grab it with the caliper and find the percentage of fat corresponding to the readings of the caliper in the table. As a rule, calipers show a lower percentage of fat than they actually are.

3. Using the formula

For example, you can use the US Navy formula or the YMCA formula. This method is usually wrong in a big way.

4. With electric monitors

The weak passes through the body electricity, and then the "biometric resistance" analysis is performed. As practice has shown, this method gives very inaccurate results.

5. With Bod Pod System

With the help of a special device, the air displaced by the body is measured, based on the data obtained, the body mass, its volume and density are calculated. This method is considered very accurate, but expensive.

6. Water displacement method

Very accurate (with an error of only 1–3%), but an expensive, complicated and inconvenient method.

7. dexa scan

This method is considered the most accurate and consists in full study body composition by x-ray. It's also a very inexpensive way.

Whatever method you choose, try to take measurements at the same time and under similar conditions: for example, on a certain day of the week, in the morning, on an empty stomach. Even if the data received is inaccurate, you will be able to understand if there is progress.

How to reduce body fat percentage

calorie deficit

Spend more than you consume. But keep in mind that if you do not exercise at the same time and limit yourself in carbohydrates, then along with fat you will lose muscle mass. It's not the best The best way however fat loss is guaranteed.

Pull the iron

When training with weights (as well as during intense training with your own weight), you maintain muscle mass, as well as accelerate your metabolism and achieve a "afterburn" effect, where calories continue to be consumed after the workout is over.

For athletes and ordinary people For those 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 exactly fat accumulation, and not muscle or bone tissue. Many 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 perform procedures to eliminate it. In what follows, methods will be presented how to determine body fat percentage, which is an invariable process when losing weight, drying 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 needs to be done exactly to the person who asked for help. Having studied individual characteristics you can achieve the desired results.

Standing on the scales, each time it is clear that the weight is changing in one direction or another, even if these are small indicators. But this does not mean that the content of fat accumulations has decreased - it can be simple dehydration or a decrease in muscle mass. If you want to build it, then you need to get rid of the subcutaneous fat.

This is important: As a rule, people who want to lose excess weight tend 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, well, or slightly leaves the stomach.

The subsequent transition to a normal diet leads to a sharp replenishment of water and muscle mass - this happens even large quantities(therefore, 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 know this indicator, for which several methods of determination have been developed.

The norm for a person

For normal functioning the body must contain the optimal percentage of fat. To survive, a minimum percentage of fat is required: men should have 3-5% fat, and women 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. You can not eliminate fat, which is part of nervous system and the one that surrounds the internal organs.

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

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

This is important: Too low a percentage contributes to the section of the muscles, which makes them, as it were, dissected and "striped", dividing the muscle into small rollers. Everyone can achieve an ideal body through exercise and diet, but maintaining an ideal body for a long time is quite difficult. To do this, it is necessary to constantly monitor the intake of calories, and this is too difficult, especially if the constitution of the body does not favor harmony.

You need to stay in the range of healthy fats and try not to go out of there. For normal health and reduce the risk of chronic pathologies, it is necessary to monitor the accumulation of fat cells and try not to overdo it.

Expert opinion

Egorova Natalya Sergeevna
Nutritionist, Nizhny Novgorod

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

Visceral fat is located around the internal organs and supports them. With its insufficient amount, 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, intestines.

An excess of 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 heart disease, 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 the percentage of body fat

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 the determination of the mass of fat in the body. It is important to know what these measuring instruments always have a margin of error.
• Take a good look at yourself in the mirror and visually determine the excess body fat.
• With a centimeter ruler, measure the size of the waist and forearm. If the size of the waist has decreased, and the forearms have increased, then fat has begun to be burned, and muscle tissue has begun to grow.

All methods are easy to perform and accessible to everyone, but they do not give a specific result. With 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 in the chart of categories of fat content in the table, where the percentage of fat and age will be expressed. In the gallery you can find photos of bodies with different indicators of adipose tissue in the body. You just need to go to the online calculator page and fill in all the fields, click on the "calculate" button.

Result: Approximately fat (or ) in your body.

The result will be calculated by all formulas if all fields are filled in correctly. If something is ignored, then the calculation will be made according to an incomplete number of formulas. When completely filled in, the result will immediately be displayed on the graph, photo, and in 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 used, the more accurate the result will be.

Each method gives an indicator in percent and its weight in kg. The methods have their own graphs, where the result of the person being tested will be 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 evaluated as a percentage. Next are two summary graphs, the first shows the results of all formulas and the average value. In the second graph, 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 for further action.

Other Calculation Methods

What other ways can you calculate the percentage of body fat:

• US Navy method. When enlisting in the US military, everyone is tested for body fat percentage, weight does not matter. To do this, take the height, girth of the hips, waist and neck.
• Covert Bailey method. The result is given taking into account age. For the calculation, the size of the hips, thighs, lower legs, wrists and age are taken.
• With 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 way. His calculations are based on more parameters. Weight, wrist, hip, forearm and waist are taken.

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

Application of the caliper

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

How can you determine the indicator using this device:

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

It's a tricky calculation, but with practice, you can easily handle it. This device can also calculate indicators for men.

Correction of 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 the body to the desired harmony, you will have to apply additional methods - playing sports. With a decrease in the amount of fat, each dropped kilogram will be given more and more difficult.

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 percentage of fat is reached - 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 convenience foods and other fast food, eat more food at a fast pace.
• Restrictions: move little, do not play sports, exclude fruits and vegetables from consumption, healthy food, sleep less.

Reduce fat

• What to do: eat 2 servings of protein meals per day, 1-2 vegetable meals, exercise 3-5 times a week.
• Restrictions: Eat fewer processed carbs, and drink fewer 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 figure on the scales. The body should not experience stress during the process of losing weight, otherwise it may fail, and it will be difficult to recover.

You can find out the ratio of fat, water and muscle in your body in any medical center. Doctors can take measurements using a special device - a caliper, or using computed tomography. There is also such a study as a bioelectrical analysis of body composition.

If you are unable to pass special examination in the medical center, you can take approximate measurements at home. To do this, you need Sheldon's classification, which he made in the last century, having studied the data of about 50 thousand people. Sheldon believed that all people are divided into three types. The first is people who do not have problems with excess weight, they have narrow bones and long arms and legs. The scientist called such people ectomorphic. They usually have a small percentage of fat and muscle in the body. The second type is people with wide bones. Sheldon named them. They usually have more muscle in their bodies than fat. The third type is overweight people. Sheldon called them endomorphs. In their body, usually fat prevails over muscle mass.