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Fitness Guidelines on Body Fat Percentages

Discussion in 'Self Improvement' started by spike1899, Jan 26, 2015.

  1. spike1899

    spike1899 Fapstronaut

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    Fellow NoFappers,

    I have been having some questions regarding body fat percentages. Last year, I've resolved to trim myself down by getting my body fat percentage below 15%, and I've attained that goal, even more so I've gotten to 14.4% now according to my scale. I know that a lot of people say that I don't really need to lose weight (it's been pretty steady at around 150'ish lbs. , 155 lbs being the heaviest I've gotten, and I'm 5'8"). So now that I've gotten rid of a good amount of my body fat, I know that I don't want to get rid of all of it and become frail. So my question that I'd like to pose is this : For a guy of my stature, or if it's more generalized, what would be the ideal body fat percentage for a person to stay around in order to remain healthy?
     
  2. MelancholyWeightlifter

    MelancholyWeightlifter Distinguished Fapstronaut

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    Where you are is perfect for just general health. You're actually pretty light for your height. I'm going to stab a guess and say you are generally skinny but you just have some flab around the belly? I think doing some resistance training would really help you. Building muscle helps keep the fat off.
     
  3. orbiter1

    orbiter1 Fapstronaut

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    Congratulations on your progress so far.

    How are you calculating body fat %? Thanks.
     
  4. spike1899

    spike1899 Fapstronaut

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    MelancholyWeight: that was spot on. I'm impressed that you could just pick out how my body looks like that. I've just been running more than anything (15 minutes on the treadmill at 6 mph since the weather's been crappy, otherwise I run .89 miles around my block at around 7 minutes), but I do want to trim down the spare tire that I'm lugging around. What kinds of exercises would you suggest for that?

    Oceanhermit: I have an Aria scale that calculates it automatically when I weigh myself.
     
  5. MelancholyWeightlifter

    MelancholyWeightlifter Distinguished Fapstronaut

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    Just experience I guess. 15% bf at 155 5'8" I figured that's what your body type was. If you have access to a gym lifting weights would be best, but calisthenics would work too. Building muscle helps burn calories throughout the day and most likely you'll see a difference in bf if you're watching your diet.
     
  6. spike1899

    spike1899 Fapstronaut

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    Duely noted. I have some weights and other equipment in my basement that I could utilize to start introducing this to my work outs. I think I'm pretty strong in the cardio department, but my musculoskeletar department needs some work I think. I'll try out bench pressing some weights, squats, dead lifts, and some other exercises from this list..
    I don't have very strong muscles, so this would probably be a good thing for me to try out. As far as the resistance goes, I'm under the impression I should start with something with a low resistance that I can perform a lot of reps for as opposed to starting with something with very high resistance that I can only do a few reps with. Does that sound like a good idea?
     
  7. MelancholyWeightlifter

    MelancholyWeightlifter Distinguished Fapstronaut

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    That sounds good. The reps are really secondary to the effort put forth. As long as by the end of the set you are struggling, you will make progress. Start easy and up the difficulty by adding weight/more sets gradually.
     
  8. spike1899

    spike1899 Fapstronaut

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    Thanks a lot Melancholy, one more question would be the order I would take to my workout. Should I do my cardio first, or the strength training first? I would assume cardio first in order to get the blood flowing no?
     
  9. MelancholyWeightlifter

    MelancholyWeightlifter Distinguished Fapstronaut

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    I would recommend strength training first. Strength training takes more concentration, and if you are already tired from your cardio you won't get as much out of it. So warm up a bit, strength train, then run.
     
  10. If you have a spare tire you have to do crunches and other workouts that engage your core. I'm a tennis player and the abdominals are probably the most important part of the core in terms of generating power.

    Most of my ab-targeting workouts are done standing up. I'll generally be creative and do side crunches as well as Muay Thai inspired elbow to knee moves. Mind you, these are all done standing up and don't incinerate fat as quickly as straight-up crunches. But they can be done quickly and pretty much anywhere you have a mirror.

    Oh and don't attack your abs too often. People forget that the abs are a muscle too. Just like weight-training for your biceps or shoulders, if you constantly run them into the ground without giving them a chance to recover they won't grow - you'll just have soreness. It's ultimately up to you to determine your limit. But for me ab stuff every other day is a good starting point.

    Remember. Push-ups, chin-ups, sit-ups. Body weight. You don't need ANYTHING else to be in good shape. If you want to add mass and build large muscles like Melancholy, that's your prerogative. But if you simply want to maintain a healthy functional body stick to the basics and build up.
     
  11. MelancholyWeightlifter

    MelancholyWeightlifter Distinguished Fapstronaut

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    I'll have to take issue with one thing you said death mettle. Doing ab exercises will NOT reduce fat SPECIFICALLY around your midsection. Fat loss is always even throughout your body. It's called the myth of "spot reduction". Building a strong core is great, and your abs will get bigger, but diet and a caloric deficit is the only way to lose fat. The crunches may burn some calories, but there are other exercises that you can do to burn way more.
     
  12. By the sound of it he seems to have a healthy body weight considering his height. Like you said, 155 at 5' 8'' is actually slightly lower than normal. If he wants to tone then he should pick the specific problem areas and target them.
     
  13. spike1899

    spike1899 Fapstronaut

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    I appreciate the input Progressive Death Metal. As of now, I've picked a routine that I have been able to stick with that pushes myself pretty hard. I've been doing a few of the exercises from this list. Specifically, I've been doing 20 squats with a bar bell on my shoulders, 20 overhead presses, 20 reps on a machine that I think replicates bench presses? (keep my back straight and just push forward against resistance pushing my arms back), and 20 reps of the snow shoveler. After that, I take 15 minutes on the treadmill to go 1.5 miles. I'm going to stick with this routine and up the weights once I feel the strength training is getting a little too easy.
     
  14. triarii

    triarii New Fapstronaut

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    Remember to learn proper form as you are just starting with these movements, seek slow but steady weight progression, and remember to eat a proper diet for your primary goal (caloric surplus for more muscle or caloric deficit for fat loss). Good luck!
     
  15. The single most important thing to remember about adding mass is realizing that it's a gradual, slow progression, which takes several weeks if not months. You're eating more and your body is constantly breaking down old muscle fibers and repairing them. Lean proteins and carbs are the fuel to your body. And vegetables are the WD-40 to lubricate everything else. Hydration is crucial (two gallons a day minimum) as are stretching and rest.
     
  16. spike1899

    spike1899 Fapstronaut

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    Hey guys! Just wanted to poke my head in and give a progress report. I've been doing the exercises that I've brought up before, and I've successfully gotten my body fat percentage down to 13.9%. My weight is still hanging out at 150 lbs. And I've been feeling great! I'm able to get through all my strength exercises (20 reps per exercise) all at once, and I'm going to give myself another week to see if I should up the weight for my arm reps, overhead presses, and the shoveler. The squats use a heavier barbell, and it's still pretty tough to get through 20 in one shot, so I'll hold off on adding to that.
     

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