![]() ![]() ![]() Spoiler alert - the average was NOWHERE NEAR 18%.īear in mind, these were high-level, super-fit, 18-23 year olds. The REAL TRUTH about the so-called "ideal" body fat levelĪn interesting study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning was recently reviewed by the folks at PN, looking at a group of female Division I college athletes across 12 different sports and measuring their body fat percentages using the gold standard DEXA (or DXA - Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry) method, and the results may surprise you. This combination of popular media influence and inaccurate / inconsistent measurement tools has led many women down a crazy, unattainable rabbit hole of trying to hit a sub-20% body fat level. Between body fat scales, caliper measurements and other methods, there is a HUGE margin for error, and even the smallest difference in hydration, or the meals eaten in the days before a measurement can skew the numbers significantly. The wildly inaccurate and inconsistent methods used for body fat measurement at the consumer level certainly don't help either. This has led to this stupid number being widely pushed on social media like Pinterest and Instagram as the ideal for years. With the general standard that higher than 33% body fat for women is considered obese and the considerable stigma around that term, the outrageous claims of low body fat for celebrities and "fitness influencers", and the unrealistic images in the media (often photoshopped, but sometimes the result of dangerous weight-cutting / dehydration pre-photo-shoot), we've been given some really skewed perspective to work with.Īs another example, back in 2015, a fitness blogger for a British tabloid posted that an "insider" told her Victoria's Secret Angels were required to maintain 18% or better body fat percentages, so that somehow became "the goal" if you wanted to look fit, athletic and sexy. Have you ever wondered what your body fat percentage "should" be? ![]()
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