Why Body Fat Percentage Doesn't Matter.

Every body builder ever is obsessed with it. You hear the question all the time "whats your body fat percentage?" For some odd reason people have built this stigma onto the idea of body fat percentage being the best way to determine who has the best physique. It's like you're not a real body builder or even a real weight lifter if you aren't in that magic 8% or lower body fat group.

Well I'm here to say that body fat percentage is bullshit. People go around boasting these body fat percentages saying they are 5% body fat.

First of all there is only one sure fire way to determine you body fat percentage and that is by killing you and cutting you up and separating all the fat from the rest of your body. Taking that weight and seeing what percentage it is off your over all weight. As you can see this method isn't practical and it still isn't completely accurate because of possible human error. Another way they test body fat percentage is a dexa scan. A dexa scan is basically like a full body x-ray that shows where you hold the majority of your fat and what your overall body fat percentage is. Now, this scan has know to be relatively accurate however when you compare peoples physique the looks can be drastically different. Here is an example of different dexa scan results.

As you can see there is very little difference between 6% and 17% body fat percentage. This is insane. With a difference of 11% you should see drastic differences in body fat. But you don't. Now obviously these men aren't all at the same level of body fat, but they are definitely closer than this scale shows. Because of this you should take any body fat percentage with a grain of salt because odds are its slightly off, whether it be over or under.

Another point to recognize is that not all people distribute fat in the same way. Some people may carry more fat in there legs or arms and less fat on their stomachs. For this reason just because you are at a reasonable body fat percentage doesn't mean you will look shredded all over. So, just because someone has a great set of abs doesn't mean they are sitting at 5% body fat.

In the end it all comes down to you. If you are happy and confident with your body and the way you look in the mirror then body fat percentage doesn't mean anything. However, for those who are looking to shred down body fat percentage scales can be a good way to start but take everything with a grain of salt because odds are the reading is completely accurate.

BONUS

If you are interesting in learning more about body fat percentage and seeing more dexa scan results check out this Youtube video.

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