Body fat is essential for every person to survive. Your body uses fat to provide warmth, protect your organs and occasionally provide energy in the event of food being unavailable. However, having an excess of body fat is not healthy, and can lead to many additional health problems. The most commonly used method to measure body fat percentage is the skin caliper. The American Council on Exercise (ACE), uses the three site measurement scale, with measurements taken at the chest, abdomen and thigh.
Essential Fat
The three site chart includes a measurement for "essential" fat, which is 2 to 4 percent; this is the amount of body fat you need to survive--lower than this can lead to health issues. Someone in this category would be very thin and have a great deal of muscle definition. Often times bodybuilders will dip into this range for a show so the judges will see as much of their muscles as possible.
Athlete
The "athlete" category ranges from 6 to 13 percent. As evidenced by the name of the category, many athletes fall into this range. Being in this range requires hard work and a good diet. As a point of reference, most people begin to see definition of the abdominal muscles at around 10 percent.
Fitness
The "Fitness" category ranges from 14 to 17 percent. These are people who regularly exercise and generally eat a healthy diet. They have flat stomachs and some definition of the muscles in the arms and legs, but probably do not see much of their abdominal musculature.
Acceptable
The "acceptable" range for male body fat percentage is between 18 and 25 percent. As the name suggests, having a body fat percentage in this range is not necessarily dangerous as far as health risks go, but it certainly doesn't sound like a desirable amount either.
Obese
Anything above 25 percent is considered "obese" in the eyes of ACE. Men who have a body fat percentage in this category are at risk for obesity-related diseases such as diabetes and coronary heart diseases, and should look to reduce body fat to the lower levels.
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