Recommended body fat percentages differ between men and women, and what's considered "normal" is somewhat unknown. Due to genetics, men typically hold a lower amount of body fat than women. It's advantageous for most athletes to maintain fairly low body fat percentages to enhance their performance. There are several methods available to help estimate total body fat percentage in men.
U.S. Averages
Many people hold a higher amount of body fat than what is healthy or ideal. According to a 2010 article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, prevalence of obesity among men in the U.S. from 2007 to 2008 was 32.2 percent and combined overweight and obesity in men was an alarming 72.3 percent. Medline Plus notes that the average body fat percentages in U.S. men are 17 to 19 percent.
Recommendations
Medline Plus recommends adult men maintain body fat percentages between approximately 13 to 17 percent.
Athletes
Athletes typically maintain lower body fat percentages than sedentary individuals. In her book Sports Nutrition, Christine Rosenbloom notes that there are no body composition recommendations currently available for athletes; however a summary of typical body fat percentages for athletes does exist. Rosenbloom notes that in adult men, basketball players' body fat percentages are approximately 10.5 percent, cyclists' are about 10.5 percent, swimmers' are 8.8 percent, distance runners' are at 4.7 percent, sprinters' are 8.3 percent and body builders' body fat averages approximately 9.3 percent.
Body Mass Index
Body mass index, or BMI, helps estimate total body fat percentage using an individual's height and current body weight. BMI is calculated using the same formula for adult men and women however may be inaccurate for people with a high percentage of muscle mass or elderly individuals. BMI can be calculated by multiplying body weight in pounds by 703; then dividing by height in inches and dividing by height in inches again. According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, BMI values of 25 or greater fall into overweight or obese categories.
Body Composition Tests
There are other ways to help estimate body fat percent in adult men that are typically more accurate than BMI. Examples include skin fold measurements, underwater weighing and bioelectrical impedance analyses. Rosenbloom notes, however, that most body composition tests are not entirely accurate.
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