Body fat percentage is the best method for measuring fat in the body. It can be determined using a number of instruments, including a pair of calipers. Elite athletes frequently measure their body fat percentage because they must do everything they can to improve performance, even if it is by increments.
Definition
Body fat percentage is defined simply as the percentage of your body weight that is composed of fat. If you weigh 200 lbs. and have 20 percent body fat, then your body will consist of 40 lbs. fat and 160 lbs. lean body mass, which includes bone, muscle, organ tissue and everything else in the body.
Significance
According to Health Check Systems, some fat is absolutely essential for carrying out critical body functions. Fat regulates body temperature, cushions organs and stores energy. Men will have 2 to 4 percent essential fat, and women will have 10 to 12 percent. Elite athletes should have body fat just above those minimum levels: for men it's around 6 percent and for women around 14 percent.
Calorie Expenditure
Athletes can expend thousands of extra calories a day beyond what the average person burns. Muscles are particularly useful for this task because each pound burns up to 50 additional calories each day. Athletes achieve low body fat percentage through exercise. Diet is foundational to a healthy body makeup, but athletes actually need more calories to feed their activities. Swimmer Michael Phelps, for example, admits that he eats 12,000 calories a day.
Diet
In order to achieve such low body fat percentages, athletes must eat a healthy balanced diet that is high in protein and moderate in fat. It does not necessarily have to be austere, though sometimes is. During and after exercise, the diet should be punctuated by simple carbohydrates that are absorbed quickly into the blood in order to refuel the body. Proper and ubiquitous hydration restores water and electrolytes lost through sweating. In addition, all the necessary vitamins and minerals should come from the diet.
Considerations
The qualifications of being an athlete would assume that one is in peak aerobic condition, but this is not always the case. An elite offensive lineman in football may actually have a higher body fat percentage. On average, however, elite athletes will tend to have remarkably low body fat. High amounts can weigh an athlete down, expose the body to injury and reduce the efficiency of the cardiovascular system, which must pump oxygen to the cells.
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