Fat is an essential part of your body that helps you function properly. However, there is a typical healthy range that you should fall into. As a man, a typical body fat percentage is lower than females due to the makeup of your body. Finding out your body fat percentage helps you understand if you fall into a normal range.
Body Fat
There are two types of fat tissue that are found on your body. Essential fat tissue is crucial to your health. Sports Coach Brian Mac explains that essential fat is necessary because it is needed in physiological functioning and consists of fat stored in the marrow of bones, heart, lungs, liver, spleen, kidneys, intestines, muscles and in the lipid-rich tissues of the central nervous system. Stored fat is the accumulation of fat in adipose tissue -- the fat that is dangerous to your health in large amounts, leading to obesity.
Healthy Range
The American College of Sports Medicine suggests that men have an average body fat percentage between 15.9 and 19.4. This means that between 80.5 and 84.4 percent of your body is made up of lean muscle mass, water and functioning organs. If you are on the leaner side, your body fat percentage falls between 11.8 and 15.8, and a male athlete should have between 7.1 and 11.7. You are considered obese if your body fat is above 25 percent.
Methods
There are ways to measure your body fat. Some measurements are more accurate than others but most fall within a 3 percent error range. The bio-electrical impedance is one way to determine body fat that simply uses an electrical current to power through your fat and lean tissue, identifying your body fat percentage. Skin fold tests are commonly done using calipers to pinch your skin at several testing points on the body to determine your percentage. Hydrodensitometry weighing measures your body fat underwater and the DEXA uses X-rays to measure body fat. Both these methods are found in many clinical practices.
Considerations
Achieving a healthy body fat percentage takes a bit of work. The American Council of Exercise explains that if you really want to alter your body composition you must eat better, preform regular cardiovascular exercise and resistance train. Choosing to perform aerobic activity to burn calories and fat is needed daily. Running, swimming, hiking and even boxing are ways to burn major calories. Also consider weight training to build muscle, adding lean muscle to alter your body composition. The more muscle you have on your body the more effectively your body will burn calories.
Member Comments