Stemming off trent's thread, I'm curious to know what people's thoughts are on this. I'm not that knowledgeable about cutting up or staying lean, as I've never really pushed it before, so want to hear from others.
So what is the lowest bf % that you can naturally stay at year round? And is it healthy to do so? Obviously bodybuilder levels of bodyfat is unhealthy 3-5%, but I would have thought 6-8% would be healthy. ie Still shredded, but not striated glutes lol.
At the moment, I'd say I'm about 9-11% bf (will get some pics up in the near future), but am doing no cardio and am not dieting particularly strictly. I feel I could comfortably maitain a lower bf if I included some cardio or made my diet more strict. Ideally, I'd like to maintain a 'ripped' build year round, that is if I like how I look when I get there.
I would think genetics would play a big part in this - ie people who are naturally fat may have to 'settle' for say 10% year round, while people who are naturally lean and don't store much fat could probably stay at 5% year round without any problems.
This,12-13% is doable naturally if u keep up the training/diet macros.
Without the health implications anything under 9% is hard to maintain year round. This eats into your life as a whole turning u into a hermit (genetics and age have their parts in this).
Re: karens post. The guy she was referring to has all his food boxed and labeled while he goes on holidays to stay shredded year round. I mean if i was on holidays i would like to eat my fish and chips on the beach/BBQ food at least 1-2 weeks.
Health wise your prob best to stay around 10-12%.
Without the health implications anything under 9% is hard to maintain year round.
This eats into your life as a whole turning u into a hermit (genetics and age have their parts in this).
Re: karens post. The guy she was referring to has all his food boxed and labeled while he goes on holidays to stay shredded year round. I mean if i was on holidays i would like to eat my fish and chips on the beach/BBQ food at least 1-2 weeks.
excerpt. basically as humans we are not designed to function year round on low bodyfat.
our bodies need fat to function correctly and it might surprise you that the same athletes that look like the epitome of health don’t feel that energetic at such low body fat levels and suffer from suppressed immune systems and are extremely susceptible to colds and other viruses.
Females usually experience a cessation in their menstrual cycle as a consequence of going too low as the body perceives itself to be in the throes of starvation and does its best to not get pregnant as it no longer has the capacity to carry a baby to full term with such low energy reserves.
It is truly not a state that the human body wants to maintain and it explains to a large degree why it is inherently so difficult to reduce your body fat levels and why we have to go to unhealthy extremes to get ourselves at an ultra low body fat level.
What does it feel like to be under five percent body fat? I can tell from my experience that it isn’t pleasant at all. When I was competing the second my fat levels dropped below 5% the lethargy set in.
I hardly had the energy or desire to do very much and my face had the sunken look of someone that hadn’t eaten in several months. It seemed as if someone so much as sneezed in my direction I would get a cold and I felt cold all the time (your body uses a layer of fat as a form of insulation to keep in your body heat- take that layer away and you lose heat very quickly and will have trouble staying warm in a cold environment.)
Above all I would have difficulty staying asleep- the body perceives such low fat levels as a famine response and forces you to stay awake longer in the hopes of finding food.
The key is to find your own level
This is Andre Davids, he goes to my gym and maintains single digit bodyfat % 365 days if the year.
He looks great in pics, but very gaunt looking in real life.....
Dre's Fitness Group: ABOUT ME
I get that trent, but that is ULTRA low. Is 6-8% really that low? Sub 5% sure, but say 8%, surely that is not that low?
If my DEXA was accurate and I'm only around 10% now (don't think I've gained any fat since it was done and if anything, have lost fat as I am more vascular now), then 8% is only a very small way away. It just doesn't seem that there is going to be some massive drop in my health from losing an extra 2kgs of fat.
Or maybe I'm actually a lot fatter than the DEXA suggests. I should really get some photos up.
I wouldnt think the DEXA scan would be inacurate in any way, from what i know they are one of the most accurate forms of measuring body fat....
From my understanding between 5 and 10% should be able to be maintained year round with little health implications, there is a thread on bolex about paleo diets and there a few VERY knowledgable people who have posted on there that i have spoken to that follow this style of diet and manage to maintain low body fat levels year round and feel the best they have in a long time at much lower body fat levels.
I think in one post BigJimmy explains he has a number of clients on this style of diet who maintain very low levels of body fat year round and they dont compete, it is just how they eat and train which enables them to maintain this level of BF, and a few females who maintain single digit BF levels (which is very low for females) and their health is fine.
In saying this, i think it does also have something to do with genetics, etc etc.
Will be following this thread with interest, especially interested in those who do maintain a low BF level to see how their diet is as i think this is the main factor in all this and the # of cals they consume to maintain a low BF %age
How do u know he does not take drugs?... to stay that lean
What would he be on??
This is Andre Davids, he goes to my gym and maintains single digit bodyfat % 365 days if the year.
He looks great in pics, but very gaunt looking in real life.....
Dre's Fitness Group: ABOUT ME
He stole Masterchef's logo.
Crazy lean, looks awesome.
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