Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below ok, my wife is one of those women who carries her bodyfat almost exclusively in her butt and thighs. truly i love her lower body curves. what would be a realistic bodyfat % to shoot for that would allow her to retain her curvaceous glutes and upper legs but would allow for upper body definition in the arms and abdomen? i dont really have a frame of reference for this. i know for example that i look my best at 7-8% but i know hers would be higher. i'm thinking maybe 12-13% am i in the ballpark? thanks ladies
optimal female bodyfat percentage
- Thread starter rainbow22
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Sassy69
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It would help to give some more detail about where she is now. But on the other hand, bf is just a number. 20% on one person can look great but on another person can look like flab. Also don't get caught up in comparing women's bf measures to men's. I dieted down to 8% for my first natural comp but still didn't get much cut in my legs and my ass wasn't tight. But I had a nice xmas tree on my back.
If she tends to carry her weight in the caboose, no matter how much bf she loses (short of lipo), she will prob always be fighting the caboose. I have friend who is an inch taller than me, but 10 lbs lighter, who is 23% bf. I'm shorter, weigh more and have maybe 18% bf. She looks leaner than me - but then I have more muscle. So its all relative. The average female bf is around 25% I think.
I think the bigger thing women worry about when losing bodyfat is losing their breasts, not their butts because they will most likely generally carry less fat on their upper bodies, and since you lose bodyfat proportionally all around your body, end up appearing to lose more on the upper body than lower.
If she really wants to get lean (e.g. off season bb), a reasonable maintenance bf is prob 16-18% bf. Below 13-14% is hard to maintain year round and below 12% she'll probably stop getting her period - NOT a good thing for extended periods of time.
If she's just starting to train, she should just shoot for the point where she is happy with her results - there is no number where she "should" be.
If she tends to carry her weight in the caboose, no matter how much bf she loses (short of lipo), she will prob always be fighting the caboose. I have friend who is an inch taller than me, but 10 lbs lighter, who is 23% bf. I'm shorter, weigh more and have maybe 18% bf. She looks leaner than me - but then I have more muscle. So its all relative. The average female bf is around 25% I think.
I think the bigger thing women worry about when losing bodyfat is losing their breasts, not their butts because they will most likely generally carry less fat on their upper bodies, and since you lose bodyfat proportionally all around your body, end up appearing to lose more on the upper body than lower.
If she really wants to get lean (e.g. off season bb), a reasonable maintenance bf is prob 16-18% bf. Below 13-14% is hard to maintain year round and below 12% she'll probably stop getting her period - NOT a good thing for extended periods of time.
If she's just starting to train, she should just shoot for the point where she is happy with her results - there is no number where she "should" be.
If she's not competing, then optimal would be a compromise between what she likes and what she can maintain without drastic measures. You can't overlook the genetic lottery - some people have an easier time maintaining a low bodyfat and others really have to struggle, even though they do everything right.
Bodyfat measurements can differ widely by measurement method, tester, etc., so whatever "number" someone says they are is just a number and can't really be applied to another person. She can use her own measurement as a reference point, but the mirror and how she feels mentally and physically will be more telling.
I too carry my most stubborn fat in my glutes and thighs. It's the last place to lose and the first place to gain. So, if she gets too lean down there, it should be easy to ease up and add back the curves w/o losing upper body leanness. Unless she's a genetic freak or using AS, she'll probably never have to worry about getting too lean in her lower body.
Bodyfat measurements can differ widely by measurement method, tester, etc., so whatever "number" someone says they are is just a number and can't really be applied to another person. She can use her own measurement as a reference point, but the mirror and how she feels mentally and physically will be more telling.
I too carry my most stubborn fat in my glutes and thighs. It's the last place to lose and the first place to gain. So, if she gets too lean down there, it should be easy to ease up and add back the curves w/o losing upper body leanness. Unless she's a genetic freak or using AS, she'll probably never have to worry about getting too lean in her lower body.
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