womens bodyfat

[parapete]

My friend is 26 years old, worksout regularly and has 18.5% bodyfat. She thinks this is high and i look at her and see no bodyfat. I said that women need higher bodyfat for cycle health, hormones, etc. What do female bodybuilders compete at and what is normal offseason bodyfat for women?

[Nicole]

Most women compete at 8-12% if they are natural. Off-season is anywhere from 14-20% depending on how much they bulk.

[Hibiscus09]

I'm 40 years old & at last check 17% bodyfat. I always feel like it should be lower, too. My husband and friends tell me they see no bodyfat either. I know I should be satisfied with the 17%, especially at 40 years old. Maybe it's like that 5 extra lbs. women always think they should lose. :) I do think between 15 - 20% is probably healthier for a woman unless she is preparing for a competition. Now if I could actually apply this & quit constantly trying to lower my bodyfat. . . .

[RedheadHardBody]

A healthy woman's body fat should be between 15% to 20%.

[Sweetness]

Originally posted by RedheadHardBody
A healthy woman's body fat should be between 15% to 20%.

I think thats generalizing a bit too much dont you? Certainly women who are more active are going to have a lower BF% and they are absolutley not unhealthy. I would say for an average person those are good numbers but people who are athletes cannot be held by the same standards.