Do you consider 18% BF to be a lot?

[Jizzman]

I know it isn't lean or anything but out in the real world, 18% really isn't much at all. Why do people on this site make it out to be a huge deal, like if you're 18% or something your super fat? At 18% most people shouldn't even have a gut.

[JayAche]

I'm between 18-22%...
When I look in the mirror I feel Obese.

Not as much so as I used to, but still not confident enough to walk around in public w/o a shirt.

[dcmaggio]

Theres a difference between height/weight

I mean if youre 6'2 230 with 18% bf its gonna be alot different than if youre 5'9 120 with a 18% bf

At 18% bf you would most certainly have a gut though

[Serpentarius]

Its not what the rest of society is, its people who are into bodybuilding, if someone considers themselves aesthetic and are 18% bf, they are delusional. Most people on this site want to be lean and look good, 18% is the opposite end of that.

priorities:

1. drop body fat
2. drop body fat
3. worry about lifts after

[kanis999]

As a bodybuilder, absolutely. As a normal person, nope.

[tumtum]

well you have to look at what this site is.. it's a bodybuilding site. so a lot of guys are competing and 18% means that they'd have to diet for 6 to 9 months for a show... so in they're mind it's extremely fat. They try to stay below 12% (if they are smart)...

so in the normal world 18% is fine.. but in a fitness/gym/bodybuilding community of course it's high..


kinda like if a guy plays a round of golf.. and he rarely plays and he shoots 90... well sure 90 is a decent score.. but if they surround themselves with guys who play weekly and are used to seeing a score of 75-80... 90 sucks

[csb5731]

It's probably pretty much average male bodyfat levels, and not unhealthy. For most BBing purposes, even simply for just lifting to look ultimately look good, it's getting on the over-high side IMO (unless you have no base and need lean mass more than anything else). Mainly, because if you are ultimately looking to cut to a reasonable 10% BF or so for the warm season, you are probably looking at 4 months or more of cutting at that point. Who the hell wants to put themselves in that situation with any regularity?

But people can look very different at 18% depending on base and bodyfat distribution. A lot of guys will have guts at 18%, if not most. Not the rest-your-beer on variety, but a gut nonetheless.

[Damoman]

Essentially people are saying its all relative to what standards you observe.

Personally, YOU determine what 18% body fat means. It might be your personal goal, it might be the threshold you never want to be fatter than. It's how you interpret it that matters, who cares what others think?

[Living4Health]

Before I started lifting I was around 22% bf which in the normal world was considered normal to be honest slightly overweight but nothing crazy. since starting fitness I was a fat **** (and still am at 17%) compared to the lean/ripped guys I see all over the gym and internet.

But yeah it all comes down what you want to be before I would of been happy at 18% and bone idle but now Im striving to be a lean 10%