(Sorry for the double post)

Hello everyone, has you can see i'm rather new here. I see people are very consious of BF % which is a great idea but after searching the net i have found different tests with different results. One told me i have about %25BF with another one saying i only had %21BF that's a huge difference. (Just found another one that said i have %40 BF, yeah right)

I'm a rather big boned and muscular guy so all the recommend body weight goals don't applied to me. I'm supposed to be no more than 184 pounds which is totally insane i've been over 200 pounds since i was 12 years old.

I'm currenly 230 and 6'0. My weight goal is 218 i think but i like to learn more about the BF % measurements. That's what important to me.

%16 to %18 BF sounds like a good goal.

1. Can anyone suggest any tools to meausure my BF%?

2. What are the usual goals for BF% i'm into fitness/weight training have been all my life but i don't want to be consumed by it and i'm not interested in being a top althete just good overall fitness that doesn't take a lot of diet planning just simple and easy to maintain.

Just some general advice would be great.

This forum is pretty dang cool btw :tu:

BBB

No matter what you use you will get different results. And, you'll get different opinions about which one offers the most accurate reults. For me, I have used the US NAVY Method, Steven Creek's BF% Software, Caliper (maximum point measurements), and finally the gym I attend purchased a body composition analyzer that I go by. Seems that everyone on here will tell you that the best way (and I agree) would be to use the tank where you are weighed in a tank of water. But access to that is not always easy.

For the last while I have been mostly using the mirror. Are the abs still nice and defined? Are my shoulders and chest in nice proportion to my waist? Etc.

I set goals for myself and found that whenever I reached them I was not happy with how I looked. First is was sub-15%, then sub-12%, then sub-10%. Even now I feel I could look better. It doesn't seem to end :eek:

Finally, don't focus too much on the actual %. Choose a method of measurement (caliper might be the most practical) and focus on the % change. Weight train, do some cardio, and most importantly clean up your diet. You'll see some real nice results before you know it! Maybe now you say 16%-18%, but when you get there you may want to go further.



:gl:

Calipers are ok, but best is a pressure or water test. You can also, when you feel comfortable, post here. I think people give decent ideas of your BF%. Less important than the number, of course, is how you look!