Just like with snowflakes, no two people have the exact same body shape. Even people that are the same height and the same weight can have entirely different appearances. Our DNA has us putting extra weight in places and less mass in other places than what the next person may have. Much of it comes down to genetics. Some are blessed with big arms and others may have large legs. However, body fat percentage also plays a huge role in body shape.
Body Fat Percentage
When determining how lean or how much extra fat a person is carrying around, it all comes down to body fat percentage. While there are numerous ways to measure body fat, if accurate, the numbers will tell you how much fat you are carrying around presently.
For instance, if you weigh 200 pounds and are measured to be 20 percent body fat, you have 40 pounds of fat on your frame. Even professional athletes rarely get under ten percent body fat, so don’t be too hard on yourself if you come in a bit high.
Men are usually between 18 and 24 percent body fat. Women, since they usually have some extra fat in all the right places on their body, will usually come in higher around 25 to 30 percent.
For men, most of the fat accumulates around the stomach region. For women, it could be around their belly, legs, breasts, or buttocks.
In any case, body fat percentage is definitely one of the main reasons we all don’t share the same appearance even if we weigh the same and it can be easily figured out via a body fat percentage formula. Someone might have 50 percent muscle and the person next to them could be much higher at 70 percent muscle mass. The higher the muscle mass percentage, the leaner and more developed the person will look. The higher the body fat percentage, the less likely the person will have any definition to speak of.
What Are the Right Exercises to Reduce Body Fat and Restore Your Figure?
Of course, this is the million-dollar question. What exercises can you do to decrease your body fat? Cardio is always a good start. Strength training will also provide you with more muscle mass and muscle burns calories and fat even while resting. But the key to dropping a good percentage of body fat begins in the kitchen. You need to eliminate junk food, eat fewer calories, and have more of a nutritious diet. Make it simple and eat like a caveman. Fruits, vegetables, meat, and water. You could drop double digits in body fat percentage if you keep a common-sense approach like this to how you eat.
Get Your Body Fat Checked Every Couple Months
You will keep up with a good weight loss program more often if you can document the results. If you are wanting to lose body fat, get your body fat percentage checked every other month. In the meantime, it is perfectly fine to check the scale weekly as well. Just don’t be put off if you don’t see a huge weight loss according to the scale. After all, you could be adding pounds of muscle while you are losing pounds of fat at the same time.
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