What Percentage Body Fat Should A Woman Have

Olivia Luz

In females mean percentage body fat ranged from 32 0 at age 8 11 years to 42 4 at age 60 79 years. Most women i come across who are around your height and weight have an lbm around 95 to 100lb. It isn t all about body fat percent it s about lean muscle mass too.

For more info on methods of body fat percentage check out this article.

Calculating body fat percentage isn t always completely accurate and there are many methods to try. We ll talk about the healthy range for men and women and the limitations. Ideal body fat percentages by age group are as follows. The ideal fat percentages are slightly lower in men than in women.

When evaluating body fat it is important to remember that it s not only high levels of fat that can be a risk but also levels that are too low. According to ace s standards it is normal for female athletes to have between 14 and 20 percent body fat for fit women to fall between 21 and 24 percent and for average women to have between 25 and 31 percent body fat. If it is below this level you will have to deal with certain complications. A 30 body fat would imply that you have only 87lb of lbm.

In males mean percentage body fat ranged from 22 9 at age 16 19 years to 30 9 at age 60 79 years. On the other hand nonessential body fat is excess fat that your body does not require to function properly. Will 2 people with the same body fat look the same. The percentage of essential fat is 4 5 in men and 10 13 in women.

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Women seeking optimal fitness levels should aim for about 16 to 25 percent body fat says kathleen laquale ph d athletic trainer at bridgewater state college in massachusetts. Though fitness competitors may aim for lower levels anything below 15 percent simply can t be sustained for the long term without health risks. Many things play a role in a person s body composition including gender diet fitness level genetics and activity level. So at 95lb lbm that would put your body fat percentage at 23.

Men also need to keep their body fat percentage in a healthy range. If these 2 women were the same height let s say 5 5 i bet the girl on the left weighs around 118 and the one on the right 95 lbs. This type of body fat has a percentage measure of 10 13 of body mass for women and 2 5 of body mass for men.