Does weight training lower body fat percentage?
It's complex, and not a yes or no answer, infact you could write a book on it. I'll try and give you some of the basics, though I'm sure to forget various important bits. As you weight train, you'll gain muscle. By doing this even if absolute amount of bodyfat you carry were to stay the same as a percentage it'll drop, your body fat will be a smaller proportion of your total weight. Next up is the fact that exercise, any exercise acts as an appetite suppressant, so you may find yourself eating less, which leads to weight loss. It is possible to lose weight while gaining muscle, though getting the balance right can be difficult. Exercise uses calories, and so over time may lead to weight loss. The caveat here is that many people overestimate the amount of weight loss exercise will lead to, or expect results quicker than is feasible. If you are fit you'll find that you can healthily maintain a lower level of body fat than an unfit person - counter intuitive I know but true. You'll see a great many people on here talking about very very low levels of body fat. Such low levels are extremely hard to get to, and even harder to maintain. You not only have to workout like a total idiot, but you have to manage your food too - eating just a little very often. If you are in full time work or education managing your food in order to get your body fat very low may prove impossible.
How do I lower my body fat percentage?
I would do atleast 15-20 minutes of cardio with every weight training session to help burn body fat. Change your workouts when you feel your hitting plateau, your body gets used to the same workouts! Make sure your not spot training. I follow the 80/20 rule - 80% clean eating, and 20% reward eating. You can do this either with small rewards throughout the week or 1 reward meal. You must make it a life style if you want it to be long term which means sanity! Make sure your eating all your meals and enough protein to gain all the benefits from your workout!! For supper i always make sure I have a protein, healthy carb and veggies. Healthy carbs include: brown or wild rice, quinoa, sweet potato, lentils, sqaush, whole grain, oats. Healthy snacks: protein muffins, protein pancakes, egg muffins, omletttes, home made oats, dried fruit, fruit, veggies, hummus and crackers, hard boiled eggs, plain rice cakes with peanut butter, kale chips, raw or cooked shrimp, smoothies, smoothie bowls, protein shake, grapefruit, flat breads, avacado. Focus on real and natural, the fewer the ingredients the better. Cut down on cheese, swap out cheddar for goat cheese, feta or fresh mozzarella. 8 cups of water a day is essential! If you eat healthy, weight train, and do a little bit of cardio then you will loose the weight :)
How to get a lower body fat percentage?
• Avoid foods that are high in empty calories. Limit consumption of cakes, cookies, burgers, pizza, wings, doughnuts and white bread. Consume high-nutrient foods like fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish, whole grains, beans and low-fat dairy products. • Drink more water and less high-calorie beverages. Avoid soda, sweet teas, milk shakes, flavored lattes, fruit drinks and alcoholic beverages. Drinking 8 to 10 cups of water a day instead can not only spare you calories, but it can also help keep your body hydrated. • Prepare a meal first thing in the morning to get your metabolism elevated and to prevent binging on junk food later on. Eat something that is high in fiber like oatmeal or whole grain cereal made with low-fat milk. • Eat meals throughout the rest of the day to keep your metabolism elevated and to keep your stomach satisfied. Have your meals consist of complex carbs and lean protein. A turkey breast sandwich on whole wheat bread with sprouts, lettuce, tomato and a thin slice of avocado is a meal example. Munch on some raw veggies on the side instead of potato chips. • Lift weights to build muscle which can raise your metabolic rate. Do exercises that target all of your major muscle groups like bench presses, upright rows, deadlifts, triceps extensions, biceps curls and leg presses. Aim for 10 to 12 reps, three to four sets and work out two to three times a week with at least one day off in between. • Perform cardiovascular exercise for 45 to 60 minutes to burn calories. Do anything that you like and that will break a good sweat. Fast-paced walking, running, inline skating, kick boxing, jumping rope and elliptical training are examples.
Why did I gain weight but my body fat percentage stayed about the same?
How long have you been working out with the trainer and doing strength training in general?How does your body look / feel overall since this 3 month period started?Often when people start strength training, it’s not crazy to think that they gain a little weight because they are developing muscle which weighs more than fat. So it’s very possible to gain some weight, but body fat drops, and your body in general looks better than it did previously.Are you someone that needs to lose a large amount of weight?
I am 13. I want to lower body fat percentage and gain muscle. Could someone suggest an exercise plan?
A couple of question popped up in my mind when I read the question details. If you are at 13% body fat then you wouldn't really have much of an issue with fat in the belly and love handles. If you were at 13% body fat then you are much much closer to having visible abdominal muscles a.k.a six packs than I would ever be. The second question is if you are only 13 years old then it's probably too early to try and build muscle. Am not trying to discourage you here. We all know this kid right :)But what I would however suggest to you is to utilize this time to get your basic or your foundations correctly. It's only my personal opinion that 13 years of age is too early to focus on lifting and isolation movements. Your body is still growing and developing. Obviosuly what you do now will pay off in the long run as far as your growth goes. Be as active as you can. But don't restrict your range of activities to working out alone.You can start with push ups, pull ups and planks. If you have already been doing push ups for a while then you can try different variations of it. Same for pull ups and planks as well. I would however suggest that you refrain from depending on crunches to build abs. They don't really do that much. You can try leg raises instead. But more important than all this is to get the right nutrition. Like I already stated, your body is growing and it needs the right fuel. Eat enough proteins, fibers and other macros. Relax about getting all that muscle right away. Stick to the basics now and build a good foundation. It will help you a lot in the years to come. Keep working hard!
If my body weight is increasing, but body fat percentage remains the same, does that mean I am gaining muscle?
Firstly, lets assume the measurement are accurate (ideally DEXA, or BIA).If body weight is increasing, but body fat percentage remain the same, that means you are gaining muscle mass and fat mass.If your fat mass was unchanged - and weight increased - your body fat percentage would decrease. Even though fat mass remains the same, it’s percentage of total body weight has decreased.Since weight has risen but body fat percentage has not changed, this mean that muscle and fat have increased.Even if muscle and fat remained exactly the same, and a fluid fluctuation caused the weight gain, body fat percentage would decrease. This is because the fluid increases weight, but fat mass stays the same, making it a lower percentage of the new weight.The above goes the show that body fat percentage - not body fat mass - varies on a daily basis, including with the fluctuation of fluids.I hope that helps.
What is the ideal body fat percentage?
Ideal body fat is subjective. Healthy (for a female) would be anywhere from 13%-29% depending on the individual. Very athletic females (usually with more muscle) may have as low as 13%-17%, fit females may have 19%-23% body fat and average (but still healthy) females could have up to 25%-29% body fat. 30% is overfat and 12% is underfat. So 16% body fat is very lean in the athletic range for a female. The only issue I see that might be a problem is the low body weight. Hope this helps.
Can I gain weight and lose body fat? I’m 255 and I need to be around 260-262 by August but I want to lose body fat also? Is this realistic?
Honestly, probably not very realistic-not impossible, but not realistic. You can make pretty rapid progress if you are new to training, but the #’s you’ve laid out will be tough to hit.Depends mostly on where you are at now. Are you lean? Overweight? Do you train with weights? Are you a beginner or advanced? Also, why do you need to be 260 by Aug?That’s a hefty goal to achieve, not impossible like I said but definitely not going to be easy to put on enough muscle to not only weigh 7 pounds more but simultaneously lose bodyfat. So that would mean if you wanted to lose say-5lbs of fat, you would need to gain 12lbs of muscle in 5 months….VERY UNLIKELY.Only 1 way to find out for sure though…Good luck!
Is it possible to maintain low body fat percentage for YEARS?
I've lost some weight over the last 5 years, and I am now getting down to where I'm trying to be more lean, say in the < 10% body fat range (ideally 8%). I prefer a more lean body rather than bulky. Something like Fight Club Brad Pitt: http://www.math.usu.edu/~kohler/MATHED/F... So my question: Is it possible to maintain this lean look for your whole life without completely obsessing over fitness and diet constantly? Into your late 30s, 40s and even 50s? Or would you have to be constantly maintaining it (I'm not in the fitness industry and I have a real life - family, job, etc). I ask because I know it's gonna be a lot of work to lose the last 10 pounds, and I'm wondering if it's worth it or if it's gonna be hard to maintain. Please no answers from kids or anyone who doesn't have ACTUAL lifetime experience.
Is a body fat percentage of 4% unhealthy?
It is unhealthy, but if you regularly measure your body fat percentage, I imagine you use some kind of bioelectrical impedance machine (where you hold or stand on two bits of metal while an electric current passes through you, and based on how long it takes, a digital display will tell you your result. They are not very accurate. The only accurate body composition tests are hydrostatic weighing, and even better the Bod Pod, and you can't do either at home. A better measure would be a mirror; if you are so lean that you have 4% body fat you should be able to tell by looking at yourself. If your muscles or bones are extremely well defined, you will have a very low amount of body fat. Too little body fat is dangerous. Fat has many uses, including physical protection from impacts. It doesn't take very much force to rupture a kidney, with low body fat your internal organs will take a big hit if you fall over or get hit. Your body tries to digest fat before it digests muscle, if you have very little fat remaining you body may start on your muscle a little early if you go too long without a meal. Even forgetting to set your alarm and waking up very late for breakfast can cause your body to digest muscle if you have very little fat. It is easy to gain fat, it is very hard to gain muscle. Fat also stores certain vitamins (A, E, D, K). If you don't have enough fat you might not have enough vitamins in your body for when they are needed.