What Every Body Fat % Actually Looks Like (50% to 5%)

[00:00] Do you know your body fat percentage?

[00:01] Take a guess.

[00:02] >> I'm going to guess 21,

[00:03] >> 17,

[00:04] >> 15.

[00:05] >> Most people don't know their body fat

[00:06] percentage. Some people think they're

[00:08] way leaner than they are.

[00:09] >> Oo, that was a little bit higher than I

[00:11] thought.

[00:12] >> Others are harder on themselves than

[00:13] they should be and find out they're

[00:14] closer to their goals than they realize.

[00:16] >> Hell yeah.

[00:19] >> And if you look up what different body

[00:20] fat percentages look like online, you

[00:22] won't find much help. Because if the

[00:24] numbers aren't completely made up,

[00:26] they're taken from less accurate

[00:27] measurements like calipers or handheld

[00:29] devices. And that confusion matters

[00:31] because your body fat percentage not

[00:33] only shapes how you look, it can also

[00:35] impact your health, sleep, performance,

[00:37] and how you feel about yourself. So, in

[00:39] this video, I'm going to take you

[00:41] through the full range from 50% body fat

[00:44] all the way down to 5%. Using real life

[00:47] people that I measured myself. We'll not

[00:49] only see what each level looks like, but

[00:50] we'll also hear about what it feels like

[00:52] to live at each level. I'll also show

[00:54] you where the average male and female

[00:56] lands. So, as we go, try to figure out

[00:58] where you fall and where you'd like to

[01:00] be, depending on your own goals, whether

[01:02] that's strength, health, or physique.

[01:05] This is Joe. He's a 36-year-old dad. And

[01:08] before I show you his exact body fat

[01:10] percentage, this is what his life is

[01:11] like dayto-day.

[01:12] >> I had low testosterone. Like my free

[01:15] testosterone was like 90, like 90. It

[01:17] kind of like made sense of like my lack

[01:19] of motivation, my lack of ambition.

[01:21] >> On bioelect electrical impedance or BIA,

[01:23] Joe came in at 50.7% body fat and on

[01:27] DEXA, he was 45.3%.

[01:29] >> So, your body fat percentage was 45.3.

[01:32] >> No way.

[01:33] >> That's lower than you thought.

[01:34] >> That's actually good. I mean, it's bad,

[01:36] but like

[01:37] >> he said he wants to get that down to 25%

[01:39] by the end of the year, and I'm going to

[01:40] help keep him accountable with that.

[01:41] >> So, you need to be one around 100 kilos.

[01:44] So, that's about 220 lb. If you want

[01:46] some accountability, we're here. We can

[01:48] get you back in in a year from now and

[01:50] see where you're at.

[01:51] >> Okay. And this is Alexis. She's a

[01:53] 19-year-old university student, and she

[01:55] said that dayto-day she feels pretty

[01:57] good. What's your energy like in the

[01:58] gym? Like, do you do you feel good?

[02:00] >> Um, in the gym, honestly, yeah. I love

[02:02] going to the gym.

[02:03] >> Alexis measured at 47.2% on BIA and

[02:06] 48.2% on DEXA. And she told me that

[02:09] while she feels fine and doesn't

[02:11] struggle much in terms of day-to-day

[02:12] activities for her long-term health, she

[02:14] does want to get down to a lower but

[02:16] still sustainable body fat percentage.

[02:18] >> I want to go back to where I was like

[02:20] comfortable and confident like every

[02:21] single day leaving my house. I've spent

[02:23] my first year at university and it was

[02:25] not a good time. I was eating a lot. I

[02:27] feel like I my body has changed so much

[02:29] over the last year. Like I almost don't

[02:30] recognize myself.

[02:32] >> That's probably the like toughest thing.

[02:34] >> Not everyone at this level had the same

[02:35] goal though. This is Daniel and he had

[02:37] one of the coolest motivations for

[02:38] losing weight that I've ever heard.

[02:40] >> I want to skydive.

[02:41] >> You want to skydive?

[02:43] >> Yeah. Yeah.

[02:44] >> Okay. That's a new one.

[02:46] >> I have not heard that before.

[02:48] >> The weight limit for skydiving is 220 to

[02:50] 240 lb. So, over the next year, I'm

[02:53] going to help him get there.

[02:54] >> Let's give you like a year and two or 3

[02:57] months. All right. You're going to come

[02:58] back here, get on the DEXA scan,

[03:01] >> and then you're going to book your

[03:02] skydiving. All right.

[03:04] I'm not doing it with you, though.

[03:05] Really? I'm scared of heights. I'm

[03:07] scared of heights. I will film you,

[03:08] though.

[03:09] >> For long-term weight loss, I think

[03:10] having a purpose that speaks to you is

[03:13] crucial, especially if you want to lose

[03:15] a lot of weight, which can feel

[03:16] overwhelming. You need to have a good

[03:19] reason for why you want to do it.

[03:21] >> What is What is fueling this for?

[03:24] >> Like, I've got two children. Like, I've

[03:25] got a 5-year-old and 8-year-old. My

[03:26] boy's five.

[03:27] >> And uh like his sole purpose is to like

[03:30] beat me up. That's like straight up. He

[03:32] wants to be stronger than me. He wants

[03:33] to beat me up.

[03:34] >> You just need to let him do that.

[03:35] >> Exactly. For as long as possible, you

[03:37] know.

[03:38] >> Okay. That's like that. Just beat up

[03:40] your son.

[03:40] >> Yeah.

[03:42] >> And because weight loss often takes

[03:43] longer than people realize, a lot of

[03:45] people do struggle with staying

[03:47] motivated. A lot of people want to find

[03:48] motivation. And the thing is like

[03:50] >> it comes and goes, right? And the key to

[03:53] be able to run on that is to get the

[03:54] habit set up. So it's just like brushing

[03:56] your teeth, right? Like it becomes

[03:58] something you do. When you build that

[04:00] trust in yourself over time that you're

[04:02] going to actually execute on those

[04:04] habits.

[04:04] >> While speaking with people at this

[04:05] level, I realized that even simple

[04:07] day-to-day activities can be a struggle.

[04:09] >> I'm always tired. Like I'm not like I

[04:12] want to sleep all day, but like I'm

[04:13] always fatigued.

[04:14] >> This is the heaviest I've ever been. It

[04:15] always feels like a battle. Like I I'd

[04:17] lose weight and then I would like gain

[04:18] it back and then some. To put on your

[04:20] shoes is like it's just uncomfortable. I

[04:23] never really care so much about my

[04:26] appearance,

[04:27] >> just about the things I can do if I was

[04:31] um not as big.

[04:32] >> And what I found most interesting was

[04:34] that they assumed that if they could

[04:35] just get down to the leanest level, like

[04:38] single-digit body fat, their exhaustion,

[04:40] energy crashes, and trouble sleeping

[04:42] would all go away.

[04:43] >> I'm pretty sure I would feel a lot

[04:44] better like this, right? But

[04:47] interestingly, as we'll see, if you go

[04:49] too far in the other direction, these

[04:51] exact same issues come back around

[04:53] again. In fact, if you get super lean,

[04:55] it can get really bad.

[04:57] >> I know my body is hard and I just can't

[04:59] get to sleep. And when you're that lean,

[05:01] it's like the wind blows and you're

[05:03] awake and you're not getting back to

[05:04] sleep.

[05:05] >> And a little later, I'll show you just

[05:07] how bad things can get at the very

[05:09] leanest level. because unfortunately an

[05:11] incident occurred between two subjects

[05:13] after filming that might have had

[05:15] something to do with mood changes that

[05:16] can come with extreme levels of

[05:18] leanness.

[05:18] >> Okay. Well, we going to have a problem

[05:20] then.

[05:20] >> First, before we see what 40% looks

[05:22] like, I want you to take a guess at what

[05:24] body fat percentage the average man is

[05:26] and what body fat percentage the average

[05:28] woman is in the United States. No

[05:30] cheating by skipping ahead. I'll show

[05:32] you that a little later. So, lock your

[05:34] guesses in. What body fat percentage the

[05:36] average man and the average woman in the

[05:38] US? Okay, this is Hmonish and he

[05:40] measured in at 40.7% body fat on BIA and

[05:44] 37.2% on DEXA. And keep in mind, these

[05:47] numbers are very accurate. DEXA is often

[05:50] considered the reference standard for

[05:51] body composition in exercise science

[05:53] research and in clinical practice. It's

[05:56] very precise and a 2020 review suggested

[05:59] that DEXA and MRI are actually

[06:02] comparably accurate for measuring body

[06:04] fat. And when combined with BIA, what

[06:06] I'm going to show you has tighter

[06:07] control and higher precision than most

[06:09] published exercise science studies. And

[06:12] it's going to be way more reliable than

[06:13] the online body fat charts that are out

[06:15] there, which use way less accurate tools

[06:17] and sometimes pure eyeballing, which can

[06:19] be way off, especially if there are

[06:21] differences in lighting. In this video,

[06:23] I'm going to show you exactly what each

[06:24] level looks like under the exact same

[06:26] lighting. Okay, so compared to 50%, you

[06:28] can see that at 40%, the waistline is

[06:30] down. The overall physique is leaner,

[06:32] but overall body fat distribution is

[06:34] still similar. And this is Katie. She's

[06:37] a nurse who just became a personal

[06:38] trainer herself, and she measured in at

[06:41] 37.6% on DEXA and 40.3% on BIA. 40% body

[06:46] fat on women can look very different

[06:48] from person to person depending on how

[06:50] much muscle they have and their

[06:51] individual body shape. And if we compare

[06:53] a male at 40% to a female at 40%, you

[06:56] can see that the female looks relatively

[06:58] leaner. That's because women store about

[07:00] 10 to 12% more essential fat than men.

[07:03] So 40% on a woman is visually more like

[07:06] 28 to 30% on a man. Men also tend to

[07:09] store more body fat around their

[07:10] stomach, lower back, and neck, while

[07:12] women tend to store more body fat around

[07:14] their hips and thighs. This is in part

[07:16] because estrogen promotes fat storage in

[07:18] the lower body, while testosterone

[07:20] promotes more visceral fat storage

[07:21] around the organs and midsection. That's

[07:23] a trend that'll continue at every body

[07:25] fat level. At 40%, how you feel

[07:27] day-to-day varies a lot from person to

[07:29] person, too. Katie said that overall she

[07:32] feels pretty good, has high energy, and

[07:33] her strength is solid. While Matthew,

[07:35] who came in at 43.8%, said that he does

[07:38] struggle with sleeping, and even some

[07:40] simple tasks like putting on his shoes

[07:42] can be difficult.

[07:43] >> I definitely feel it with like with

[07:44] sleep and stuff like that. I haven't

[07:46] been diagnosed with it, but like I know

[07:48] I have sleep apnea. If I fall asleep on

[07:50] my back, I'm going to wake myself up.

[07:51] being conscious of what shoes I wear. If

[07:54] I'm going somewhere where I might have

[07:56] to take my shoes off, sometimes it's

[07:58] difficult to just like pop my shoes off,

[07:59] you know, cuz I'm heavier.

[08:01] >> At 40% body fat, men typically have a

[08:03] higher risk of cardiovascular disease

[08:05] and metabolic issues. But for women, the

[08:07] risk isn't as elevated. In both cases,

[08:10] though, exercising and eating a healthy

[08:11] diet can do a lot more than you'd think.

[08:14] Even if weight loss isn't occurring

[08:15] right away, research shows that exercise

[08:18] can still significantly improve your

[08:20] health, strength, and mental well-being.

[08:22] And if earlier you guessed that the

[08:23] average body fat percentage for an

[08:25] American woman is around 40%, you'd be

[08:29] pretty much right. Based on 2017 to 2018

[08:31] NHANES data, the average American woman

[08:34] is about 39% body fat. Okay, now we're

[08:37] down to 30% body fat. And this is where

[08:40] things really start to change. This is

[08:42] Septari and he was 30.1% on BIA and

[08:45] 33.3% on DEXA. Your total body fat

[08:49] percentage is 33%.

[08:51] >> Okay.

[08:52] >> All right.

[08:52] >> But keep in mind 30% can look quite

[08:55] different depending on your structure

[08:57] and how much muscle you have. Septari

[08:59] measured in at 33.3% and Greg measured

[09:01] in at 32.5% on the DEXA. So almost

[09:05] exactly the same. But Septari had 97

[09:08] pounds of lean mass and Greg had 150 lbs

[09:11] of lean mass. At this level, how much

[09:13] muscle you carry can have a big impact

[09:15] on how you look.

[09:16] >> You guys are the same body 5%. You had

[09:17] very different reactions. Feel like you

[09:19] were really disappointed and you were

[09:20] not.

[09:22] >> 30% is what some people would call the

[09:24] dad bod look. Assuming you lift weights,

[09:26] you should see some visible muscle

[09:28] outline in your arms and legs, but

[09:30] you're not quite lean enough to see a

[09:31] whole lot of detail or separation. But

[09:33] assuming you sleep well, eat healthy,

[09:35] and exercise, your energy levels should

[09:37] be pretty solid, and your performance in

[09:39] the gym should be good, too.

[09:40] >> I almost like the way I look a little

[09:42] bit with the fat on.

[09:43] >> Yeah. Hey,

[09:44] >> it gives me the size. I

[09:45] >> I actually like that look, too.

[09:46] >> But if you don't have those healthy

[09:48] lifestyle habits, 30% can definitely

[09:50] feel uncomfortable. And for men, 30% is

[09:53] still above what most health

[09:54] organizations would consider optimal for

[09:56] long-term health. And if earlier you

[09:58] guessed that the average American male

[10:00] was 30% body fat, you'd be pretty close.

[10:03] Based on 2017 to 2018 data, the average

[10:06] American male is about 27% body fat. So

[10:10] if you're a man with 30% body fat, you'd

[10:12] land right here. About 40% of men have a

[10:15] body fat percentage higher than you, and

[10:17] about 60% of men have a body fat

[10:19] percentage at or below you. So if you're

[10:22] at this level and you'd like a smart

[10:23] nutrition app that can coach you to a

[10:25] leaner physique, try out MacroFactor.

[10:26] I'm a part owner. We've got over 400,000

[10:29] users and I'll put a link to a twoeek

[10:30] free trial in the description box below.

[10:32] Okay, so this is what 30% body fat looks

[10:34] like on a male and this is what 30% body

[10:36] fat looks like on a female. This is

[10:38] Breen and she measured at 28.4% body fat

[10:42] on DEXA and 28.2% body fat on BIA. So

[10:46] just a little under 30%. According to

[10:48] the American College of Sports Medicine,

[10:50] this is a healthy and sustainable body

[10:52] composition for a lot of women. Your

[10:54] body fat percentage 28.0.

[10:57] >> Okay. Nice.

[10:58] >> Yeah. So, you're you're obviously

[11:00] squarely within the healthy range.

[11:02] >> Once you account for female essential

[11:03] fat, 30% on a woman is about the same as

[11:06] 20% on a man. Here, energy levels and

[11:08] performance in the gym tend to be great.

[11:11] >> I feel like I wake up with a lot of

[11:13] energy, especially compared to my

[11:15] partner who I live with.

[11:16] >> And 30% on a woman is leaner than most

[11:18] people realize.

[11:19] >> I just feel like we hear 15, 10, like we

[11:21] hear such low numbers all the time. I

[11:23] think someone would look at you and be

[11:24] like, "Oh, you look amazing." But they

[11:25] wouldn't think like 28%. The pictures on

[11:28] Google, too. They're so different. I'm

[11:30] like, "It shows 30%." And I'm like,

[11:32] "That is not everything that I

[11:34] >> Exactly." That That's why I want to do

[11:35] this to give people like an updated

[11:37] standard.

[11:37] >> In the USA, if you're 30% body fat as a

[11:40] female, suddenly only about 10% of women

[11:44] are leaner than you and about 90% of

[11:46] women have a higher body fat. All right,

[11:48] we're just past the halfway point on our

[11:50] journey from 50% all the way down to 5%

[11:53] body fat. And here at 20%, we're really

[11:56] starting to lean out. Based on my time

[11:58] on the internet, most people seem to

[12:00] think that a male at 20% body fat looks

[12:03] something like this. But it actually

[12:05] looks like this. This is Jay, and he

[12:08] came in at 20.8% body fat on DEXA and

[12:11] 18.6% on BIA. So yeah, really close to

[12:15] 20%. And you'll notice once again that

[12:17] even at the same body fat percentage,

[12:19] your look can vary quite a bit depending

[12:21] on your bone structure and muscle mass.

[12:23] Nicholas came in at 19% on Dexa, but

[12:26] because he's shorter and he carries more

[12:28] muscle, his 20% looks quite a bit

[12:30] different from Jay's 20%. And I'm

[12:32] shorter than both of them. And 20% on me

[12:35] looked like this. Last year, I bulked up

[12:37] to 20.6% body fat. And this was my

[12:40] physique. You see, just because you're

[12:42] 20%, doesn't mean you're going to look

[12:43] or feel like someone else at 20%. We all

[12:46] have different genetic set ranges where

[12:48] our bodies are most comfortable. 20%

[12:50] body fat for me actually feels too high.

[12:52] I felt sluggish and bloated. For me, my

[12:55] body is a lot more comfortable and

[12:56] performs better in the 10 to 15 zone,

[12:59] but that comfortable set range is highly

[13:01] genetic, and it's a little different for

[13:03] everyone. For some men, it's a bit

[13:04] higher. Let's say 20 to 25%. If they try

[13:07] to get below 20%, they start to feel

[13:10] hungry, depleted, and low energy. In

[13:12] that case, I think maintaining a

[13:13] slightly higher level at around 20% is

[13:16] actually smart. So, you avoid constant

[13:18] yo-yo dieting. Assuming you lift weights

[13:20] at 20% body fat, your arms and shoulders

[13:22] will have some noticeable definition.

[13:24] And under good lighting, you should even

[13:26] see the outline of your abs when you

[13:28] flex them. For men, research shows that

[13:30] this can be a sustainable and healthy

[13:31] body composition to maintain. For most

[13:33] people, energy levels and performance in

[13:35] the gym should be really solid. And if

[13:37] you're 20% body fat, you're probably

[13:39] leaner than you think. Only about 12% of

[13:42] men are leaner than this in the US. So,

[13:45] if you get to 20% body fat, you're

[13:47] actually in a very small group. And for

[13:49] women, this is what 20% body fat looks

[13:51] like. This is Christina, who's been

[13:53] training consistently for over 10 years,

[13:55] and she measured at 21.4% on DEXA, 17.5%

[14:00] on BIA. Here you can definitely see

[14:03] visible muscle shape and more definition

[14:05] through the midsection. For some, this

[14:07] level of body fat will be lower than

[14:08] where your body is comfortable. For

[14:10] others, this can be healthy and

[14:12] sustainable.

[14:12] >> You are

[14:13] >> Uh-huh.

[14:14] >> 18.3%

[14:16] body fat.

[14:16] >> Stop it.

[14:18] >> But given that 20% is where a lot of

[14:20] pro- female athletes sit, I was a little

[14:22] surprised to see that some women still

[14:24] thought 20% was a bit too high.

[14:26] >> No. Like I I want to look cut. Like I

[14:29] want to look like Oh my god. Like she's

[14:30] jacked. Yes, you do. You You actually

[14:32] do. I don't know if you know that or

[14:33] not.

[14:34] >> Remember, 20% on a female is closer to

[14:36] 10% on a male. And here's the thing. If

[14:39] you're a woman, you have 20% body fat in

[14:41] the US. Less than 1% of the female

[14:44] population is leaner than you. Actually,

[14:46] only about 2% of women in the United

[14:48] States have a body fat percentage under

[14:50] 25. So unless you're genetically very

[14:52] lean or you want to maintain a certain

[14:54] level of leanness for your sport, this

[14:56] is about as lean as most women can

[14:58] realistically sustain and hold while

[15:00] still feeling healthy and performing

[15:02] optimally. All right, next stop. Now

[15:04] we're down to 15% body fat. And this is

[15:06] where things get interesting. This is my

[15:08] friend Shamar, who's lost 25 lbs since

[15:11] the last time I saw him, and he came in

[15:13] at 15.3% on DEXA, 15.4% on BIA. At this

[15:18] level, you can see clear muscle

[15:20] separation, even some vascularity,

[15:22] especially in the biceps and forearms.

[15:24] Your abs will be clearly visible, even

[15:26] under average lighting. But I still

[15:28] wouldn't call this extreme leanness. I

[15:30] actually think most men should be able

[15:32] to maintain this level of leanness year

[15:33] round as long as you train hard and you

[15:35] pay attention to your diet. It'll take

[15:37] some discipline, but it's realistic.

[15:39] That said, if you have a genetically

[15:41] higher body fat set range, you may

[15:43] notice hunger creeping in at around this

[15:44] level. So, if you're trying to maintain

[15:46] 15% body fat, you will need to pay

[15:49] attention to your food environment. If

[15:51] there are a lot of processed, delicious

[15:52] foods around the house, you'll probably

[15:54] quickly snack your way up to 20%. Your

[15:56] gym performance and strength should be

[15:58] really good at this level, and most

[15:59] people shouldn't have to suffer too much

[16:01] to get there. But, you might be

[16:03] surprised. If you're coming from a

[16:04] higher level of body fat, hitting 15%

[16:07] might take some serious dedication.

[16:09] >> 15.6.

[16:10] >> 15.6, man. Okay.

[16:12] >> I'm going right now.

[16:14] >> Yeah. Bedexa is the ego killer.

[16:18] >> Yeah, I'm doing more than the average

[16:19] bear to uh to be low body fat. So,

[16:22] >> but let me ask you, are you are you

[16:23] happy with your physique?

[16:25] >> Yes, overall I'm happy with that. Made a

[16:26] little progress

[16:27] >> and your performance.

[16:28] >> Yep. Yeah. No, I feel fine.

[16:29] >> Well, then just enough.

[16:30] >> Yeah.

[16:31] >> Still, if you have more muscle mass and

[16:33] you're genetically leaner, you might be

[16:34] able to cruise down to 15% without much

[16:37] struggle at all.

[16:37] >> I feel way better cuz that I'm 25 lbs

[16:40] down.

[16:41] >> Yeah, I'm too MySp are better. clarity

[16:43] is better.

[16:44] >> Here's what I think. I think it's

[16:45] because you've taken your time. You have

[16:46] a crash diet. You're still training

[16:49] super hard

[16:50] >> and you have a lot of muscle, you know?

[16:52] So, when you get rid of the fat

[16:54] surrounding you, you actually look

[16:55] bigger.

[16:56] >> I look bigger.

[16:56] >> You do look bigger. You look like I look

[16:59] bigger.

[16:59] >> Yeah, I know. Yeah, that happens.

[17:01] Regardless, 15% is leaner than you

[17:03] think. Only about 2% of American men are

[17:06] below this level of body fat. And for

[17:08] women, 15% looks like this. Meet

[17:12] Vanessa. She's currently training for a

[17:13] High Rocks competition, which is a

[17:15] hybrid event that combines running and

[17:17] various exercise stations. And she came

[17:19] in at 15.7% body fat on DEXA, 14.8% on

[17:24] BIA. And like I said, since women need

[17:26] about 10 to 12% body fat just for basic

[17:28] survival needs, this level of leanness

[17:30] is typically only seen in serious

[17:32] athletes preparing for a specific event.

[17:35] For a lot of women, this is where things

[17:37] can start to take a negative turn,

[17:38] especially if you're sustaining this

[17:40] level of leanness for a long period of

[17:41] time. Your hunger hormones can increase,

[17:43] energy can drop off, and you may lose

[17:45] your menstrual cycle. Staying this lean

[17:47] for years can also cause bone mineral

[17:49] loss and gut issues.

[17:50] >> How's your hormonal?

[17:52] >> It's sensitive. They don't want to put

[17:54] extra stress on my system. Okay?

[17:56] >> Otherwise, my period will get kind of

[17:57] wonky or like my sleep will get kind of

[17:59] messed up. That said, there definitely

[18:01] is a fraction of women who seem to do

[18:02] fine at this level without any major

[18:04] issues. Still, for most women, 15% will

[18:07] be low, and sitting closer to 20% is

[18:10] going to feel healthier and more

[18:11] sustainable for long-term health. And I

[18:13] don't know, I think this is cool. Two of

[18:15] these people are the exact same body fat

[18:18] percentage, which goes to show that just

[18:20] because you have the same number as

[18:21] someone else doesn't necessarily mean

[18:23] you're going to look like them. I saw a

[18:25] YouTube personality that the weight that

[18:27] she was aiming for or said that was

[18:29] sustainable for her was way too light

[18:31] compared to me. But because we were the

[18:33] same height and like had similar goals,

[18:35] I like pointed to her and was like,

[18:37] "That's what I should do." But it wasn't

[18:39] sustainable or safe for me to do that.

[18:42] >> Even if you're the same height, weight,

[18:43] and body fat percentage, you can still

[18:45] have drastically different metabolisms

[18:47] from someone else. So, it's like

[18:49] everyone truly is their own unique

[18:52] person, and you have to figure out what

[18:54] goal makes most sense for you.

[18:55] >> Yeah. And what's most sustainable.

[18:57] >> Exactly. Okay. At this point, we've gone

[18:59] from 50% body fat all the way down to

[19:02] 12%. This is Jimmy, and he came in at

[19:05] 12.1% on DEXA, 13.8% on BIA. And as you

[19:10] can see, this is a very, very fit look.

[19:13] At this level, most men will have a

[19:15] fully defined six-pack with just a

[19:17] little fat covering the lower abdominals

[19:19] and a little fat left on the lower back.

[19:21] But at 12%, you should be lean enough to

[19:23] see some visible striations, especially

[19:25] when you flex under good lighting.

[19:27] >> I want people to appreciate like this is

[19:29] a true 12% physique. For most men, your

[19:32] performance will still be solid in the

[19:34] gym, but to be honest, most men won't be

[19:36] able to maintain this level of leanness

[19:38] without some serious discipline. You'll

[19:40] most likely need to track your calories

[19:41] or follow a meal plan. Most men won't

[19:44] just sit here without some active

[19:45] dietary restriction. Some men will be

[19:48] able to maintain 12% no problem. But for

[19:51] most men, this is about as low as you

[19:53] can go without feeling like you're

[19:54] constantly dieting. 12% body fat is

[19:57] lean. Much leaner than people realize.

[19:59] In fact, a recent data report of over

[20:01] 9,000 American men revealed just how

[20:04] many people are actually below 12% body

[20:07] fat. How many out of the 9,000 do you

[20:10] think were under 12% body fat?

[20:12] >> 200.

[20:13] >> Maybe 500.

[20:15] >> 500.

[20:15] >> 500.

[20:16] >> 9,000 people. 400 people.

[20:18] >> One person.

[20:19] >> What?

[20:20] >> One.

[20:21] >> One person.

[20:21] >> Oh my god.

[20:22] >> Isn't that crazy? So, it goes to show

[20:23] like how lean that really is when you

[20:26] compare to the general population,

[20:27] right? For women, 12% is virtually

[20:29] unheard of outside of bodybuilding

[20:31] stages. At this level, you're just about

[20:33] down to only having essential body fat

[20:36] left. Performance-enhancing drugs are

[20:37] often needed to get this lean, and even

[20:40] then, strength and energy in the gym

[20:41] will almost always take a hit. Chances

[20:43] are, you'll be constantly thinking about

[20:45] food. Just ask Alicia here.

[20:47] >> I I crave a lot of chocolate. A lot of

[20:51] chocolate. Like I thought I was buying

[20:52] like a small bag of like chocolate

[20:53] chips, but then I ordered like a really

[20:55] large bag and I like craving them and I

[20:58] was just like handful and like ate them

[21:00] and I'm like, I don't even know why I

[21:02] You are like me. That has literally been

[21:04] me the last week with literally with

[21:08] chocolate chips on oatmeal.

[21:09] >> She's a pro bodybuilder hoping to get

[21:11] back on stage soon. And she came in at

[21:13] 12.2% body fat on Dexa, 14.7 on BIA.

[21:18] >> So, I'm just kind of like go go go all

[21:19] day. But then when I get home and I'm

[21:21] finally like,

[21:22] >> then I'm like, "Oh my god, I'm hungry. I

[21:24] could eat the world. Like, I want to eat

[21:25] everything."

[21:27] >> Okay. On our journey from 50%, we've got

[21:29] a couple levels of leanness left to go.

[21:31] And it gets pretty intense. For men at

[21:33] around 10% body fat, I've got three

[21:36] different examples. Nicholas came in at

[21:38] 10.5%, Ali at 9.0, and my latest Dexa

[21:43] also came back at 9.0% body fat. At this

[21:46] level, your abs will be clearly defined,

[21:48] and you should have visible separation

[21:50] in all the heads of any given muscle. In

[21:52] all three of us, you can see a clear

[21:54] outline of the different heads of the

[21:55] triceps and noticeable striations

[21:57] through our chest and shoulders. At 9 or

[21:59] 10%, your midsection will be pretty

[22:01] ripped, and there shouldn't be any

[22:02] noticeable pouches of fat anywhere on

[22:04] your back or legs. Here I am at 9% and

[22:07] you can see clear separation between all

[22:08] the heads of my quads and feathering in

[22:10] my back and hamstrings. 9% is very lean.

[22:14] I was even surprised that Olly clocked

[22:16] in at 9% because his arms look so

[22:18] shredded in vascular. I honestly

[22:20] expected him to be closer to 7 or 8%.

[22:23] But that's the thing, 9 to 10% is leaner

[22:26] than people think. The fitness community

[22:27] has said for years that

[22:28] >> 10 to 12 10

[22:30] >> is the healthy, not too lean sweet spot

[22:32] that men should aim for.

[22:34] >> You can get all the definition that you

[22:35] want and still have performance

[22:37] capabilities without sacrificing quality

[22:39] of your life.

[22:40] >> But I'm not sure that's true. Getting

[22:42] down to or just below 10% body fat

[22:45] usually requires a lot more sacrifice

[22:47] than many people are willing to make.

[22:49] And for the vast majority of men, 10%

[22:51] probably simply won't be sustainable

[22:53] without some serious dietary

[22:55] restriction. and highly disciplined

[22:57] training. I do this as a career. I think

[22:59] I'm genetically leaner than most people

[23:01] and getting to 10% was harder than I

[23:03] expected, but genetics are huge and some

[23:06] people can maintain 10% body fat without

[23:08] any major issues for sure. How do you

[23:10] feel dayto-day?

[23:11] >> H great honestly like this is this would

[23:13] probably be my like like my default

[23:15] >> really the fact that you are performing

[23:17] well, you're feeling good, your energy

[23:19] is good at that percentage. Okay, this

[23:21] good healthy percentage for you, right?

[23:23] This is the power of genetics. But

[23:24] that's the thing. I think most guys who

[23:26] actually do get to or just below 10% are

[23:29] usually genetically leaner and so they

[23:31] can hold it a lot more easily. Then

[23:33] those guys make the suggestion that

[23:34] that's the sustainable sweet spot, not

[23:36] realizing that most people will have to

[23:38] struggle to get there. And for them, it

[23:40] may not be worth it. So unless you have

[23:42] really good genetics, you most likely

[23:43] won't just end up at 10% body fat. It's

[23:46] certainly an achievable goal, but for

[23:48] most people, it will be a challenge and

[23:50] it will require some serious dietary

[23:52] structure. Oh, and for women, most

[23:54] research cites 10% body fat as the

[23:56] leanest level biologically possible. So,

[23:59] I do not recommend getting to this level

[24:01] unless you're doing it for a short-term

[24:03] competitive purpose. Ideally, under the

[24:04] supervision of a coach or a medical

[24:06] professional, but I did manage to find a

[24:08] couple examples. AJ is a professional

[24:10] bikini competitor, and her DEXA scan

[24:12] came back at WA.

[24:18] >> I have never seen this in my life. Look

[24:21] at this.

[24:23] 9.9.

[24:25] >> But this level of body fat doesn't come

[24:27] without serious side effects.

[24:28] >> It feels terrible. It feels so bad. If I

[24:32] brush my hair, a lot of hair comes out.

[24:34] I haven't had a period in quite a long

[24:36] time. My last period might have been

[24:40] May. I know it's going to take a while

[24:42] to get it back.

[24:43] >> Gia is also a national level competitor

[24:45] and she came back even leaner. 9.1% body

[24:48] fat. Absolutely mind-blowing. But again,

[24:51] this is a very short-term thing that I

[24:53] wouldn't recommend outside of very

[24:55] serious competitive contexts.

[24:57] >> 3 weeks ago, I started to notice like a

[25:00] significant dip in my energy levels to

[25:03] the point where I would stand up and

[25:04] I'll be like, "Wo!"

[25:06] >> And just like walking up the stairs or

[25:09] just walking

[25:10] >> become like it felt like such a chore.

[25:12] >> Yeah.

[25:13] >> And food cravings at this level are

[25:15] usually absolutely out of control.

[25:17] >> I went out for sushi. I think I had like

[25:20] four or five rolls of sushi and five

[25:22] guys plus fries plus eat that entire

[25:25] day. Your body is metabolizing it so

[25:28] quickly. But the more you eat, the more

[25:30] your body wants food. So

[25:32] >> given the extreme health risks of going

[25:33] any lower, this is the leanest level

[25:36] I'll be showing for women, but there's

[25:37] still two levels left for men. And the

[25:40] last level gets pretty wild. Okay, 8%

[25:42] body fat is what I would consider

[25:44] shredded. This is Luke. He's a

[25:46] professional natural physique competitor

[25:47] two weeks out from his competition. And

[25:49] his body fat came back at 8.4% on DEXA,

[25:53] 9.5% on BIA. At this level of leanness,

[25:56] you'll have clear deep striations in

[25:58] almost all your muscle groups. Usually,

[26:01] the only muscle not fully striated at 8%

[26:03] body fat is your glutes. And that may

[26:05] sound awesome and you do look super

[26:07] ripped, but if you are willing to make

[26:09] the sacrifices necessary to get here,

[26:11] you're still going to have to deal with

[26:12] some side effects. Your testosterone

[26:14] usually starts to drop off simply

[26:16] because your body is sending every

[26:18] signal to just go find some food. No

[26:20] time for reproduction, you need to eat.

[26:22] No time for sleep, you need to eat. You

[26:25] might be thinking about food all day and

[26:27] night.

[26:27] >> If you could have one cheat meal right

[26:29] now, what would it be?

[26:31] >> Sushi. I didn't even have to think.

[26:35] Now, while there may be a few extreme

[26:37] genetic outliers who can get here

[26:39] without any serious discomfort, the vast

[26:41] majority of men will only be able to

[26:43] sustain this level of leanness for a

[26:45] short period of time. A B CDE E F G. Can

[26:49] you start reciting that backwards for

[26:50] me? Starting at G. I couldn't do that

[26:53] even if I wanted.

[26:56] >> But do you do you find that you have

[26:57] like brain fog? Like you can't always

[26:59] get the words you want and that kind of

[27:00] thing.

[27:01] >> Yeah.

[27:01] >> I'm running in like slow motion at all

[27:03] times. The littlest of things can annoy

[27:05] me and agitate me so much.

[27:07] >> If you want to get to 8% body fat for a

[27:08] photo shoot or a competition, I do think

[27:10] there is a relatively healthier way to

[27:12] do it as a male. Eat high protein, don't

[27:15] diet too quickly, prioritize

[27:16] nutrient-dense whole foods, and try to

[27:18] keep your cool. But it can get tricky

[27:20] after the diet is over. That's because

[27:22] your body is constantly screaming at you

[27:24] to eat more. And so, a lot of men will

[27:27] quickly rebound in weight, often times

[27:29] shooting over where they were before

[27:31] they even started. That's why I don't

[27:33] usually recommend getting to

[27:34] single-digit body fat unless you have a

[27:36] really good reason for it and a solid

[27:38] plan for after the diet is over. But

[27:41] there's still one level left to go.

[27:43] >> People don't realize to get to 5% that's

[27:45] like a next level kind of dieting.

[27:48] >> I personally think it's impossible for

[27:51] most men without enhancement. It's very

[27:54] hard because it drives the muscle up and

[27:55] so you get the percentage down. Okay, so

[27:57] we started at 50% and now we're all the

[27:59] way down to 5% body fat. This is Lachlan

[28:03] and he's 3 weeks out from a classic

[28:05] physique competition and he came in at

[28:07] 5.5% on DEXA and 3.1% on BIA.

[28:12] >> 5.5.

[28:13] >> Oo,

[28:14] >> shredded man. I told you that's awesome.

[28:17] >> This is an extreme, borderline dangerous

[28:19] level of leanness and it generally only

[28:21] makes sense in the context of

[28:22] bodybuilding contest prep. At this

[28:24] level, you'll have dense, grainy muscle

[28:26] separation. And honestly, it's very,

[28:28] very difficult to achieve without

[28:30] anabolic assistance simply because as

[28:32] you naturally cut down below 6, 7, or

[28:34] 8%, your body starts to eat away at your

[28:37] muscle. No matter what you do, the side

[28:39] effects to get this lean are going to be

[28:40] rough. Your body's going to be sending

[28:42] you every possible signal to please go

[28:45] eat all hours of day and night. And it's

[28:48] interesting because the fitness industry

[28:50] praises leanness so much. A lot of

[28:52] people think the leaner you get, the

[28:54] healthier you get. But that isn't true.

[28:56] >> The body fat that I'm at right now is

[28:57] not attainable long term. The little

[28:59] tasks in life become the most

[29:01] challenging. Getting out of your car to

[29:02] walk into work.

[29:04] >> It's like you got to sit there and

[29:05] think, "Oh, I got to go do this." You

[29:06] know what the the irony is? We both go

[29:08] through the same problems, but we both

[29:10] have different goals and journeys in

[29:12] life. And this is where it gets crazy

[29:14] because I do think this level of

[29:15] leanness, especially combined with

[29:17] certain special supplements, can cause

[29:19] people to act in ways they no longer

[29:21] recognize. After filming this video,

[29:23] Lachlan ran into Ali, our 9% subject, at

[29:26] the gym and acted completely out of

[29:29] line.

[29:29] >> My studio is for posing and for other

[29:31] stuff, not to be on a phone call. Why

[29:33] can't you go down there? You don't need

[29:34] the lighting.

[29:35] >> I go somewhere else. This is the posing

[29:37] room.

[29:38] >> This is Dude, the posing is downstairs.

[29:40] I'm not trying to be a skinny ass before

[29:43] I snap.

[29:44] >> Okay. So, what

[29:45] >> can I Can you talk to me like a brother?

[29:48] >> You're not brother, dude.

[29:49] >> Why are you being so

[29:50] >> This isn't a live streaming spot, dude.

[29:52] If you want to go do that, you can do

[29:53] that outside. You can do that over

[29:54] there. I need the lighting to post.

[29:56] >> The incident ended up going viral on

[29:58] social media. And to be honest, my

[30:00] initial reaction was to think it was

[30:02] staged. What are the chances that two

[30:03] subjects from this video just happen to

[30:06] run into each other and get in an

[30:07] altercation the very next week? So after

[30:10] the incident, I wanted to give them both

[30:11] a call to make sure everything was all

[30:13] right and to get their thoughts on why

[30:14] this happened.

[30:15] >> Um, what would I say to him? Well, I

[30:17] would, you know, I would apologize and

[30:18] tell him that I'm like, I apologize for

[30:20] the way I handled things. Cuz I I do

[30:22] take responsibility. That was not who I

[30:24] am. I reacted out of emotion and not

[30:26] logic. And that happens to people

[30:28] sometimes. It happened to me. I feel

[30:30] bad. I'll learn from it. I'll grow from

[30:31] it. That's how that's how I roll. Okay.

[30:33] >> First of all, I didn't expect the video

[30:34] to do the way it did. I don't feel so

[30:37] good about it because he's getting a lot

[30:38] of hate. M Ali had a good attitude about

[30:40] the situation too, reiterating that it's

[30:43] never okay to body shame someone and we

[30:45] want the gym to be a place where

[30:46] everyone feels safe and welcome no

[30:47] matter their shape or their size.

[30:49] >> Yeah.

[30:50] >> You know what's funny, Jeff, is like

[30:51] I've never had any sort of experience

[30:53] with feeling any different while using

[30:55] that sort of supplementation. But it's

[30:57] almost like this video made me think

[31:00] like, oh man, maybe I did roid rage. You

[31:02] know what I mean? Like

[31:03] >> I don't know if roid rage is like a real

[31:05] thing or not. Like I I haven't seen much

[31:08] in the way of like actual science about

[31:10] it, but anecdotally like you do tend to

[31:14] see that like the higher dosage guys

[31:16] like they do tend to let their temper

[31:18] get the best of them more often, but it

[31:21] seems to be very individual. I mean I I

[31:23] agree with you like it's it's not an

[31:24] excuse and it should like that type of

[31:26] behavior is not acceptable for sure

[31:28] obviously. Um but I think like it's a

[31:31] contributing factor you know like it is

[31:33] a contributing factor.

[31:35] >> Okay. So, with all this in mind, if you

[31:37] want the best combination of health,

[31:38] performance, and aesthetics, what's the

[31:41] ideal body fat percentage for you? Well,

[31:43] I know I detailed a lot of different

[31:45] body fat percentages in this video, but

[31:47] honestly, the precise number doesn't

[31:49] matter as much as you think. That said,

[31:51] for most women, 20 to 30% is usually the

[31:54] sweet spot. But genetic differences are

[31:56] huge. So, if you fall outside that

[31:58] range, it doesn't necessarily mean

[31:59] you're automatically unhealthy. Not at

[32:01] all. In fact, the American College of

[32:03] Sports Medicine recommends 20 to 32% as

[32:06] the optimal healthy range for women.

[32:08] Going a bit higher or a bit lower isn't

[32:11] game over. For men, the ACSM cites 10 to

[32:14] 22% as the healthy range. I think 10 to

[32:18] 20% is the sweet spot, though. If your

[32:20] main goal is lean aesthetics, aim for

[32:22] the lower end of that range, so 10 to

[32:24] 15%. If your main goal is maximum

[32:26] strength performance, the upper end of

[32:28] that range might be a bit better, so 15

[32:30] to 20%. And since the body fat charts

[32:32] currently online really aren't the best,

[32:35] here's one that I put together using the

[32:36] real life subjects in this video if you

[32:38] want a screenshot. But honestly, if

[32:40] you're trying to get healthier, I think

[32:42] rather than fixating on a specific body

[32:44] fat percentage, you should focus on how

[32:46] you're moving, how you're training, how

[32:47] you're eating, and how you're feeling.

[32:49] What matters isn't the perfect

[32:51] percentage. It's finding a range where

[32:53] you can live a healthy and balanced

[32:55] life. Body fat percentage is just one

[32:57] piece of the puzzle. It doesn't define

[32:59] your worth and it doesn't tell the whole

[33:00] story of your health. The real goal is

[33:02] to find a balance that makes you feel

[33:04] strong, healthy, and confident. And like

[33:07] I mentioned earlier, so much of finding

[33:09] that healthy, sustainable body fat level

[33:11] comes down to your nutrition. So if

[33:13] you're looking to get your diet in

[33:14] check, I recommend using my nutrition

[33:15] approactor. It isn't just a calorie

[33:18] tracker. It actually coaches you to your

[33:20] goal using science-based algorithms and

[33:22] weekly check-ins. And unlike most diet

[33:24] apps, it's actually very approachable.

[33:26] We don't punish you if you miss a day

[33:28] here or there, and we won't send you

[33:29] stressful alerts or guilt trip you about

[33:31] eating so-called bad foods. We even have

[33:34] a dynamic maintenance mode, which you

[33:36] can switch to as soon as you hit your

[33:37] goal weight to make sure that you

[33:39] maintain your weight once the cut is

[33:41] over. Or you can switch to a lean bulk

[33:43] if you'd rather start gaining. Either

[33:44] way, just use code Jeff when you

[33:46] download on the App Store or Google Play

[33:48] and that'll get you 2 weeks for free.

[33:49] All right, that's it for this one, guys.

[33:50] Shout out to everyone who participated

[33:52] in this video. Dexa scans are really

[33:54] timeconuming. Everybody has to come in

[33:56] fasted. It's a whole lot of work. And I

[33:58] really appreciate all you guys for

[33:59] coming out to the lab and helping with

[34:01] this video. It really means a lot. Don't

[34:02] forget to leave me a thumbs up if you

[34:04] enjoyed the video. Subscribe if you

[34:05] haven't already. And I'll see you all

[34:06] here in the next