How do you know whether you are overweight or not? Apart from looks, there have been some techniques, which have been extremely good in figuring out whether you are overweight or not. The Body Mass Index or BMI, as it is popularly known as, has been one of the most common modes of calculating whether you are overweight or not. The body mass index is based on the ideal ratio between height and weight. It was quite popular for a very long time. However, it had some basic flaws, which soon become evident.
A major drawback of the BMI was that, it could hardly differentiate between weight gain and fat gain. So a body builder and an obese guy would have the same BMI. This gave way for a new mode of calculating obesity, the Body Fat Percentage.
The body fat percentage is so far the best method of calculating the fitness level of the body. However, even body fat percentage can not be said to be the ideal way of calculating the fitness level of a body. This is because; the ideal body fat percentage is different for different people; which means that your ideal body fat percentage may not be ideal for everybody else.
In calculating the ideal body fat percentage, a lot of factors play a very big role. The main factors are, age as well as gender. It is a generally accepted concept, that the ideal body fat percentage is very high in case of women, than in case of men.
However, when it comes to calculating the body fat percentage is concerned, different people have different opinion. However, the following are a few ideal body fat percentage ranges for men and women of different age groups.
The ideal body fat percentage for a male in the age group of 18 to 39 years would range between 8 to 19%, whereas it ranges in between 11 to 22% for an age group of 40 to 59 years. Any male in the age group of 60 years and above, would have an ideal body fat percentage, hovering between 13 to 25%.
As discussed before; the ideal body fat percentage is pretty higher for women in the same age group. A possible reason for this may be that women need higher quantity of energy during pregnancy. As it is, the ideal body fat percentage for a woman in the age group of 18 to 39 would be between 21 to 32%, whereas, for a woman in the age group of 40 to 59, it would change to 23%-35%. For a lady in the age group of 60 years and above, the ideal body fat percentage would be between 24 to 36%.
Although accurate, the body fat percentage is a complex phenomenon, particularly the method of judging the body fat percentage. However, it is perhaps the best mode of calculating the fitness level of the body till date.
A major drawback of the BMI was that, it could hardly differentiate between weight gain and fat gain. So a body builder and an obese guy would have the same BMI. This gave way for a new mode of calculating obesity, the Body Fat Percentage.
The body fat percentage is so far the best method of calculating the fitness level of the body. However, even body fat percentage can not be said to be the ideal way of calculating the fitness level of a body. This is because; the ideal body fat percentage is different for different people; which means that your ideal body fat percentage may not be ideal for everybody else.
In calculating the ideal body fat percentage, a lot of factors play a very big role. The main factors are, age as well as gender. It is a generally accepted concept, that the ideal body fat percentage is very high in case of women, than in case of men.
However, when it comes to calculating the body fat percentage is concerned, different people have different opinion. However, the following are a few ideal body fat percentage ranges for men and women of different age groups.
The ideal body fat percentage for a male in the age group of 18 to 39 years would range between 8 to 19%, whereas it ranges in between 11 to 22% for an age group of 40 to 59 years. Any male in the age group of 60 years and above, would have an ideal body fat percentage, hovering between 13 to 25%.
As discussed before; the ideal body fat percentage is pretty higher for women in the same age group. A possible reason for this may be that women need higher quantity of energy during pregnancy. As it is, the ideal body fat percentage for a woman in the age group of 18 to 39 would be between 21 to 32%, whereas, for a woman in the age group of 40 to 59, it would change to 23%-35%. For a lady in the age group of 60 years and above, the ideal body fat percentage would be between 24 to 36%.
Although accurate, the body fat percentage is a complex phenomenon, particularly the method of judging the body fat percentage. However, it is perhaps the best mode of calculating the fitness level of the body till date.
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