Quote:
Originally Posted by penguinator
...Im not really trying to lose weight, but I am trying to get an optimal Body fat percentage. At the moment I am at about 15%, but I would like to get down to 10%...
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I'm not so lean these days nor am I a naturally lean sort of person but I got down below 9.25% while training for triathlons: regular coached swimming training - torture, weights, plus run & bike training &, best of all, racing. Time consuming but fun at the time. I was measured as part of program before & after a semester of gym training (my weight was unchanged but my body fat was reduced -- so worth measuring
). I peaked about a year or 18 months later - when the complexities of life caught up with me
- so I probably got a bit below that. I reckon I had previously been quite a bit leaner than that from time to time when climbing, especially when climbing in California & Spain, and harder routes (for me) in the UK - but was never measured. It's pretty easy to to tell though - waist measurement is usually a pretty good indication, number of strict form pull-ups, muscle definition, etc..
If "getting ripped" is your goal, you should check out the American attorney/health nut Clarence Bass:
Ripped: the Sensible Way to Achieve Ultimate Muscularity
Lean for Life: Stay Motivated and Lean Forever
He's managed to maintain ultra-low bodyfat for decades (about 2.5%...pretty much brain, vital organs & virtually no subcutaneous fat). He gets checked periodically by a University (Alburquerque?) and his age & fitness are improving as he gets older
. He started off as a competitive power lifter, became a body builder but is now more of an all round health nut. His main things are weight training (although in recent years he started getting into aerobic exercise too: biking, rowing machine, treadmill) and constant diet: he eats the same thing everyday! If his waist gets a little bigger, he eats a little less. Eats really healthy too, big bowls of porridge & salad. Interesting ideas on how food is processed & insulin (apple > apple sauce > apple juice). It's his life though -- not an after thought. Although, I have a friend in Illinios, in his 50's that would give Clarence a run for his money.
