In general, the total body fat percentage (essential plus storage fat) is between 12% and 15% for young men and between 25% and 28% for young women {Lohman, 1993 #4151} (see also table 13.1).
Body Fat for Boys
Twelve- and 13-year-old children should fall between 12 and 22 percent and 12 and 21 percent, respectively. A 14-year-old boy should shoot for 11 to 20 percent body fat, a 15-year-old 10 to 20 percent and 16- and 17-year-old boys should aim for 10 to 19 percent body fat.
1: Stop Focusing on Your Weight
Start: Looking at a whole new number: your body-fat percentage. A skinny-fat guy starts out at 16 to 25 percent body fat, says trainer Will Torres, who runs Manhattan's Willspace gym.
15-19% body fat: Normal/healthy level within the average. Slight muscle definition (shoulders and upper arms) is visible. The abdominals are not yet clearly visible.
Between 14-18% Body Fat: 3 to 6 months to see your abs. If you fall within this range, you can get abs in a matter of months.
For men, your abs will typically start to become visible at around 15%. But at 12% is when you start to really see some good definition with your six-pack. And at 10%, your six-pack is clearly visible and well defined. For women, I wouldn't recommend a “clearly visible six-pack” as being the goal.
There is more fat all around the body at the 30% level including waist, back, thighs, and calves. The waist looks larger relative to the hips, and the stomach will likely be protruding over the waist noticeably. There is no muscle separation.
In general, the total body fat percentage (essential plus storage fat) is between 12% and 15% for young men and between 25% and 28% for young women {Lohman, 1993 #4151} (see also table 13.1).
Male Body Fat Percentage: 15% – 19%
This is more of a lean look, with less muscle striations and vascularity. The definition on muscles goes down and there is not a clear separation between them. Most vascularity is gone, but some can still be seen on the arms.
Even if you're thin, you can still have too much visceral fat. How much you have is partly about your genes, and partly about your lifestyle, especially how active you are. Visceral fat likes inactivity.
So, if your teens are in their 16 years old, it is strongly suggested to get the average weight of 53.9 kg (approx. 119 lbs) if they are girls and 61.1 kg (approx. 134 lbs) if they are boys.
“While a strong core is important for stability and functional movement, visible abdominal muscles should not be the sole measure of fitness. In fact, for some individuals, a pursuit of six-pack abs may indicate an unhealthy relationship with food or an overly restrictive diet.
Subcutaneous fat is present underneath the skin and on top of abdominal muscles. 2. Visceral fat is stored within the abdominal cavity (underneath the abdominal muscles) and surrounds your organs. As a quick rule of thumb: if the fat is visible or pinchable it is most likely subcutaneous fat.
Teenage boys should aim for a body fat percentage of 9 to 15 percent, while teenage girls should have a body fat percentage of 14 to 21 percent. A body fat percentage over these ranges is considered overweight or obese, depending on the actual percentage.
14% to 17% Body Fat
You might see the upper two abdominal areas, but the bottom abs probably aren't coming in as much. You have some separation and hardness of the muscles all over and slight vascularity, but everything isn't dug out quite as deep.
The recommended ranges for healthy men are between 10-20% body fat, and for women, the ranges are 18-28%. If your body fat exceeds these ranges, but you have a normal weight when you stand on the scale, you may be skinny fat.
As a general rule of thumb, 10 per cent body fat is the safest place to be. You're lean enough to show muscle — including your six-pack — and you can see your veins from your shoulders to your hands, but you're not so shredded that you're becoming translucent.
Obesity Definition and Criteria
Women with more than 30 percent body fat and men with more than 25 percent body fat are considered obese. Morbid obesity is defined as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of more than 40, which equates to approximately 100 pounds overweight for men and 80 pounds for women.
Women: Abs may be visible (or need a few more weeks)
At 15 percent body fat, you are in a very healthy place. Guys, your muscles are starting to show, you see definition in your arms, your legs, and now have a lower fat to muscle ratio. At this rate, men are probably 4 to 6 weeks shy of their goal.
For well defined six pack abs (when flexing) you'll likely need to be somewhere between 10-12% body fat, which is quite lean and not easy to accomplish for most. In most cases, if you think you have low body fat but no abs, the simple truth is that you don't actually have "low body fat" to begin with.