This guide can be used to estimate a man’s body fat percentage by eye. In contrast to most of the the compilation photos you can find online, all of the photos in this guide were taken within a few days of having done a laboratory grade body composition measurement, namely hydrostatic weighing, the BodPod, DXA scanning (most commonly) or multi-frequency BIA scanning. All photos are from clients of Menno or publicly posted photos from the internet.
As a semi-objective reference, the following table from the American Council on Exercise is useful to keep in mind. Many people have a distorted reference of how any body fat percentage looks, because they’ve relied on unreliable body fat measurements that were often not calibrated for athletic populations, in particular skinfold calipers with inappropriate BF% equations and single-frequency BIA scans. Objectively, even most bodybuilders do not manage to get under 5% body fat, as this comprises essential body fat levels.
| Classification | Male body fat percentage |
|---|---|
| Essential fat | 2-5% |
| Athletes | 6-13% |
| Fitness | 14-17% |
| Average | 18-24% |
| Obese | 25%+ |
Read more here: https://mennohenselmans.com/body-fat-percentage-pictures-a-visual-guide-for-men/
