The study found that 12% was the most attractive body fat percentage. Attractiveness by body fat followed a bell-shaped curve: 12% body fat is optimum. If you exceed this value, you become less attractive as your body fat percentage increases. Less body fat than 12%, however, also reduces attractiveness.
Dr Stephen theorises that what people really like is low body fat, and don't particularly care about a person's height or width. "Our participants optimised a healthy-looking body composition for women at around 19 per cent fat, and a most attractive-looking body type of just 16 percent fat," says Dr Stephen.
20% body fat: Muscle definition is not as present and noticeable especially in the abdomen. A man with this level of body fat typically has the “soft” look and has a pouch on his abdomen. 25% body fat: There is almost no separation of muscles, no noticeable veins and no muscle striations.
“Our participants optimised a healthy-looking body composition for women at around 19% fat, and a most attractive-looking body type of just 16% 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.
Male Body Fat Percentage: 10% – 14%
This is the range that most men want to be at for a classical “beach body” look. There will be separation between muscles, but not in every muscle. Veins will mostly only show on the arms, and sometimes the legs.
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. 12-14% body fat: Fit.
Top hourglass body shape
Considered to be the most attractive body shape, this is very similar to hourglass body shape, except that in this case the curves are more defined.
What's a good body fat percentage for women? According to The Royal College of Nursing, a healthy body fat percentage for women aged 20 to 40 is between 15% and 31%. As you get past 40, your ideal body fat percentage might get higher.
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.
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.
An elite athlete will have a lower body fat percentage than that of the average person. Male athletes, for example, will have between 6 and 13% body fat while female athletes will have 14 to 20% body fat.
Men prefer a woman who can stay calm and relaxed. Beauty is more than make-up and a fancy haircut. Men find women more attractive when they are neat and clean. Men find women who smell nice, who have clean hair and hydrated skin more attractive than a face perfectly covered in makeup.
Most men liked the look of defined abs. They also prefer a degree of muscularity at the upper limit of what's realistically achievable as a natural lifter. Overall, the most attractive male body type is one that's strong, athletic, and healthy. Even better if that body also has nice arms and a muscular chest.
Essential body fat is approximately 3% of body mass for men and 12% of body mass for women. Women are believed to have more essential body fat than men because of childbearing and hormonal functions.
A healthy body should have less than 1.0 for men or 0.85 for women. A good indicator of having a high level of visceral fat, is a high BMI score (Body Mass Index) and a large waist. If you have both, chances are likely that you have a high level of visceral fat.
“Women's fatty tissue contains more mitochondria compared to men. What's more, they have the potential to be more metabolically active and so they burn more energy,” he explains. In addition, insulin works better in women. Mitochondria are the small energy producers found in large numbers inside all our cells.
The body fat percentage needed to see your pack of abdominal muscles falls somewhere around 14 to 20% for women and 6 to 13% for men. However, the ideal body fat percentage for abs can look slightly different per person, depending on how you carry weight, where you typically store fat, and your fitness routine.
To get to 10%, kick your workouts up to five to six days a week, White advises. That's a combination of weight training, HIIT, and cardio. Increase to heavier weights and higher intensity, focusing on not just the big muscles but also specializing in the smaller muscles to help carve that definition.
If you want to gain muscle and strength as quickly as possible and you're at or below 10% (men) or 20% (women) body fat, then you should bulk. And if you want to lose fat as quickly as possible and you're at or above 15% (men) or 25% (women) body fat, then you should cut.
For a man with average genetics and a healthy lifestyle, 14-20 percent is a great, sustainable body fat. It's lean enough to show some decent muscle definition, but high enough that you can build strength and muscle and enjoy your life without strict diets. For a woman, a similar range would be around 21-28 percent.
-13% You definitely have a six pack and obvious vascularity—you are totally ripped. Your chest and arms are defined, but bulkier than the body fat group below you.