Bodyfat Percentage or Body Proportions

I get lots of questions that focus on body fat percentages, body weight, supposed lean body mass measurements etc.

Most of these numbers (besides bodyweight) cannot be measured accurately outside of a body composition laboratory. And even if you do have access to a body comp lab knowing these numbers is likely not going to do much to help you get into better shape.

Do You Really Care What This Thing Says More Than the Image in the Mirror?

The only measurements I think that matter are your circumferences like the Adonis Index and the Venus Index ratios.

The reason I think these are the ones that matter is because they are the closest indication of what you’re really after, and that is a better looking body!

Who cares if your hand held bio-impedance thingamagiggy says your bodyfat is 10% if you don’t like the way you look. It’s all about the look, the specific bodyfat percentages and lean body mass estimates are irrelevant.

It makes more sense to set an ideal body shape and proportion and look as your goal…and then once you achieve the look you are happy with you can measure these other percentages (like bodyfat) and find out what they are when you’ve got the look you want.

This is the only way to know what percentage goes with the look you like.

At the end of the day you and I just want to have a body we like to look at and live with regardless of what some machine tells us about it.

JB

Posted by johnbarban in body proportions, Bodyfat
Tags: bodyfat percentage, proportions |7 Comments

7 Responses to “Bodyfat Percentage or Body Proportions”

  1. usernametooshortnowitstoolon Says:
    September 29th, 2010 at 2:26 pm

    I agree. It’s also why I don’t care about weighing myself. Most guys out there set a body weight as a goal instead of a LOOK, which is really dumb IMO! Anyone can get to a target weight by just adding donuts all day. Actually, make that bagels since they have more calories lol.

  2. usernametooshortnowitstoolon Says:
    September 29th, 2010 at 2:26 pm

    Typo: “Eating,” not “adding.”

  3. jasetagle Says:
    September 30th, 2010 at 1:15 am

    John,
    I was at Olympia this past weekend, I had gone in previous years, but I was just reminded of how truly freaky pro bodybuilders are up close in person. The surprising fact is they are not “big”, in fact, many spectators would win the “big boy” award – but the pros have freaky huge muscles on a small frame. Obviously they are on every anabolic known to man, but damn, like you say, it’s not how much space they take up but what they look like.

    Jason

  4. johnbarban Says:
    September 30th, 2010 at 10:35 am

    Jason,

    It’s the strangest group of people you’ll ever see. And yes the biggest people at the olympia are always out in the crowd (but they’re not as lean as the competitors)

    Most bodybuilders are short guys with small joints so their muscles look even bigger.

    It’s the freak show of freak shows for sure!

    One of those ‘spectators’ you speak of was likely a buddy of mine (he’s about 6’6 and 350lbs) you probably saw him in there somewhere.

    JB

  5. jasetagle Says:
    September 30th, 2010 at 3:16 pm

    I do recall a Markus-Ruhl-esque type in the crowd, for whom the stadium seats weren’t big enough.

    Guys like Dexter Jackson, David Henry, and Kevin English are “tiny” to me (because I’m tall) but their muscles just “explode” out of their frames.

    I was working out at the hotel gym and Iris Kyle was on the bike two days after the Ms. Olympia. She looked nothing less than a living statue.

  6. blwegrzyn Says:
    September 30th, 2010 at 10:33 pm

    Again, this site is awesome and information here is so truth!!!
    This week I performed a test with fasting and calories restriction. This is during my second round of adonis index workout. I did fasting 4 days in the row and today i noticed already the difference. Six pack got more defined and everything looked great, but as John said this is something i could not do forever. Actually the fasting for 4 days ignited my taste buds and I have been cooking everyday just one perfect dish. Awesome. Life can be awesome with just one meal a day. John, you rock and I am waiting till you get that gold medal for honesty and truth you unleashed to all of us!!! And your book will make huge difference to all people who still believe in all BS.

    Bart

  7. Adonis Index Contest Winner Shares His Best Tips & Tricks Says:
    January 4th, 2012 at 8:49 am

    [...] that what got him hooked about Adonis Index was the fact that it is oriented on aesthetics and proportions, the goal isn’t to just get big, but to actually achieve a [...]

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