estimated bf%...Army says 19%?

[neverstoptraining]

hey i am a new member here, i have been browsing the site as a guest for about 2yrs just looking and getting advice from reading other peoples questions/answers.

now i have a few of my own. so here i am, officially a member.

i have been working out for 6yrs. i started back in 2005 when i joined the army at 140lbs. yah skinny i know..i was 18yrs old. i have been lifting daily since then and have made some good gains in quality muscle. i now am 24yrs old and sitting in between 193-195 depending on the day and 5'11''. i recently did the army hight and weight and i am only allowed to weigh 189lbs for my hight and age, so i had to be taped for body fat. they measure your neck which was 15'' and my waist around the naval, which was 35''. i have big hips...kind of gay i know...but when you put those measurements into the army's system it says 19%bf....now i know that is not right!!!!!!! someone please give me a estimate to reassure me.

here are some pics.

[neverstoptraining]

[neverstoptraining]

[neverstoptraining]

[neverstoptraining]

im sure as u guys can tell my my small size i am natural. i never worked on my legs, as everytime i tried to lift i would get pissed and stop, i have been hitting them hard for the past 2 months and noticed major results. i really need to work on my back too...

do you guys have any advice or comments for me?

[FireGuy]

I would say the 19% is probably a pretty close estimate. It's possible you are a smidge lower but if so not by much.

[neverstoptraining]

damn small calves...

[neverstoptraining]

fireguy, u are killing me....haha but hey if u say so then i believe you.....you usually are giving straight answers/info. man guess i need to hit the street for some cardio...thing is my goal weight is 205-210 so should i just not worry to much about my bf% right now?...i have no idea how many years it will take me to get there...lol but i guess slow n steady..

[FireGuy]

Sorry man, you arms and calves are somewhat lean but your legs and torso, especially the kidney and abdomen are still holding quite a bit of bodyfat. Nothing you cant fix real quick with an improved diet and some cardio, oh, and start killing the legs!!

[Bigd89]

I would say 17%

[neverstoptraining]

oh for sure, i will be hitting the legs hard...i was just always around people who never wanted to train legs, so i never did them. now they are one of my favorite muscles to work, so i will post improvements as i go. i am trying to get to 205-210...i pretty much eat anything i want and see, from an average joe stand point i wouldn't say i look fat or heavy...but who knows.

so in my quest to hit 205-210 lean, do you think i should start to get a actual diet and do cardio now, or just keep eating and bulking up for now. i am naturally a lean person with a crazy metabolism...thanks for any advice....

[neverstoptraining]

what do you guys think about swimming laps in the morning before work for cardio, and then running to the gym after work? i guess im just so happy to be gaining weight that its killing me to think about doing cardio to slim back down. i really just want to be around 205-210 with about 14% bf if you guys are saying im around 17-19 now, i think i would be happy. i think abs are awesome but with how hard it is for me to gain any kind of weight, fat or muscle i thought i was doing good?

[oldschoolfitness]

its always good to keep cardio health up imo. but it does suck when youre trying to gain just monitor yourself by checking weight and don't over do the cardio thing. another thing is you can gain without getting a higher bf as long as the diet is in check lean weight always looks bigger and bloat weight. good luck

[wmaousley]

10 times out of 10 the army knows what they are talking about.

[awms]

No your not 19%...that seems very high! what did they use to test you body fat?

I would say around 15-16% bf no higher...you look soft but not fat at all. I had more fat on my body when I was like 17% bf a few years back.

[awms]

you seem to hold bf in your lower abs? You prob have high cortisol levels...I would look into that.

[Rockin Z28]

i would gander you're actually lower then the other estimates being thrown around here and put you in the 14s

[csavage0]

Id say 19% is spot on.

[PurpleOnes]

I would say 18-19 %

[EatIron]

what did the army use to measure you bf%?

regards

[wantaesthetics]

Yea i feel like you are holding disproportionately more fat in the abdomen region than elsewhere. What i mean is if you ignore the abdomen that's the body of someone at like 14-15%BF. But yea overall id say 19% is a solid estimate.

[ShadowWarrior646]

I doubt you're as high as 19%. The way the Army does bf% checks is by measuring the neck and waist. You have a bit of a wide waist, not very fat, just wide.
They always got me the same way, bcuz I have a really skinny neck(very hard time building it up), and always had trouble getting the fat from around my waist so they always measured me a few percentage points higher than it really was.

First thing in the morning, after using the toilet, and before eating or drinking anything, check BF on an electro-pulse scale. It's more accurate than the BS taping the military uses. Only worry about the tape when you're up for heigh/weight checks after the APFT.
I'd guess that reads closer to 16-17% or less.

[SergeantCarbs]

I use army tape testing standards for home testing and compare to bodpod testing every few months. Ive seen it be spot on at times and at other times up to 6% off. I completly disagree about using an electronic scale though.

I do think your around 19% but I also think you carry it well. You dont seem very vascular which you will start noticing more as you become leaner.

[neverstoptraining]

Sooo...here is me a year later! damn time flew by. I am sitting at 207lbs right now. A year ago in the previous pics i was 195. Again the Army is saying i am now 21% BF...IDK? like stated before the Army gets their BF by taping your neck and waist. While i dont know my exact BF i doubt its 21%.... here are some current pics, seems like the only things that changed where my tattoo's. I dont see much change in my body....

[neverstoptraining]

[neverstoptraining]

[neverstoptraining]

can someone please give me their honest opinion. What do you think by BF% is? also what would you recommend i work on as far as body parts. Also i seem to have really big/wide hips anything to combat that? i figure just get huge lats? i know my legs are small, i just started working them for the past 5 months, and see a big difference. anyone know how to get rid of the lower back fat area? just cardio? also someone mentioned before cortisol levels? does anyone think that is a factor based off my pics? thanks for all advice and help

[neverstoptraining]

also i have not been doing any cardio..just eating and doing compound movements. specifically the wendler5/3/1 program which has worked better than anything else i have ever done as far as power and strength goes.

[neverstoptraining]

bump

[spywizard]

why are you so concerned with what your bf is??

you need to develop endurance for your current profession, and in so doing you'll drop bf..

I'd say 20% is pretty close...

and when will you stop getting new ink?? need a hobby or a woman to spend your money on??

I'd suggest you are bigger, but softer at the same time..

A high rep 70% max lift for 24 reps.. rest 30 seconds between sets... 3-5 sets... = increased endurance (unless you have a hrt rate monitor then i can be more exact).. but do that routine with your current exercise routines... give it a shot, it's always good to change things up anyway..

a diet of 60 protein 20 fats and 20 carbs is where you want to be as well..

Not sure that diet is possible for ya though..

[neverstoptraining]

i am only concerned with my BF because i don't think im 21%. I am very active, and max the Army physical fitness test, so no problem with endurance etc. For my height and weight i am only allowed to be 22% BF, and they are saying i am 21% which i KNOW is not true. I simply have big hips, and their method of getting your BF% is by measuring your waist and neck with a tape measure. Just trying to get another point of view of what my BF is since calipers are not a option right now. As far as the ink goes im done. I have been not doing cardio like i usually would so i can try and bulk, but also dont want to get out of control with the BF% i want a nice balance, not concerned with having abs n shit.

[neverstoptraining]

thanks for the input though spywizard