So, went to a local university and had the Bod Pod fitness assessment.
Age 53
Height 5’7”
Weight 202
BF 23%
Let me just say that I have vascular arms, vascularity on my upper chest and shoulders and when I’m pumped up in the gym, a lot of muscle separation. I say all this because apparently I was fooling myself into thinking I was leaner than I really was.
If you’re not familiar with the Bod Pod, it is second only to the dexa scan and has an accuracy rate of 1-3 %. It measures air displacement rather than water.
If you’re really curious about your BF, the cost was $30 for me and they also provide you a caloric needs chart based on activity level. Most major cities have businesses that offer it or like me, you can check with your local state university.
I figured there are a lot of us on here that think we are sitting at a certain BF, just like me. I always thought I was around 16% but I wanted to know and I didnt want to use the GNC bio-impedance scale. I wanted something with a high degree of accuracy.
Now at least I have a baseline for future tests and a way to measure my progress.
Had the water displacement done many years ago in the military for a study they were conducting. First I’ve heard of this method. Think I’ll just stick with the mirror test now.
It’s all about how you feel about yourself. I could lose a few (I’m 245, 5’10.5, 24.5 bf) but I feel pretty good, bench over 400, have 19 in arms and 50 inch chest, at 45 years old. To hell with their BMI. I feel more like a thick ass than a fat ass… Not only that your ideal bf% increases as you age.
I was about the same size as you the first of the year, 2 lb heavier actually, and now 17 lb later I still can’t see much abs. I’ve learned I was a lot fatter than I though I was, but I did look good in a shirt back in October before I hurt myself and stopped training, vascular arms, you could see my shoulders and traps through a dress shirt. There’s a lot to be said for how you feel about yourself vs. numbers.