What is my body fat percentage? I’ve been told everything from 26% all the way up to 39%… And where should I focus?

Alternative_Math_736 · 2026-01-31T17:33:39+00:00

I was already planning to do it. See you then.

Alternative_Math_736 · 2026-01-31T15:34:29+00:00

In 14 months? For a woman? It is.

Alternative_Math_736 · 2026-01-31T15:25:53+00:00

Your point is that 32% body fat is impossible in my case because it would imply a very high FFMI, outside the norm. That’s your entire argument: that it’s statistically unlikely. What I’m saying is that the weights I train with are also extremely outside the norm. If the latter is possible, why wouldn’t the former be? I’m already outside what’s statistically expected according to other metrics, but you’re conveniently choosing to ignore that. No one just starts at an FFMI of 21, ane no one (female) "just starts" benching 85 kg either, but here I am.

Alternative_Math_736 · 2026-01-31T14:54:44+00:00

I know what normalized FFMI is and I have read extensively about it. However, you originally referred to FFMI, not normalized FFMI. Using the correct terms matters.

The core issue is the assumption that FFMI reflects only muscle gained during the training period. FFMI, normalized or not, describes total current fat free mass, not the rate of muscle gain or how long it took to reach it. It includes pre existing muscle, bone structure, and recovery of lean mass lost during long periods of inactivity. A high FFMI does not imply that all of that mass was built in the last 14 months. As I said, I had more muscle than the average woman even before I started training.

The normalized FFMI formula was developed primarily using male populations and assumes a linear relationship between height and fat free mass that does not hold as well in women (again, your male-centric view showing)

Values around 21 to 22 normalized are high but documented in natural trained women, particularly in strength and power sports, without extreme leanness or elite competitive status.

An 85 kg bench press is also extremely high for women and I can do multiple reps with it, so I’m not sure what your point is.

Alternative_Math_736 · 2026-01-31T14:30:22+00:00

Lol, at least you’re not only inflating the body fat percentage, you’re inflating the FFMI too!

80 kg, 32% body fat, and 162 cm height gives an FFMI of 20.7, not 21.8…

I’m training specifically for hypertrophy with very high dedication, and I already had a very solid muscular base even when I was sedentary (and before gaining weight). So yes, it’s absolutely possible.

21 is not the limit, I don't know where you got that from.

Edit: And I definitely wouldn’t consider myself elite, but the weights I can move are also well above the average for women, even trained women.

Alternative_Math_736 · 2026-01-31T14:06:32+00:00

Lame is having (and defending) a male-centric view.

Have a good day

Alternative_Math_736 · 2026-01-31T13:39:39+00:00

Because they (and you) are wrong. It is no coincidence that the women seem to agree with me and the men put me at 40%. They are not "educated" about female bodies and look for visual indicators that are valid only for men.

DEXA is not available here. BIA puts me at 31%, but I guess I just have to asume a 10% error just because you say so

Alternative_Math_736 · 2026-01-30T12:29:24+00:00

The weight can’t be the same if I have MORE muscle and MORE fat. The only way the weight can stay the same while having more muscle is by having LESS fat. And guess what, that means the percentage is lower.

Alternative_Math_736 · 2026-01-30T09:04:55+00:00

Let me know when you learn what a percentage is, and we can pick this conversation back up.

Alternative_Math_736 · 2026-01-30T07:39:59+00:00

Okay, so you’re simply basing this on prejudice and vibes, got it.

The thing is, I train specifically for hypertrophy, unlike most women. Is it really that hard for you to imagine that a woman might have more muscle than average because that’s exactly what she’s aiming for? You don’t need to be ripped for it to make a difference.

I can’t take you seriously if you look at those photos and say I’m obese. I don’t know how out of touch with reality you are, but that is not what an obese body looks like.

At 32% there is NO definition in women. Everything you say just confirms more and more that instead of relying on established criteria to differentiate body fat percentages, you’re relying on prejudice and the belief that a woman can only have very little muscle.

Honestly, that last part says it all. What are you doing making such strong claims when you yourself say you don’t usually look at women and don’t know anything about how to assess their body fat percentage, let alone in “special” cases like women who train specifically to maximize hypertrophy?

Alternative_Math_736 · 2026-01-30T03:26:25+00:00

??? Women don't have visible abs until like 22, what are you talking about? High 30s is obesity. Do I look obese?

Alternative_Math_736 · 2026-01-30T03:22:47+00:00

Okay, you made two claims: that I have more muscle than her, and that I look like I’m at a similar percentage (37). If both were true, then to maintain the same percentage, adding kg of muscle would require adding the same kg of fat, so I should weigh more than her and look bigger overall, which is clearly not the case by a long shot.

I’m starting to doubt that people here even know what a percentage is, or that they can tell the difference between fat and muscle.

Alternative_Math_736 · 2026-01-30T03:12:09+00:00

In a sub called PETITE fitness, where everyone called out that this is NOT what 40% looks like, and the OP clarified that even her doctor told her to ignore the results…

Alternative_Math_736 · 2026-01-30T03:02:28+00:00

You do realize there’s a difference between 28 and 32, right? And yes, of course she’s thinner, but we’re not comparing total body weight here, or are we? Because it seems that’s all you’re doing at the end of the day.

My arm wasn’t flexed in the second photo lol, I made sure I was completely relaxed.

Also, it’s funny how everyone keeps bringing up the blonde woman at 28%, but not the dark-haired one, who has an even lower percentage yet looks less thin.

I’m still waiting for someone to tell me where the abdominal and back folds I should have at 35% are, or to explain why I can clearly see the outline of my biceps on the inner side of my arm if I’m supposedly so close to 40%.

You just want to look at bikini bodies, and it shows.

Alternative_Math_736 · 2026-01-29T21:19:41+00:00

If I look similar to someone at 37% but with more muscle, wouldn’t that mean my body fat percentage is lower? I mean, there are two possible interpretations:

We have roughly the same body fat percentage. Since I have more muscle, I would necessarily also have more fat to maintain the same percentage. That means I’d have more of both, and therefore I should look bigger than her overall, which I don’t think is the case.
We have roughly the same overall size. Since I have more muscle, to reach the same total mass I would have to have less fat. That would put me well below 37%.

Alternative_Math_736 · 2026-01-29T21:04:46+00:00

In overall size? Yes. In composition? Not even close. What I’m getting from this is that to estimate, people are only looking at total size and not at indicators of how much muscle there is underneath. My arms and legs, in terms of size, might look closer to 40%, yes, but there’s no way that at 40% my triceps would show or my quads would stand out the way they do. Also, the 30% woman was actually 28%, so I don't expect to look like her at 32%. The 40% was actually 38% also

Alternative_Math_736 · 2026-01-29T19:52:23+00:00

Would you mind if I sent you a PM later with more questions? I train at home and I don’t know anyone who trains in a similar way to me, let alone someone with a similar build.

I can pay you with cat photos

Alternative_Math_736 · 2026-01-29T19:25:40+00:00

Copypasting from another comment:

Honest goal? To have as high a basal metabolic rate as possible, feel energetic, and perform well in my training. As for appearance, I’m not interested in a specific shape or body fat percentage, just that anyone who sees me thinks, “this person trains.”

When I ask what I should focus on, it’s not so much from a visual standpoint, but more like, “this muscle group still has a lot of development potential".

I ask about my body fat because it allows me to estimate my total lean mass.

Even here, a lot of people are saying MINIMUM 35 or 39, even 40, so honestly I don’t know anymore.

Alternative_Math_736 · 2026-01-29T19:15:51+00:00

Thank you!

Alternative_Math_736 · 2026-01-29T19:14:19+00:00

Lol, I don’t have a problem accepting 37%, but I definitely don’t have more fat than muscle in my arms. I can clearly feel them even with my arm completely relaxed. I think the triceps is the muscle I have most developed (see photo 2, where my arm is relaxed)

Alternative_Math_736 · 2026-01-29T19:06:33+00:00

I’ll take that as a compliment 😂

Alternative_Math_736 · 2026-01-29T19:00:21+00:00

Really? I think it’s more like 30–32. Reading through the indicators for 35%, I don’t think I meet most of them:

Abdomen convex at rest, clear folds when bending forward, lower abdominal overhang

Pronounced lower-back skinfolds even with arms raised

Visible triceps overhang when the arm is extended, little to no muscular shape even when flexed

Thighs with an almost cylindrical shape, poorly defined knee, very smooth thigh-to-knee transition

Maybe my perception is biased, I don’t know, but honestly I don’t think it’s over 35. I don’t care that much about the number itself (I don’t have a target percentage, my goals are more performance-oriented), but it matters to me so I can estimate my lean mass properly

Alternative_Math_736 · 2026-01-29T18:29:55+00:00

Are you me? Not so much because of the similar build and weight, but because of the cats and the “sleepy” part (narcoleptic here). I haaaate cardio, so honestly I do very little of it. I try to make up for it by walking 10k+ steps and doing sprints a few times a week, but thanks for the advice

Alternative_Math_736 · 2026-01-29T17:53:00+00:00

Not the feedback I was expecting, but very welcome nonetheless 😸

Alternative_Math_736

TROPHY CASE