The Optimal Body Fat Percentage for Building Muscle

In this QUAH Sal, Adam, & Justin answer the question “Is there an optimal body fat percentage for building muscle?"

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“The Optimal Body Fat Percentage for Building Muscle,"
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[WellnessWarriors]

It’s really a great and useful piece of info. I’m glad that you shared this useful information with us. Please keep us informed like this. Thanks for sharing.

[powertreadssupremacy]

There is no way he was 3 percent. 5% at the lowest, he was probably around 8%. I think these guys severely underestimate (their) body fat. Add 3-5% to whatever bodyfat numbers they say. 12-20%, 25% peak bulk for most men not looking to compete rather than 9-15.

[solidsoda]

I’m at 18% body fat doing a lean bulk, going to go till I hit like 22% or something, I don’t really care if I put on a few pounds, I just got bored of cutting to be honest, I used to be 33% before I started

[LaMach]

15% really is the magic number. You can gain muscle while also being lean enough to look good. Cant go wrong.

[naturalaquatreasures]

I never really bought this below 10% stuff. I decided to cut way low so I have a much longer time to bulk afterwards. I cut down to 7.1% and I felt better than I ever have, didn't experience any hormonal issues whatsoever, and when I went on a bulk I was putting on mass pretty nicely and quickly too. I felt like I could have kept cutting even more without any issues, but at that point I really wanted to start putting on some mass, so I switch to couple of weeks of maintenance and then bulked. Not claiming this will be the case for every one, I have no idea, but thought it worthy of mention.

[valitsemllaluokanavahyvaks]

18-22% Bodyfat for me since ive never been leaner than that. Ive always been a thiccer boi but i feel totally comfortable.

[Backinmywhey]

Below 8%? Im just trying to hit 18% man!

[jeremyleidy]

i usually start making solid strength gains week in week out at probably 15% or so. my percentage is estimated but i did notice that i make gains at a certain amount of fat on me and tend to be able to stay there as i put on muscle.

[hernandez]

I've been maingaining for the last 4 months and I'm the biggest and leanest I've been at around 10% bf 170lbs 5'9 lowest morning weight in a year into training. My measurements are just really slow to get up.

[JakeNaar]

Some people can have good abs over 10%. I'm not shredded by any means rn, I'm 16% but I still have visible abs when I flex and when I was down to 12% I actually had a 6 pack. I think 10-14% and well built is the ideal body type considering looks, lifestyle, and overall wellness

[ericnasr]

Soooo I'm confused... If someone is around 19%-23% body fat should you follow MAPS Aesthetic before doing Anabolic? Or do Anabolic first to speed up the metabolism? Because I'd like speed up my metabolism but also reap the benefits of adding some muscle mass in the process.

[Hudson]

I’m sitting at 20% trying to get to 15 😂

[Sogehtsgut]

Wow the First fitness Influenzer that understand Ayurvedic bodytypes!!!!

[williamparrish]

If you are just starting out and you have high body fat, the first thing you need to do is find out how many calories you are eating. The easiest way is to eat the same thing every day. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You need to know the portions and the calories. How? By meal prepping in advance.Then you will actually for the first time have a chance to get control of your weight. Next, you need to go into a caloric deficit while training both cardio and weight training. Meeting the US recommendations for cardio and weight training is a good start. I recommend walking on the treadmill and focusing on the core compound lifts: Deadlifts, Overhead press, Pullups, Rows, Dips, Bench Press, Squats. That's it. You will get stronger, you will lose fat. Do that for a year and you'll pass 90% of the people in the gym.

[Hudson]

Please do a video on boosting metabolism. I’m right at 200lbs… eat2100-2400 cals a day and am sitting at 20%. I work out about 4-5 times a week. How do I boost my metabolism without gaining a bunch of weight? (Worked really hard to drop 60lbs recently)

[andersadams]

I’m the 220lb, 2200 guy to a T. How long should I focus on building strength and muscle, and how aggressive should my caloric surplus be?

[matthewcameron]

So, I'm 5'10", 145 lbs, and eating 2800 calories a day maintains that weight.
My scale tells me I'm 16% body fat.
I feel like I can't cut anymore, because that didn't yield the right results - I need muscle.
I figure I should still be able to build muscle at this body fat.
My plan was to go up to 3200 or 3300 calories a day, training 5 days a week.
Is this reasonable?

[whereeaglesdare]

Kind of an odd question.

Maybe the question should be reframed as more of at what bodyfat% should losing weight be prioritized over building muscle and strength training.

I'd say to get under 20% before even worrying about strength training and at every 2% drop shift more into muscle building instead of weight/fat loss.

Above 20% 100% effort/priority.
Below 20% 80% effort/priority.
Below 18% 60% effort/priority.
Below 16% 40% effort/priority.
Below 14% 20% effort/priority.

[glensmith]

How do I reach U guys? Been watching U guys for years, love what U do but I have a couple questions now that I'm about to start training again? Thanks for your hard work

[reneeraw]

What is an optimal Muscle Percentage for an athletic female? I see fat percentages. I don’t see muscle percentages. Thanks in advance.