Insanely low LBM?

Muzie

New Member
Hi guys,

I've been cutting quite a bit lately, with my main goal getting to a 10% body fat range so I can finally see those abs.

Today I finally got around to getting some body fat analyzer scale, and to my dismay, it told me my body fat was still at 18.6%. Now, this wouldn't be so bad, but the problem is... I weight 155 lbs!!! (27-year old guy who's been training on hst for about 3 months). I'm rather confused as this would put my lbm somewhere around an abysmal 120 lbs!

Now I'm not really muscular (yet :) ) and I'm still a weakling by any standard (benching a piss poor 110 lbs) but then again I've been making good gains on hst in the past few months so I'm rather confused (and frankly wondering if the stupid scale isn't broken).

In any case, if my body fast really is 18% it kind of makes my diet worthless: I would have to go down to somewhere like 130lb to get to a 10% body fat percentage, which frankly doesnt sound very healthy for a man - besides, dieting is getting pretty hard as I'm not weighting that much and the metabolism is slowing down. Seems like my only course of action is to forget about losing fat and to just try to gain a good 20 lbs of muscle.

Would this make more sense? Does this body fat reading make any sense anyway? Could my lbm really be *that* low?
I've included a photo so you can see for yourself: does *this* look like 20% body fat to you? (I look skinnier than this on the side). What should I do?

Regards,
Muzie
 
I don't know dude. I was measured the other day at my gym and I came in at 16% and you look leaner. But then again, it might just be your speedo.
 
Those fat analyzer scales are very inaccurate, especially for lean athletic folks. Let the mirror be your guide as to how lean you are. Or, if you simply must have a precise [precise, but not necessarily accurate] number, then buy some Slim Guide skin fold calipers.

I'd say you are on your way to seeing those abs. I'd continue doing what you're doing.
 
I think the analyzer scale is way off. It looks to me as though your bf is around 12% based on your picture. I'd say your routine and diet are working. Keep it up. As soon as you get a little more definition in your abs, you'll be ready for a bulking phase. I know some who would say bulk now.
 
are you flexing your abs? I look just like you when i flex my abs, but when im not my belly shows somewhat (30" waist).
when I saw that pic I thought you stole my body. (i look just like you, pretty weak, not too fat, but got a bit). I might be a bit chubbier than you if you're not flexing.

My caliper tells me I'm about 14-15% My tanita says I'm like 8% with athletic mode and 17-18% with normal. So I just take the caliper's reading as pretty much my bf. I'd say your about the same as me if you're flexing your abs, or maybe 12-13% if you're not.
 
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