How Much Dietary Fat Do You Really Need?

Fat intake matters more than you think

Bodybuilding is a sport where the best-prepared competitor wins — meaning enough muscle mass, good symmetry, and minimal body fat. But you've almost certainly heard the saying "too much of anything is bad for you," and that applies just as much to going too low on body fat.

When we talk about body fat, it's worth remembering it isn't just the fat sitting under your skin. It also includes fat surrounding your organs, and — mainly in people who aren't physically active — fat that infiltrates muscle tissue itself. That said, the numbers below refer specifically to subcutaneous (under-the-skin) body fat.

I won't keep you waiting: here are the numbers that mark the line you shouldn't try to push below without good reason. As you might expect, the healthy range differs for men and women. For a young man, optimal body fat sits somewhere between 6% and 10%, with around 8% being the sweet spot. At 8% you'll look lean and defined without risking the health problems that tend to show up once you drop below 6%.

For young women the picture is a bit different. A woman's body naturally needs a higher fat percentage — partly to have enough energy reserves for a potential pregnancy — so the optimal range for women sits between 12% and 18%.