“Essential body fat would be 5-6% for a man, and 12-15% for a woman,” says Lawson. “That’s an absolute minimum—you don’t want to go below that. So when people talk about aiming for 3% or 5% body fat, it’s completely absurd and far too low.
“Anything between 12% and 20% for a women could be considered healthy, and for a man you’re looking at no lower than 8%. Most healthy males will have a body fat percentage of 10-15%.”
As well as sex, age is another factor that can affect your body fat percentage.
“As we age, our body fat percentage should increase slightly,” says Lawson. “That’s not necessarily an unhealthy thing—it’s part of the aging process.”
It’s also important not to get too obsessive about that one number.
“It’s the overall level of muscle mass as well, and having a healthy height-to-waist ratio, having a healthy waist circumference… all those factors are important,” says Lawson.