mwagner630's picture
mwagner630
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amazingly low BF but not cut, does this make sense???

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so i get my body fat % done periodically. i decided to get the pinch test done today. my bf% comes back at 4.5-5.5% but im not shredded. the only time i look good is when i first wake up. by the end of the day i am bloated and looking like im in my 3rd trimester of pregnancy.

anyone else ever have low BF% but not cut up?? its annoying. id love to have a 6 pack all day long, but im figuring to be there my bf% needs to be around 3% which i think is pretty unhealthy.

mwagner630's picture

i would agree, as of right now based on the BF pics posted i fall around 10% although im curious as what i look like with out the extra water

strongman480's picture

hey phil if you are not to busy could i pm you? I would like some pointers if you don't mind. nice pics by the way.

White Bolt's picture

I highly doubt you are 5% body fat based on your pics. If say you're around 10%

mwagner630's picture

i do have thyroid issues. i take synthroid everymorning

mwagner630's picture

sorry i named the wrong meds, my son is on synthroid im on methimazole. im new to these meds.

mwagner630's picture

lol yeah. since ive been on them i can actually gain weight finally.

strongman480's picture

well you are both right it has been used to treat hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormone). and is also used to treat or prevent goiter (enlarged thyroid gland), which causes the gland to produce to much of the hormone.
so so the op would have to make it more clear as to which problem is being treated.

strongman480's picture

not a problem.

mwagner630's picture

ill post a pic this week. i have no doubt its not correct, but i am sure its low, i am guessing around 6% give or take. more toward the give, i am also deep into a long ester cycle so i am retaining water pretty good. i tend to hold my fat at the belly button and below area. i wish i could get the excess water off to get a decent pic of how i am cut.

Zeller's picture

those calipers are never accurate. the only thing I really use them for is to gauge if im losing BF more so than the % it gives me. if it shows I'm at, for example, 15% and then down the road I'm at 12%, i dont think the percentage is accurate but at least im seeing a loss in BF.

at your percentage you should definitely have visible abs or be cut up to some degree. it wont be show quality type because you are not shooting for that with water, sodium, carb loading, etc. but you should see some good muscle definition, vascularity and abs at that level.

mwagner630's picture

i am still retaining some water, but in the morning when i get up before i eat and get lots of fluid in me, i am very defined and vascular. i dont think my BF is 4.5 but i would guess based on my morning look im close to 6%

mkp's picture

youre not 4.5 lol..... only top bodybuilders are around 4.5 when they get on stage.

mwagner630's picture

i hope you arent judging based on my old pics i got up. ive lost a good bit since those. right now i got some water on me, but in the mornings when i get up i look amazing, cut to hell and vascular. i would agree im not that low, but i would guess around 6 based on how i look in the morning before i load up on food and water.

Squatrack2's picture

This doesn't make any sense to me. Caliper testing is very subjective. Possibly the tester did not pinch the skin enough or used poor quality calipers. Unless you have an abnormally high amount of adipose tissue around your abdominal area in relation to the rest of your body, there shouldn't be an issue with visibility of your abdominal muscles. I know every one is different, but i have a six pack at 10%, at 8% its extremely pronounced.
Looking at your pic from March, you are no where near 5%. Get someone else to do your BF test or try to use a bodpod if you are near a university or possibly a community college. Much more accurate,

mwagner630's picture

i have dropped a good bit of body fat since march. I am very vascular now too. before i get a bunch of fluids in me during the day, i have a perfect 6 pack.

Makwa's picture

Be sure to drink lots of water and really try to limit sodium intake. When I was getting cut and primed for my pictures and shows, diet played a key role. It is a complex balance between getting enough carbs in you to keep the muscles pumped but not too much to where you start putting weight back on. I always seemed to be cut up even more than the day of the show a day or two after it ended. All the posing and flexing really brings out the striations and definition for a couple of days after. Spend a half hour every couple of days or so posing and see if that helps. That is a workout in itself doing all that posing and flexing, you should be a little sore from it the next day.