I'm female. I'm am seventeen years old and I weigh approx. 90 lbs. I work out at least for an hour every day. Two weeks ago I did a hand grip test (in case any of you are familiar on it), and it showed that I had a 9% body fat rate. I've heard that it's in the lower section of being healthy, but then I heard that it's normal, but then I heard that it's abnormal and possibly too low. My diet is not very nutritional. I definetely do not eat as much as I should. And I'm planning on becoming a vegan in the near by future. Please advise me what to do about this.
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Is it unhealthy for a teen to have a 9% body fat rate?
- Thread starter chaymuir
- Start date
A hand grip test as in one of the electrical devices that you just put your hands on? Honestly, those are extremely inaccurate (with an error range from 3-8%).
Typically, most females should have a body fat percentage of at least 14% (ranging up to around 30%). However, it may just be easier to judge your own healthy range by going by how you feel. If you have plenty of energy, don't fatigue too easily, and you don't get sick excessively often, then you likely have a good body composition in terms of health. 90lb does seem quite low, but if you're a petite person (I don't know how tall you are) then that's likely normal.
Typically, most females should have a body fat percentage of at least 14% (ranging up to around 30%). However, it may just be easier to judge your own healthy range by going by how you feel. If you have plenty of energy, don't fatigue too easily, and you don't get sick excessively often, then you likely have a good body composition in terms of health. 90lb does seem quite low, but if you're a petite person (I don't know how tall you are) then that's likely normal.
A "hand grip test" is actually used to measure your grip strength I believe. I think you mean a bodyfat test using a handheld device. You should really be above 14% even at your age so I would suggest that your current bodyfat is probably a little too low unless your a competitive body-builder! I would try to eat some extra calories to off-set the amount of training you're doing. Whilst the bodyfat monitors can be a little out it is only normally by a few percent so its probably near enough.
There is a lot more to being healthy than bodyfat percentage and there are very few accurate measures of this all to commonly used benchmark.
electricity takes the path of least resistance so the hand grip test measures the resistance offered by your body as it travels up one arm, across your shoulders and down the other. It then uses a bunch of preset templates based on what gender height etc. you have told it you are and estimates the entire rest of your body. My measure on one of those is generally 8 or 9%, and I haven't been 17 for a while. The stand on scales do the same but measuring resistance in your legs. I usually score around 15% on these.
I am genetically designed to be a beanpole, this combined with a ridiculously high metabolism and what most consider excessive training means that even my 4,500 to 5,000 calorie a day intake doesnt' tend to elevate my bodyfat.
As jrahien says you are the best judge of how healthy you are regardign bodyfat. If you are constantly lethargic, depressed or depleted, eat more, if you have plenty of mental and physical energy and are generally upbeat your body is fine.
Guidlines are for the average person. I know many of them and many far from it. The talent is looking at the bigger picture.
electricity takes the path of least resistance so the hand grip test measures the resistance offered by your body as it travels up one arm, across your shoulders and down the other. It then uses a bunch of preset templates based on what gender height etc. you have told it you are and estimates the entire rest of your body. My measure on one of those is generally 8 or 9%, and I haven't been 17 for a while. The stand on scales do the same but measuring resistance in your legs. I usually score around 15% on these.
I am genetically designed to be a beanpole, this combined with a ridiculously high metabolism and what most consider excessive training means that even my 4,500 to 5,000 calorie a day intake doesnt' tend to elevate my bodyfat.
As jrahien says you are the best judge of how healthy you are regardign bodyfat. If you are constantly lethargic, depressed or depleted, eat more, if you have plenty of mental and physical energy and are generally upbeat your body is fine.
Guidlines are for the average person. I know many of them and many far from it. The talent is looking at the bigger picture.