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I got your free program and coincidentaly started almost a month ago with a trainer for 7 visits in the gym. Between our trainings I've tried to go by your program and it's been amazing! Thank you so much for doing this so well as you do this, Sean! We appreciate your efforts and help you provide us!
Excellent video. And a very important message. May I suggest doing a video of people at the estimated 12 to 15% body fat to give a visual on what it looks like approximately?
This is why I keep saying over and over again that 15% bodyfat is much more realistic and that half way to your dream physique is much healthier both mentally and physically.
@@smallpenis266 Most men at 15% have abs though. The healthiest and most sustainable range for most men is 12-18%. Of course there are outliers on both ends, but it's a generalization. He is pretty much saying that if your abs aren't showing then you have a substantial amount of fat that can still be lost. His phrasing could have been a bit better though.
Agreed. 12 - 15% body fat is where it's at for most natural lifters. 15% body fat might even be better as we spend most of the time wearing clothes, and having more overall mass makes a big difference in day-to-day situations.
I ignored all advice and went too lean. My whole nervous system crashed. It's been a month and I still haven't fully recovered. Videos like these are important and should not be ignored.
@@varunkamal91 I guess below 10%, visible 8-pack. I ate 1800 calories a day, 60% carbs/30% protein/10%fat. And yes, that's only about 20g of fat per day. Again, this is NOT the way to do it and you will wreck your body.
This is insane. I’ve experienced everything you’ve mentioned in this video. I look back at my shredded self and realized I NEVER smiled in those photos, never made gains, food and training was always on my mind (no other ambitions or hobbies), and overall it wasn’t realistic for me.
Jesus loves you all and is coming back soon! Believe in His death and resurrection and repent of your sins and be saved! Remember that He died and rose up again for you to be in heaven with Him! Have an amazing day ❤️❤😊❤
I agree with you. Probably one of the top channels in fitness and weight loss category. Because he is honest with us it would be less unreal expectations and so less people fail and quit their fitness goals. I wish him even more success in his endeavors.
I wish I'd seen this 5 years ago. Really wish I'd seen this then. Normally I've always been a larger build guy (85-90kg 175cm). Through injury I had gained quite a bit of weight. 5 years ago, I decided to start losing weight and get fit and shredded. What transpired was an obsession to hit 10% bf. I was spending 3 hours in the gym every single day excessive exercising with substantial calorie reduction. I was expending 2200-2800 whilst maintaining an intake of 1600-1800. Felt like I was permanently stuck on 15% so I'd exercise harder and eat even less. As a result, I was constantly getting injured and then working through injury (stupidly) to try and achieve 10%. Added to this I was hungry and miserable all the time. Angry all the time and I absolutely felt like smashing mirrors every time I looked at myself in the mirror. I'd stand on the scales 3 times a day dreading what the readings would be and then sit and obsess over it endlessly. I'd starve myself before I stood on the scales and even would "fast" just to show fat losses to myself. One week I simultaneously injured my shoulder, knee and achilles so badly (I still feel it today) that made me fall off a mental cliff. What transpired was that I absolutely caved and gave in and started junk eating excessively. To the point where I now have long term health problems. 🤦. I've started eating right again and doing exercise but some days I feel like again I'm falling into the trap again. Just yesterday I nearly fainted as I hadn't eaten enough so I've taken it easy today. It's a mess. I hope I can get it right and just break off from this obsession.
Also comes down to genetics. Some people are more able to lean up than others if they have a near perfect fat distribution. I on the other hand store the majority of my fat around my waste and lower stomach so even with the rest of me looking reasonable shredded, that one area is near impossible to get rid of completely without the rest of me looking like I haven't eaten in a month and feeling like crap.
10% body fat is INSANE. We don't think so because 1: fitness influencers usually achieve this by unnatural means or 2: We aren't being honest with what is and what isn't 10% or single digit body fat. Achieving 10% or lower body fat and maintaining it is HARD. Actual and accurate 10 or lower is insane. Totally agree with Sean
Relax man as if it's insane. It's about 4 weeks dieting from 12% big deal. Maintaining it is only hard if you don't have any fitness and refuse to do cardio. If you're fitness up and therefor you're capable and willing to do cardio you can eat well and keep your 10%.
@@Ketobodybuilderajb Yeah, I did follow the diet, it took me three months, well I think I can be at 8/9% without much sides I've been always lean before I started lifting, then I fucked up a bit doing dirty bulk.
@@karwoski91 interesting. I think we underestimate the effect "time" has on us. We can do any kind of cut or bulk, but it still takes time , meaning we can always adjust fire
I can’t thank you enough for this frank and honest piece. I’m 45 and a lifelong lifter and have happily settled at 15%. I can’t even imagine the distortion many folks younger than I must feel having grown up with social media. This video impressively helps redress that balance. Well done.
I’m a Gen Z guy (22 years old) who is into fitness and in terms of my generation’s social media standards: You’re considered fat or “chubby” if you aren’t 12% body fat or less. I watch this video regularly to combat the distorted fitness expectations I, and so many other people my age have. For example, I’m 15% body fat like you and have a visible 6 pack, yet I still see myself as a little “flabby”because I don’t have a “shredded” 6 pack with almost no fat on my lower abdomen. It’s gotten pretty ridiculous, which is why PED use is so rampant amongst fitness influencers my age sadly,
I'm 43 and at 10 to 12 percent all the time. I've bulked up to 20% but gained very little extra muscle. At 10% I look jacked vascular cut up with a six pack. But tbh I think I look better at around 15% but I don't eat enough for the amount of training I do
We live in a world where there are people saying if you don't have abs you're fat and on the other side, "body positivity" people saying you can be healthy at ANY weight. Unreal.
I wonder if there's some connection, it's almost like social media boosts the most extreme views and influencers from different camps feed off of controversy
I mean he's very clearly saying that's just what the measurement device stated. Considering those things can be pretty inaccurate I totally believe it actually said negative
@@harutosunaa3881 I have a friend who is visibly fat and got 11% on the test on a scale that is supposedly supposed to measure bf. I wouldn't trust bf scale readers.
Getting shredded wasn’t my goal. But I ended up getting down to that 10% range because I went on a low fat diet and I was working out running and hiking and backpacking extensively. The downside to that level of body fat was that my mood was always sour and I was always cold. On a warm day on a mountain peak when everyone else was in a T-shirt, I was in a down jacket and still shivering. I’ve gained over 10 pounds in the past six months and my body fat is closer to 18% and I feel much better; I don’t get as cold as often; and I’m not as hungry all the time.
Bro you couldn’t be more right in everything you say in this video. I maintained 9.3% at 163 lbs over the course of 6 months and now I’m sitting at about 12% at 171 lbs and the difference is immense. At 9.3% I was literally hungry all of the time. There was never a moment where my mouth wasn’t watering and my mind wasn’t focused on getting to the next meal. Almost to a point where I just wanted time to go faster so I could eat again without gaining weight. 1500 calorie a day intake at a 4,000-5,000+ calorie deficit and it was fucking exhausting. I have a super slow metabolism too so it was beyond grueling. To give y’all an idea I was running 7 miles a day and training in the gym 2-3 hours 6 days a week after working a 9-5 to maintain my physique naturally. In the long run it’s not worth it unless you’re competing and getting paid for it. Absolutely killer on your mental health as well. My goal was to get to 6% too and all I did was chase that every single day to pure exhaustion. 😩
You weren't hungry all the time from being 9.3%, but from exercising so much and not having proper nutrition. Your activity level is very extreme and you were eating 1500 calories. Which is less than most BMR levels for most guys. You were just starving yourself. I maintained a 9-10% physique by just playing sports 3x a week and going to the gym 5 times a week. I ate around maintenance or a little higher on match days. Footballers (soccer players) have very lean physiques too. If you just ate a bit more then you would have felt better.
We all love no BS Sean. Thank you for always spreading positivity and making fitness easier and more achievable than it looks like these days on social media.
“Popular bodybuilding influencer gym” sounds like a complete nightmare to me…just a daytime vampire hangout. Thanks for the no BS clarification on social perception vs reality.
Such an educational and helpful video! Great stuff Sean. Question... have you ever tried Next Level Diet? I got a muscle-building meal plan from them and I love it.
Great video Sean. As someone who struggles with body dysmorphia, I’m starting to finally realize that it’s ok to raise up the fat % a few notches. I’ve been hovering in the 7-10% range for YEARS, and can completely agree on the cons that are associated with maintaining that low of a level for so long, as I have lived every one of them. Energy-no more than I need to get through workouts. Mood-irritable, on a short fuse most of the time, and constantly think about the foods I don’t or won’t eat. Sex life-I am ashamed to admit that I’d prefer to eat a whole cake than get laid most of the time. I’m 42 now, and I’ve been living in the fitness/bodybuilding arena since I was 17 years old. As a personal trainer also, there is the pressure I put on myself to be the best I can be for my clients. I feel I need to be the walking Greek statue that everyone envisions they want to be or else they’ll look elsewhere for guidance. I’m starting to realize the madness has to stop, and I want to feel good again. Thank you! New subscriber here.
Really relate to this buddy. Same thing... Only thinking about food and the things I wish I could at least try! Been around 5-7% for a couple of years! It's long drive affected my mood, performance in training and ultimately, my body functioning. I think I needed this. Did you find a way out, yourself?
I'm 53 and 18% body fat. My abs are "hazy." I'm still putting on muscle with Creatine and 2900 calories a day. No TRT. I'm very active, healthy and feel great. If I don't get any leaner, I don't care. Getting shredded is not my goal. I'm not willing to give up cheeseburgers and Cornflakes. 🤣🤣
I am 51 and I am probably between 14 and 17%. Perfectly happy with that. I am on a 2200cal a day diet. This allows me to eat enough and have a glass of wine and still look and feel great. I feel fit and truthfully can probably out workout (whatever that means)people half my age.
I'm 56, and judging from the charts online, I'm somewhere between 16-18% BF overall. Super fit with "hazy"abs. Put on 12 pounds of muscle over the last 3 years when I added some weight training to my routine and ate a lot of beef. Which is really good considering my base level fitness was 35 years of surfing everyday. But I'm clearly at my max for lean mass at 162 pounds and 5'10". Even when I was lifting hard from age 15 to 25, I tapped out at 165. Never going to be "big" and that's just fine. In middle age, maintain is gaining. In winter time I'm eating about 3400 calories as cold water surfing burns a lot of calories. The bar is so low for middle aged men, that if you're just not fat, you have an elite physique. You forget that fact if your view is shaped by instagram and youtube fitness stuff. Go to Walmart or the mall and see what the general population looks like in their 50's.
@@lifeisbetterwithj yup. I was an endurance athlete for years started lifting maybe 1.5 years ago now. I races at 155 pounds now I am about 170 and happy as shit 🙂. Not worth not eating and living a better life.
I've been really struggling with body dysmorphia after taking a body profile photoshoot recently where I got down to 9% BF. It was really difficult to maintain and I've been putting on a little weight since I've stopped dieting so strictly. This video really helped ease my mind. Thanks, Sean!
It’s tough man, I was 5’11 135lbs very lean. Even though that gave me an eating disorder and messed up my hormones. Part of me still misses the definition and tight skin. It’s hard to find that balance but we’ll get there
@@Da-Creams You can’t permanently mess up your hormones just take solace in that. Bad diets and workouts can be fixed with good diets and good workouts. It just takes time so don’t stop with either of them, it won’t happen overnight.
@@bigbosslive69 Yes but that's not how people will see you unless when you go to the beach. I was told by many people that I looked smaller and weaker when I was around 10% body fat. I was asked have I stopped exercising and what not all while looking the best that I have ever looked when shirtless.
I relate to #4 the most. I knew a lot of people who were very muscular and shredded, but when you witness their day-to-day lives you see a lot of constant issues: constant cramps, poor sleep, always thinking about food, constantly focused on body image, stress and anxiety to the point where they need to use drugs and alcohol to feel okay. I also was pretty lean at one point exercising almost every day and I looked pretty good but felt absolutely horrible throughout the day. Completely unstable mood, feeling guilt about eating, long bouts of depression, panic attacks. It wasn’t until I stopped trying to be super lean that I was able to reflect and pinpoint that most of my emotional distress came from being at a low body fat percentage and my overall nutrition. Now I make sure to eat enough of nutritious whole foods and even though I’m at a higher body fat percentage, I feel great throughout the day and have consistent energy levels for exercise and daily life.
I am 68 years old. 141lbs. 5'6". Waist 29 to 30". Cycle 125 miles a week and do hundreds and hundreds of pullups, chinups, dips and leg raises. No alcohol, no smoking and healthy eating. I feel great! I am very fortunate. I think I have 12% body fat. Probably 14% like you say.
I went through college as a day time landscaper and night time student. Working out all day was my day long version of cardio; bringing me down to about 8% bodyfat. It went up to about 12% during the off season when the fat removal was not as aggressive. Staying that lean also meant I ate like a elementary school student. I was constantly exhausted where many times, the weekend recover was often not enough. However, during the winter months, my recovery became full and robust making my energy levels "fun" to the occasional date. My yearly event was the Boston Marathon in my area often completed under 4 hrs of respectable time. Genetics do definitely play a major role. Your tips are quite practical and accurate. My daily habits in Iraq also demonstrated it.
Yes, i worked as a roofer for half a year and i just could not eat enough to keep a healthy weight. I don't miss the dust in my nose and ring in my ears from all the noise cutting tiles, but i do miss all the moving around all day, sitting behind a desk all day is just not as nice. Also, the view was a lot better on the roof, watching the sun come up over your city and seeing live go by downstairs does make you feel like you're on top of the world. Damn i need to get back...
Another point he didn’t touch on is strength. I find that the leaner I get the weaker my lifts become. Then when I start bulking again all my lifts go up week by week.
Happy to see the long videos again. The advice is not only life-changing, it’s actually life-saving. Someone like me who suffers from dysmorphia, obsessing about every flaw with my body, listening to these help a lot. I want to look good but not at the cost of it interfering with my every day life functions. And for me Fitness is only meant to Enrich my life, not imprison it.
I'd like to tell a story: I used to do calisthenics before I had the money to join a gym and I did a ton of cardio, but I kept it pretty manageable. However there was a point where I started to do it excessively. I did HUNDREDS of situps, push-ups, and pull ups with burpees and other stuff thrown in and I ran 3 miles every day. I looked great. My abs popped and were clearly visible 24/7 and I was so defined I looked like a fitness model. I FELT like absolute shit. It was the lowest I'd ever weighed in my life(139lbs, I'm 5'11 so this was really bad for my BMI) and I was sore and hungry all the time. I felt like I could never eat enough and eating sucked and became laborious, I'm pretty sure I was giving myself stress fractures because I felt a lot of pain in my femur, hips, and lower back which traveled up and down my body. If I kept trying to run it got worse. I was so exhausted I would sleep excessively. I DEPENDED on caffeine to have energy. It absolutely WAS NOT worth it. So I'd like everyone to consider whether being "10% body fat" or just incredibly lean is worth it, because it takes so much effort that it just physically and mentally exhausts and breaks you.
Always love your straight to the point, no nonsense videos! I was 34% bf (according to my bathroom scale) back in April 2022. I'm now down to 27.5% (started walking 5 miles per day, cut out refined carbs, increased protein intake but maintained 400-500 caloric deficit). I don't look too fat at the moment, despite that large 27.5 number. I think if I can get down to 20%, while maintaining my muscle mass, I'd look fit -- not athletic, but "fit" :)
I've never understood the bodyfat obsession. Strength, agility, endurance, longetivity are what matter. No one will even notice your leanness if your shirt is on. Subcutaneous fat is important in a lot of circumstances because it acts as a cushion and prevents injury.
Keep spreading the good word Sean! Most guys need to pull the chute during a cutting phase when they start feeling like shit and their efforts begin having a negative impact on all other aspects of their life, but the industry has done a great job of encouraging us to wear that shitting feeling as a badge of honour. Hopefully we can make the feeling of thriving and feeling our best the new norm.
Great video. I am 40 and dont want to have that "DAD BOD" I have spent the last 6 months cutting. Probably sitting around 11% now. I can definitely see abs all the time, some muscle fibers, nice cut lines and veins but man am I miserable. Almost no energy, everything revolves around my macros and working out. Great videos. Definitely needed to hear this.
It’s so tempting to try to stay lean regardless of the downsides because you tend to look SO GOOD. Once you get that lean it’s so hard to see anything above that % as fluffy and fat even if you still have a top 1% body composition.
Lol. As a woman I achieved 19% body fat. I nearly lost my mind. I had to do 1800 calories with a 40:30:30 split which sounds super reasonable but it was an appallingly evil way to live. I am now 25% body fat and I actually can live my life. I do still have body appearance goals but I will never be that crazy hard on myself again. As a natural lifter, I choose to be capable of keeping up with my husband and children rather just "looking impressive".
@@onsenguy Exactly. I am only 168cm and my body was just melting away. He must be a man less than 160 cm. Any taller and he is just not getting his calories right.
I'm 45 and just about to start working out for the first time. I've been catching up on your content for awhile and will continue to keep watching. I hope it's not to late for me to get a decent body. Maybe not 10% body fat but I'd be happy with 15% and muscle.
Allow me to add my two cents to this: Please be aware, that you are setting quite high goals, here. Maybe absolutely attainable (if you're doing things right), but you are also aiming quite high.
@@RC-ic1co Between the age of 20 to 60 your metabolism stays exactly the same according to new studies, the recent for gain weight can be connected to changing lifestyles, therefore it's just as easy for someone at 45 to get below 15% body fat as someone at 20.
@@albin4323if by "metabolism" you mean caloric utilization then maybe, however, there is so much more to it besides calories. And it's substantially more difficult to get to 15% body fat when you in your 40s compared to your 20s. Things like hormones, mitochondrial function, etc - it all matters and that doesn't get "better" with age, unfortunately.
I am at 22% at 41, and it's not easy to lose those stubborn 7%. I can't do it for quite a while (without resorting to a significant caloric restriction which I don't want to do). And I don't even look fat, I look "regular". Strength-wise I may be a bit ahead of my peers, I can do 18 pull ups now. But that body fat just doesn't want to go, it's dead set on some number and it stays there.
Great to see that Sean broke down the numbers and stats very realistically and rationally. In my books, just looks are only one of the factors. I want to maintain 15-17 & body fat, eat well, have good sex, be strong as fuck, be mobile, and have energy for the rest of the areas of my life like work, fun, hobbies, side hustles, etc. I think looks (how shredded you are, and body fat %age) is kind of a toxic goal for most people. They aren't even doing it for themselves, they just want to impress others, no matter the cost.
At age 63, my goal is “Shredded”. Shredded beef, chicken, cheese, and potatoes. Forget shredded lettuce and cabbage- no calories. Seriously though, I’ve been weight training for 8 months now, after little exercise for years. Started at 6’1, 195lbs. Now I’m 210 lbs and 50% stronger than when I started. Probably 20% body fat, and I feel better than ever! Great video Sean!!!!
@@maxpower586 Could be. I’m starting to add more cardio now. It may be as high as 25%. I’ll be working on it now, in addition to weight training. Thanks for your reply!
Teens especially need to hear this. I remember being 15 and getting super shredded and “maingain” from there. I felt awful but felt hacked even though I was really skinny, weighing like 110 lbs and using XS shirt size. This probably even affected my height since I was still technically growing. Now I’m 18, 5’5 165 lbs and feel much better, much stronger, much muscular and use L or even XL shirt size in some brands so yea. Don’t get shredded if you are natural.
I agree. It takes a lot of sacrifice and dedication. I’m two weeks out from a BB show and I’m between 12 and 15 percent. Trying to get to 10 percent. I’m 51 years old and it’s tough. I love seeing my abs though!
Awesome video and tips! I'd like to add one thing that people tend to completely overlook. LIGHTING! When you're trying to lose weight, you typically only see yourself in your home light and it's usually not good. There's no shadows to show new muscle tone. But when you see yourself in natural sunlight, all the sudden you realize that you're actually thinner than you think and more ripped. The other day I was in my neighborhood gyms' locker room and looked at a mirror. Here I thought losing fat around the side pec and abdomen was giving me trouble. Then boom! I actually saw it in harsh light and I was surprised at seeing progress.
I'm getting old, but recently embarked on a goal to get back to 12%ish. But you just made me worry about what my face is going to look like now that the skin isn't what it used to be. I don't want to look like Skeletor. I guess I'll stop once people start asking me if I have AIDS or Cancer😅
Totally agree as an older gent . After my divorce I obsessed about reducing my bf!!! I looked a mess when I look back at pics . Skinny as hell and looking distinctly poorly (cancer) . Think I got hooked on Jeff and his 6-8% bf gig !!! Now I look healthier and get more looks from the ladies … most women don’t !!! Go for skinny guys …
@@C0d0ps Probably. But that is not my goal. Now that we have set the post. 15% bf and I'm assuming you pair that with muscle gain and lifting. Congratulations, you joined 70% of chuds that are working on the exact same thing even competing with juice heads. It's basic, working on your arms again? Cool. But then here we are reaching for 10-14% which will be where I operate, oh do I love to see my rib cages and soon to be rock solid abs, slim quick and swifty, that's me. It's not the same, not comparable, different goals and actions.
I discovered quite late that I simply cannot put _any_ muscle if I stay below 20% or even 22%. All my parents and grandparents has been big and strong and never thin. Like my farther did three different sports simultaneously when he was 16, but still was reasonably fat by todays standards. So whatever I try (without PEDs) with my diet and training, my strength and muscle size drops dramatically if I pursuit six pack. And when I still reach results, they just don’t stay at all. Just a day going off with friends and eating casually and I’m gaining fat back on a fly. While to return all lost muscles taking much longer time. It was quite tough pill to swallow. Ended up trying ‘roids, but quickly understood, that it’s a one way road. Glad I didn’t quit lifting, despite strong urge. I do it just for fun now and happier than I ever been. Don’t skip trainings, my personal life is much better. And I bench press 150kg for reps, which is cool for average 179cm Joe I am. So what I’m trying to say - don’t obsess with it. It’s not the end of the world, don’t hate your body and yourself. Work hard, you’ll be rewarded, live normal life. Listen to Sean. Btw six pack didn’t win me any girl. Sense of humor, however, did.
Great video and at a perfect time for me. I've recently gotten back into martial arts and while I definitely wanna lose some weight and get leaner for my fighting, this is a good reminder to not overdo it. Thanks Sean.
Great video! As a trainer myself, I really appreciate your honesty and being so up front about this and everything else you present information to us with. You have gained my respect and it would be great to have a conversation with you one day!
Guys, listen to Sean. I got down to 10% because I wanted to get as lean as possible before I started my muscle and strength gaining phase again. It was fun being lean for the summer, but two months of cutting was very very difficult to get that low in body fat. Aside from the pros and cons list that Sean provided, I suffered heavily with increased depression, lack of concentration at work, irritability, and several other negative side effects that gradually crept up on me during that two month cycle. Once I increased calories and carbs again, I started feeling really good again and I felt great in the gym. Plus I maintained most of my lean physique and added some size and strength again. I think being around 12% looks a lot better and feels so much better than 10%. Anyway, that’s just my two cents. Take it for what it’s worth. The important thing is to be healthy physically as well as mentally
My favorite part of the video, at about 2:40 shows picture, says "while I'm definitely not shredded"......looks pretty freakin shredded to me. And I'm in pretty good shape never that toned in the mid section though. All joking aside, great video and advice. Well done.
at 5'11" i weighed 240lbs, and i went down to 160lbs. I thought i'd have been able to see my abs at that point but no. that really put into perspective for me how lean you need to be to see clearly defined abs. I tried to go further, and eventually got to 157lbs but I had no energy, I was always tired and always hungry.
Impossible. Either you're not 5' 11" or your weight measurements are completely wrong. I'm 5'11" and at 199lbs, I'm probably 12 pounds away from visible abs. At 180 I'd be pretty shredded. 160lbs at 5'11" and no abs?!
@@dennissvistun922 possible, means he doesn't have much muscle mass just like me, I'm 15 percent at 140 pounds right now and can see abit of abs however I am skinny fat so I still have a disproportionate amount of fat around my stomach so I may need to lose 10 ish more pounds to get rid of the stomach fat, then can focus on actually building up my lean mass
Dude you couldn't see your abs at 160? Wtf have you never done a plank in your goddamn life? I could see abs at 190 and I was a fatass all my life. Cmon bro you gotta be cappin we're the same height
I'm the same height and at 185 I can start to see my ab formation. I plan to get to 175, but 165 seems miserable. Maybe you are the unlucky ones whose entire fat deposit just goes to your abdominal area. My fat deposits are fairly even throughout my body
I remember when I found Greg's channel and thought that volume eating was the holy grail. A few months later my body was like, "nah bro, you're not fooling me with this stomach full of spinach and lettuce".
This is why I love Sean, he’s always real and honest. I personally I’m not very genetically blessed, no matter how much I try to get leaner I usually don’t have a problem until I reach 13-14%bf then my body just make me eat anything I have in sight until I get back to 15%. Some people are just genetically gifted and can maintain a low percentage of a body fat.
As a current serving soldier who is legitimately at 13-15% body fat at 210-211Ibs and still very physically conditioned and strong, at 5'10.3". I definitely completely agree with everything on this video it's very factual and no opinions. I like it keep letting people know what the facts actually are. As someone who has been lifting even rather very heavy weight lifting for over 16 years you very much hit every pertinent factual information.
@@dozoneil1253 In the way that they definitely don't really maintain a high calorie percentage and definitely work your entire body pretty hard, and a lot of cardio. So in that way yes you will definitely loose quite a bit of body fat and build muscle in its place. Now I'm not saying you will get really ripped by any means, however it depends on how much effort you put in. But by the time you finish basic and AIT , you will 100% be craving high calorie foods, don't overdue it but if you want to gain muscle and strength you will have to maintain a pretty high protein and healthy amount of iron and natural sugars like in fruits, and keep up your workouts.
As long as I stay around 12-15%, I’m satisfied. I like looking strong, but I also want to enjoy my life, and have some leeway to enjoy food. The closest I came to 10% bodyfat was about 11.2%, and it was not easy and I was not having fun.
Best fitness youtuber ever, you have helped me so much over the years i've been watching u, thanks truly. Not long ago i suffered from body dysmorphia and depression after i regained a lot of the weight due to trying to maintain 10% bf for months, now i am sitting at 15% and i am happier, healthier and more flexible. I am currently cutting but this time i'll just stick around to 12% bf, great video thanks for the advice :)
As someone who is about 10% all year but with fluctuations of +/- 2% the amount of training to keep this is crazy. I’m a collegiate swimmer who trains about 24 hours a week. It’s super hard putting on weight as well but that’s not my goal. I can’t imagine maintaining 10% without 4 hours of cardio like what I do.
Lol, you're like the exact thing he's criticizing in this video. Swimmers from what I've seen don't actually get that lean without thinking about it, but also no one in your swimming videos looks to be even near 10% or lower?? The person in your profile picture looks to be around 15-20%...
@@fastestdino2 personally, I don’t get sick very often. If I do get sick it’s always very mild and I end up training full volume. I just make sure to but more emphasis on sleep/recovery, stress reduction, and diet. So I guess my body is used to it. I’ve probably been at this BF for about 6-7 years straight at this point
@@chessrulz2 LMAO. Dude, 7.8% is what bodybuilders compete at. At 7.8% your skin is basically translucent, the skin around your stomach is like paper, and your face looks as gaunt as a holocaust victim. You're probably 12-13%.
I'm at 22y/o, %18 BF, 169lbs at 5'11 and I gotta say.... It's so good hearing you talk about this, I still struggle with the issue of wanting the get less and less BF percentage when in reality I'm fine, healthy and could maybe even use some more, social media and fake people on the internet are the reason for the lost feelings of needing to keep lifting and getting leaner when in reality, your healthier then most people... It's good to hear.
Don't settle for mediocre. This is not a feel good time. Same age 15%. I don't know about you but I'm trying to leave some people in the dust. While watching this I accept the positives in spite of the negatives, I will not settle for average or a little bit above it. If your just looking to stay fit more power to ya
I've found for me 210lb at about15% is my sweet spot! I've pushed it further (both bigger and thinner) and I always crash! Being 210lb at 15% is doable, maintainable and doesn't require me to sacrifice too much of the good stuff in life!
I know a few people sub 10 who are miserable in life. Never enjoy alcohol, snacks, and have to find a gym everyday they are on vacation. They bad mouth average looking people in the gym. Then wonder why they are single and no woman wants to deal with their mental BS.
Maintainig a certain body fat percentatge is also very heavily dependand on one's age. I feel like you should've mentioned that. A male in the range of 17-23 y/o will have an easier time mantaining a lower body fat percentatge than a male in his late twenties or beyond, for example.
Not really. Younger people tend to be moving around more with friends they still have from high school. When you get older you start getting more lame and don’t do as many activities. It’s just a lower step count dude. Work or watch your shows while walking on a treadmill. You’ll see it’s no different.
@@DC-wo2yb I disagree. Mantaining a certain body fat percentatge is not a matter of just how much aerobic exercise you do. As you get older (30, 35, 40 years old) your metabolism starts to slow down, you experience hormonal changes (diminished testosterone levels), etc. that obviously affect your BF%. So it isn't just a matter of habits or having an enough active lifestyle, it's also physiological. Edit: The profile I'm assuming is non-enhanced males
I loved how my body looked at 10%. But my face had dark circles under my eyes and I looked like I was battling an illness. The irony is that I was probably healthier when I was slightly chubby. I feel some people are lucky and have a body that requires less effort and stress to be lean than I do.
As someone with super high metabolism, I can say that having low body fat has many detriments even if you don’t have to actively starve yourself. If I want to get a good workout in, I essentially have to eat something high in sugar before my workout since otherwise I’ll just fold in the middle of training, sometimes also having to throw up. I’m doing my best to gain weight rn and it’s hopefully gonna get better soon.
Completely agree - I am prepping for three natural bbing competitions this year...and I can say without a doubt that getting low bf is challenging and I don't feel even close to as good as I did at a higher weight. Yeah I have striations and vascularity, but I also am very tired and hungry all the time. I have to think about food and how to balance it the entire day...constantly. I am drinking so much I have to pee every 20 minutes and I will basically lick any bowl clean! The look is great, but it is not sustainable. Good for the competition, but not good for life overall.
I went from 117kg in February to 90kg in August in 2021. Since then still sitting at around 88 to 90kg (184cm height). Got my bench press goal of 100kg x8 reps. I want to lose that last bit of fat to get to 15% mainly for my face, but my discipline is not on point.
Good advice. I always say it's best to go for athleticism and working out as if you were assigned an archetype in an rpg and you want to optimize your "skill tree" which is your genetic body type since everyone is different. Athleticism will give you a nice aesthetic as a byproduct but performance and health should always take precedence. Work smarter AND harder and you will see results nothing great comes easy
Rule of thumb: If you are coming out of a cut, after one to two weeks of eating at maintenance, you should feel just fine, basically like before the cut or better. If you don't, you're too lean.
Ehh. He ok.. but i still have more knowledge than him. Im 54, MD and trainer.. i can help sean and anyone who want to get over the top.. I dont vlog, just reputation and word of mouth locally. IM low profile.
Hey, Sean! So I know this message won’t probably get to you, but since the people here are pretty well educated (or so it seems 😭) I’d like to ask a question and I’m hoping someone here could give me an answer to this? The question is, how long does it take to progressively overload? For example, if my current bench press is 75kg, how many workouts at an average would it take for me to improve my reps from, let’s say 6 to 8 and so on? The reason for this question being, it’s common knowledge that if you’re not progressively overloading, there’s either a problem with your workout (could be form or something else) or with your nutrition. and secondly, in compound lifts, it’s quite common to lift higher on some days or have more reps in your system, than some other workout day, should that worry me if that happens to me?
I am grateful that I am in the category of naturally being lean. However, on the flip side I also struggle to put on mass. You can't have it both ways, something has to give when it comes to fitness. I bounce around 12-15% depending on my nutrition more than my training.
Definitely agree with all 5 points, even as someone who can maintain 10% without much effort. I'd say gaining additional muscle is the big one for me personally, as even feeling good at 10% I still will slowly bulk up to 13-15% to gain more muscle before going back down. I'd guess I'm around 10-11% right now, and it's around 1% above the lowest I've ever been which was 2 years ago. Very manageable for me but I have a low appetite and come from a bloodline where leanness comes kinda naturally assuming we're active lol. Definitely not for everyone though.
Sean you are the one of the most honest and genuine fitness influencer on CZcams. Thanks for all your hard work. I think everyone who is in fitness needs to hear this. 💯💯
Completely agree! Point #4 is so true. Got down to 9%, and while I looked good shirtless or in very fitting polos, you wouldn't even be able to tell that I even lifted in most of my everyday work clothes. Another aspect to touch upon is the crappy sleep that comes with the calorie restriction of getting to sub 12%. Would wake up every night at 3AM and be wide awake ready for the day. Then, would find myself wanting to curl up and take a nap after lunch. Training sucked most of the time and would need to rely on big doses of pre-workout and caffeine just to get through my programs. For me, 14% is my sweet spot. I'm able to make progress in the gym, don't have to count everything I eat, and recovery and sleep are great. Even using gear to get super lean only goes as far as helping to retain some muscle mass, but doesn't do much in making you feel better when your calories are cut down to nothing.
I’m also 14% body fat Last year I was 20-23% body fat so I’ve definitely made a lot of progress in my fitness journey but I’d love to be 12% year round for the look. However I’m finding it extremely difficult to get leaner than this. Even at this body fat percentage I’m noticing significant hunger especially at night. I feel like I just have bad genetics which is why getting to 12% is so hard for me while it’s not that hard for most other guys. Is my situation common?
Excellent video, my goal has always been 15% max without compromising the quality of life and relationships. People really have no idea how hard it is to get below 15% if you have a full time job that's not fitness related, also if you have kids and other activities that demand your time and energy. It's almost impossible to get to 10% bodyfat. You are right when you say the returns diminish as the body fat decreases.
You're absolutely right about looking bigger in clothes. Once I got to a point where I couldn't mentally take the exhaustion of maintaining a low body fat and upped my calories, I started to really put on some size, particularly in my shoulders, back, and legs. The extra muscle tissue offset any size gain in my waist and I have more of an X-taper now than when I was lean.
I had this exact experience myself. Cut way too early after starting lifting (like four months in) and became obsessed with looking shredded, but I looked so goofy because I didn't have the muscle mass to support that leanness. Not to mention, it's so much easier to diet the more muscle you have, it actually becomes kind of hard to eat 3-4k+ calories, so dieting in the 2-3k range is so pleasant. The fullness you get from being in maintenance or in a surplus is also so nice, it makes you look huge especially when you have a pump. You can sit around a pretty high body fat and still have definition and abs supposing your muscle mass is just high enough. Moderate bulking really is where it's at, it's where there's the most progression in the gym, feel and look great, and life is just a really good time. Being 10% is so unenjoyable that I don't understand these people that sacrifice so much happiness for something that doesn't even look good to the vast majority of the population.
Been at 10% BF basically for most of my life, Even before started lifting and calisthenics, probably have been at 9% for short periods, when had to work a lot(a job where i have to be on my feet all day, easily average 30-40k steps per day). Since i have never had any issues putting on muscle, feeling hungry, low energy, low sex drive etc. Thought than anyone can maintain 10% year round. But because of educational videos like this, started to realise that i've been genetically blessed to be lean. Now i try to be humble, and even advertise to people to not try and get to 10%. 15% is completely fine and you'll still look great.
@@dscvered I don’t look like a guy who can step on a stage, if i drop like 3% more bf, i would need to add size. Because im quite small 173cm and weigh 65kg, and most of it is muscle (not like an ig model whos big at 10% but still), since i don’t train for looks, but for performance in calisthenics i don’t really care that im quite small. So judging by the fact im 173cm and only weigh 65kg, my assesment of 10% i think is pretty accurate i could be off by maybe 1%, and im not 12% i have better vascularity and more defined abbs than guys at 12%
@@dscvered pretty much, hunter-gathering human tribes (such that they still exist) float in the 10-15% range depending on the time of year and availability of calories. That's our observed baseline genetically, more or less. YMMV. But definitely not really lower than 10%ish (which is when starvation symptoms kick in for most of us).
Thanks for this video I definitely needed it. I've been obsessed with keeping the visible 6 pack for so long and finally told myself I needed to add some body fat because I was so tired and unhappy. This video helped me feel comfortable with my decision. The funny part is I actually like the way I look more now than at my leanest. I felt scrawny without a pump, now I feel more comfortable in my body all day.
The more muscle you have the easier it is to maintain a lower %. The more muscle the more calories you burn which means you can eat more. Maybe add 5-10lbs of muscle. You'll be able to eat way more food and still stay low
@@irfuel No thats incorrect. 10 pounds of muscle is about 80-100 calories a day and thats at complete rest. Unless you lay in bed all day and don't use your muscles it's probably double that or more. Thats just from normal moving around, if you add any kind of moderate activity it's gonna be even higher. 10 pounds of muscle could be up to 300 extra calories a day maybe more on hard training days. How do you think guys like Coach Greg stay at 9-10% and need a minimum of 3500 calories or they are starving? If all that extra muscle was only burning 50 calories a day he would be gaining loads of body fat eating over 3500+ calories a day.
@@irfuel Way ahead of you lol I think YOU need to Google it. The literal bare minimum is 6 calories at rest. Instantly debunking your 50k statement. 10 pounds at the absolute minimum at rest will burn 60k. Please read up to date information before making comments. Some even say 7 is the minimum and 13 being the maximum at rest. I was using the conservative 6-10 range. None of them say 5 like you stated so I have no idea where you pulled that number from, made it up I'm sure.
@@irfuel 100 is at rest doing nothing at all. 500 calories of clean whole food is actually a pretty decent meal. A meal that would help curb the hunger and tiredness a lot when maintaining lower %. An extra few hundred calories at 10% bf is a lot. Doesn't sound like you're familiar with life at low body fat % ( I'm sure this is where you claim to be 8%)
I got down to about 12% and in the end of my diet i just felt it is not worth going more down i was pretty lean and to continue cutting more wasn't worth it. I was without energy hungry 24/7 no libido drinking high amounts of coffee to take a bit off my hunger feelings. It is just worth to get more lean and shredded if someone does it professionally and compete. In the real world anyway if you have a physique that people can see that you work out (and i don't even mean to be really big) and the abs are visible it is already better then 99%
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You doing a great job
I got your free program and coincidentaly started almost a month ago with a trainer for 7 visits in the gym. Between our trainings I've tried to go by your program and it's been amazing! Thank you so much for doing this so well as you do this, Sean! We appreciate your efforts and help you provide us!
Hi Sean, what would you say is the best body fat percentage to optimally build muscle while staying healthy?
Excellent video. And a very important message. May I suggest doing a video of people at the estimated 12 to 15% body fat to give a visual on what it looks like approximately?
@@chadeazy he literally talked about optimal body fat in the video... watch it fully
Totally agree. Just to be safe, I keep myself at a lean and mean 30%.
Right I’m at 19% Bf I don’t wanna be the leanest person on earth I just love my leanness I’m at right now.
Shredded asf bro
Lol I am 15
Wow very shredded
I'm at 35 bruh😂 beat that!
This is why I keep saying over and over again that 15% bodyfat is much more realistic and that half way to your dream physique is much healthier both mentally and physically.
Hey, it's Greg!
Hey Greg.
Did you reconcile with Sean, Greg?
@@smallpenis266 Most men at 15% have abs though. The healthiest and most sustainable range for most men is 12-18%. Of course there are outliers on both ends, but it's a generalization. He is pretty much saying that if your abs aren't showing then you have a substantial amount of fat that can still be lost. His phrasing could have been a bit better though.
@@phoenixDARKprince i mean are guess i agree you worded that really good
Every time Greg comments, I read it in his voice.
Agreed. 12 - 15% body fat is where it's at for most natural lifters. 15% body fat might even be better as we spend most of the time wearing clothes, and having more overall mass makes a big difference in day-to-day situations.
Ehh Tomic and sean collab is something that should happen, even though neither does collab videos 🤣
I honestly only care about how I look in pictures. People envy every part of my life, but the people I know in person don't feel to far beneath me
15% is too high my man. :/
@@allisthemoist2244 Wat? LOL
@@ramonbriones4487 too high for who? Bodybuilders? Because a lot of people would look great at 15 percent
I ignored all advice and went too lean. My whole nervous system crashed. It's been a month and I still haven't fully recovered. Videos like these are important and should not be ignored.
Naturally? What percentage did you reach naturally? If natural, what were your macros?
@@varunkamal91 I guess below 10%, visible 8-pack. I ate 1800 calories a day, 60% carbs/30% protein/10%fat. And yes, that's only about 20g of fat per day. Again, this is NOT the way to do it and you will wreck your body.
@@Kekkeyu Well at least you didn't starve yourself anorexic without eating enough protein. That's quiet a bit of protein.
How to know if you've wrecked your nervous system
What do u mean by your cns crash? Like your brain stopped working?
This is insane. I’ve experienced everything you’ve mentioned in this video. I look back at my shredded self and realized I NEVER smiled in those photos, never made gains, food and training was always on my mind (no other ambitions or hobbies), and overall it wasn’t realistic for me.
Thank goodness you are out of that harmful mindset. Hope you are having a great time fulfilling a balanced life.
@@MADEbySOUL it’s a process.
Man same here I’ve done that and looking back I got to a point that I actually started to look older… very weird
That's literally all my hobbies anyway
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Just another reason why I respect Sean. He’s truly for the people in terms of honesty and education. Thank you for great work, Sean.
I agree with you.
Probably one of the top channels in fitness and weight loss category.
Because he is honest with us it would be less unreal expectations and so less people fail and quit their fitness goals.
I wish him even more success in his endeavors.
hes a real one
I wish I'd seen this 5 years ago. Really wish I'd seen this then.
Normally I've always been a larger build guy (85-90kg 175cm). Through injury I had gained quite a bit of weight. 5 years ago, I decided to start losing weight and get fit and shredded.
What transpired was an obsession to hit 10% bf. I was spending 3 hours in the gym every single day excessive exercising with substantial calorie reduction. I was expending 2200-2800 whilst maintaining an intake of 1600-1800.
Felt like I was permanently stuck on 15% so I'd exercise harder and eat even less.
As a result, I was constantly getting injured and then working through injury (stupidly) to try and achieve 10%. Added to this I was hungry and miserable all the time. Angry all the time and I absolutely felt like smashing mirrors every time I looked at myself in the mirror.
I'd stand on the scales 3 times a day dreading what the readings would be and then sit and obsess over it endlessly. I'd starve myself before I stood on the scales and even would "fast" just to show fat losses to myself.
One week I simultaneously injured my shoulder, knee and achilles so badly (I still feel it today) that made me fall off a mental cliff. What transpired was that I absolutely caved and gave in and started junk eating excessively.
To the point where I now have long term health problems. 🤦.
I've started eating right again and doing exercise but some days I feel like again I'm falling into the trap again. Just yesterday I nearly fainted as I hadn't eaten enough so I've taken it easy today.
It's a mess. I hope I can get it right and just break off from this obsession.
I agree with this 100%. No reason for me to aim for 10% bodyfat because it'll never happen. All I want is to be healthy, and that's enough.💪
It's not that it can't happen , just that it may not be sustainable
agreed maurice
Good for you.
Also comes down to genetics. Some people are more able to lean up than others if they have a near perfect fat distribution. I on the other hand store the majority of my fat around my waste and lower stomach so even with the rest of me looking reasonable shredded, that one area is near impossible to get rid of completely without the rest of me looking like I haven't eaten in a month and feeling like crap.
@@Art-AI-and-beyond you can do it if you really put your mind to it and took your time.
10% body fat is INSANE. We don't think so because 1: fitness influencers usually achieve this by unnatural means or 2: We aren't being honest with what is and what isn't 10% or single digit body fat. Achieving 10% or lower body fat and maintaining it is HARD. Actual and accurate 10 or lower is insane. Totally agree with Sean
Relax man as if it's insane. It's about 4 weeks dieting from 12% big deal. Maintaining it is only hard if you don't have any fitness and refuse to do cardio. If you're fitness up and therefor you're capable and willing to do cardio you can eat well and keep your 10%.
I don't know what to think I got 11% just from diet and training without cardio, from 84kg 20% to 73,3kg 11% 170cm tall very easily
@@karwoski91 great job! For most it isn't "easy". I'd say you're motivated and quite consistent
@@Ketobodybuilderajb Yeah, I did follow the diet, it took me three months, well I think I can be at 8/9% without much sides I've been always lean before I started lifting, then I fucked up a bit doing dirty bulk.
@@karwoski91 interesting. I think we underestimate the effect "time" has on us. We can do any kind of cut or bulk, but it still takes time , meaning we can always adjust fire
I can’t thank you enough for this frank and honest piece. I’m 45 and a lifelong lifter and have happily settled at 15%. I can’t even imagine the distortion many folks younger than I must feel having grown up with social media. This video impressively helps redress that balance. Well done.
I’m a Gen Z guy (22 years old) who is into fitness and in terms of my generation’s social media standards: You’re considered fat or “chubby” if you aren’t 12% body fat or less.
I watch this video regularly to combat the distorted fitness expectations I, and so many other people my age have. For example, I’m 15% body fat like you and have a visible 6 pack, yet I still see myself as a little “flabby”because I don’t have a “shredded” 6 pack with almost no fat on my lower abdomen.
It’s gotten pretty ridiculous, which is why PED use is so rampant amongst fitness influencers my age sadly,
I'm 43 and at 10 to 12 percent all the time. I've bulked up to 20% but gained very little extra muscle. At 10% I look jacked vascular cut up with a six pack. But tbh I think I look better at around 15% but I don't eat enough for the amount of training I do
I just turned 23 went from 30% body fat to just under 20% while losing about 40 pounds this year and I still feel fat
My goal is too have muscles so big that you can see my abs at 20%
That's Eddie Hall rn :d
@@anlmaral1762dude Eddie hall has like 30 percent body fat and you can still see his abs. Crazy
We live in a world where there are people saying if you don't have abs you're fat and on the other side, "body positivity" people saying you can be healthy at ANY weight. Unreal.
I wonder if there's some connection, it's almost like social media boosts the most extreme views and influencers from different camps feed off of controversy
@@noneofurbusiness906 yes and on all topics not just fitness... Humans were NOT ready for social media
I’d rather have abs than be fat tbh
@@gaythugsmatter7029 abs are a sign of godliness 😂
@@gaythugsmatter7029 Not my point. I am talking about having body dysmorphia on one side and being delusional on the other.
That negative body fat Ronnie claims always makes me laugh.
0.33
it was negative numbers
@@MonkeyBarsEveryday nah it was -2
my man was channeling dark energy
And he has an accounting degree.
I mean he's very clearly saying that's just what the measurement device stated. Considering those things can be pretty inaccurate I totally believe it actually said negative
I dropped to 11. My cheeks were sunk, my abs were great, but I was hungry. Going back to 12-13 feels so much better. And I’m still making gains.
12-13 is a pretty good look anyway
I’m at 10 and I still can’t see my abs
@@harutosunaa3881 you're not 10. I guarantee you, unless your body is storing all 10% in your stomach, you are likely way higher than 10.
@@user-kz9rz8ui1c
The bodyfat device shows I’m at 10%
@@harutosunaa3881 I have a friend who is visibly fat and got 11% on the test on a scale that is supposedly supposed to measure bf. I wouldn't trust bf scale readers.
Getting shredded wasn’t my goal. But I ended up getting down to that 10% range because I went on a low fat diet and I was working out running and hiking and backpacking extensively. The downside to that level of body fat was that my mood was always sour and I was always cold. On a warm day on a mountain peak when everyone else was in a T-shirt, I was in a down jacket and still shivering. I’ve gained over 10 pounds in the past six months and my body fat is closer to 18% and I feel much better; I don’t get as cold as often; and I’m not as hungry all the time.
Bro you couldn’t be more right in everything you say in this video. I maintained 9.3% at 163 lbs over the course of 6 months and now I’m sitting at about 12% at 171 lbs and the difference is immense. At 9.3% I was literally hungry all of the time. There was never a moment where my mouth wasn’t watering and my mind wasn’t focused on getting to the next meal. Almost to a point where I just wanted time to go faster so I could eat again without gaining weight. 1500 calorie a day intake at a 4,000-5,000+ calorie deficit and it was fucking exhausting. I have a super slow metabolism too so it was beyond grueling. To give y’all an idea I was running 7 miles a day and training in the gym 2-3 hours 6 days a week after working a 9-5 to maintain my physique naturally. In the long run it’s not worth it unless you’re competing and getting paid for it. Absolutely killer on your mental health as well. My goal was to get to 6% too and all I did was chase that every single day to pure exhaustion. 😩
Tristan Lee wasn't doing that much cardio and he stayed leaner for 2 years
@@adoboFosho tristan lee is on gear
@@adoboFoshoTristan is using trenssistance.
The leaner you are the more you need to eat filling foods
You weren't hungry all the time from being 9.3%, but from exercising so much and not having proper nutrition. Your activity level is very extreme and you were eating 1500 calories. Which is less than most BMR levels for most guys. You were just starving yourself. I maintained a 9-10% physique by just playing sports 3x a week and going to the gym 5 times a week. I ate around maintenance or a little higher on match days. Footballers (soccer players) have very lean physiques too. If you just ate a bit more then you would have felt better.
We all love no BS Sean. Thank you for always spreading positivity and making fitness easier and more achievable than it looks like these days on social media.
You actually wanna become a God or human?
There is a reason why you watch his videos. And that’s not to become human.
@@iche9373Cringe
“Popular bodybuilding influencer gym” sounds like a complete nightmare to me…just a daytime vampire hangout.
Thanks for the no BS clarification on social perception vs reality.
Such an educational and helpful video! Great stuff Sean. Question... have you ever tried Next Level Diet? I got a muscle-building meal plan from them and I love it.
Great video Sean. As someone who struggles with body dysmorphia, I’m starting to finally realize that it’s ok to raise up the fat % a few notches. I’ve been hovering in the 7-10% range for YEARS, and can completely agree on the cons that are associated with maintaining that low of a level for so long, as I have lived every one of them. Energy-no more than I need to get through workouts. Mood-irritable, on a short fuse most of the time, and constantly think about the foods I don’t or won’t eat. Sex life-I am ashamed to admit that I’d prefer to eat a whole cake than get laid most of the time. I’m 42 now, and I’ve been living in the fitness/bodybuilding arena since I was 17 years old. As a personal trainer also, there is the pressure I put on myself to be the best I can be for my clients. I feel I need to be the walking Greek statue that everyone envisions they want to be or else they’ll look elsewhere for guidance. I’m starting to realize the madness has to stop, and I want to feel good again. Thank you! New subscriber here.
Really relate to this buddy. Same thing... Only thinking about food and the things I wish I could at least try! Been around 5-7% for a couple of years! It's long drive affected my mood, performance in training and ultimately, my body functioning. I think I needed this. Did you find a way out, yourself?
@@MartinoNottswhat about your sex drive?
This man just spits facts after facts, realist man in the fitness industry
I'm 53 and 18% body fat. My abs are "hazy." I'm still putting on muscle with Creatine and 2900 calories a day. No TRT. I'm very active, healthy and feel great. If I don't get any leaner, I don't care. Getting shredded is not my goal. I'm not willing to give up cheeseburgers and Cornflakes. 🤣🤣
I am 51 and I am probably between 14 and 17%. Perfectly happy with that. I am on a 2200cal a day diet. This allows me to eat enough and have a glass of wine and still look and feel great. I feel fit and truthfully can probably out workout (whatever that means)people half my age.
@@FitAfter50 Nice!
I’m 40 and feeling the same, the effort to go lower is just not worth it!
I'm 56, and judging from the charts online, I'm somewhere between 16-18% BF overall. Super fit with "hazy"abs. Put on 12 pounds of muscle over the last 3 years when I added some weight training to my routine and ate a lot of beef. Which is really good considering my base level fitness was 35 years of surfing everyday. But I'm clearly at my max for lean mass at 162 pounds and 5'10". Even when I was lifting hard from age 15 to 25, I tapped out at 165. Never going to be "big" and that's just fine. In middle age, maintain is gaining. In winter time I'm eating about 3400 calories as cold water surfing burns a lot of calories. The bar is so low for middle aged men, that if you're just not fat, you have an elite physique. You forget that fact if your view is shaped by instagram and youtube fitness stuff. Go to Walmart or the mall and see what the general population looks like in their 50's.
@@lifeisbetterwithj yup. I was an endurance athlete for years started lifting maybe 1.5 years ago now. I races at 155 pounds now I am about 170
and happy as shit 🙂. Not worth not eating and living a better life.
I've been really struggling with body dysmorphia after taking a body profile photoshoot recently where I got down to 9% BF. It was really difficult to maintain and I've been putting on a little weight since I've stopped dieting so strictly. This video really helped ease my mind. Thanks, Sean!
It’s tough man, I was 5’11 135lbs very lean. Even though that gave me an eating disorder and messed up my hormones. Part of me still misses the definition and tight skin. It’s hard to find that balance but we’ll get there
In clothes you will look better at 15% than at 9% anyway.
@@Da-Creams
You can’t permanently mess up your hormones just take solace in that.
Bad diets and workouts can be fixed with good diets and good workouts.
It just takes time so don’t stop with either of them, it won’t happen overnight.
@@student99bg But the shirt off with 9% compared to 15% is night and day
@@bigbosslive69 Yes but that's not how people will see you unless when you go to the beach. I was told by many people that I looked smaller and weaker when I was around 10% body fat. I was asked have I stopped exercising and what not all while looking the best that I have ever looked when shirtless.
I relate to #4 the most. I knew a lot of people who were very muscular and shredded, but when you witness their day-to-day lives you see a lot of constant issues: constant cramps, poor sleep, always thinking about food, constantly focused on body image, stress and anxiety to the point where they need to use drugs and alcohol to feel okay.
I also was pretty lean at one point exercising almost every day and I looked pretty good but felt absolutely horrible throughout the day. Completely unstable mood, feeling guilt about eating, long bouts of depression, panic attacks. It wasn’t until I stopped trying to be super lean that I was able to reflect and pinpoint that most of my emotional distress came from being at a low body fat percentage and my overall nutrition. Now I make sure to eat enough of nutritious whole foods and even though I’m at a higher body fat percentage, I feel great throughout the day and have consistent energy levels for exercise and daily life.
I am 68 years old. 141lbs. 5'6". Waist 29 to 30". Cycle 125 miles a week and do hundreds and hundreds of pullups, chinups, dips and leg raises. No alcohol, no smoking and healthy eating. I feel great! I am very fortunate. I think I have 12% body fat. Probably 14% like you say.
👀
Your age is another important factor in setting realistic goals; it's going to be tough getting below 15% body fat in your 50s.
You're right and that's because everything hurts more and it becomes harder to recover as you age. It's even WORSE when you're in a calorie deficit
I went through college as a day time landscaper and night time student. Working out all day was my day long version of cardio; bringing me down to about 8% bodyfat. It went up to about 12% during the off season when the fat removal was not as aggressive. Staying that lean also meant I ate like a elementary school student. I was constantly exhausted where many times, the weekend recover was often not enough. However, during the winter months, my recovery became full and robust making my energy levels "fun" to the occasional date. My yearly event was the Boston Marathon in my area often completed under 4 hrs of respectable time. Genetics do definitely play a major role. Your tips are quite practical and accurate. My daily habits in Iraq also demonstrated it.
Yes, i worked as a roofer for half a year and i just could not eat enough to keep a healthy weight. I don't miss the dust in my nose and ring in my ears from all the noise cutting tiles, but i do miss all the moving around all day, sitting behind a desk all day is just not as nice. Also, the view was a lot better on the roof, watching the sun come up over your city and seeing live go by downstairs does make you feel like you're on top of the world. Damn i need to get back...
Another point he didn’t touch on is strength. I find that the leaner I get the weaker my lifts become. Then when I start bulking again all my lifts go up week by week.
Happy to see the long videos again. The advice is not only life-changing, it’s actually life-saving. Someone like me who suffers from dysmorphia, obsessing about every flaw with my body, listening to these help a lot. I want to look good but not at the cost of it interfering with my every day life functions. And for me Fitness is only meant to Enrich my life, not imprison it.
I'd like to tell a story:
I used to do calisthenics before I had the money to join a gym and I did a ton of cardio, but I kept it pretty manageable. However there was a point where I started to do it excessively. I did HUNDREDS of situps, push-ups, and pull ups with burpees and other stuff thrown in and I ran 3 miles every day. I looked great. My abs popped and were clearly visible 24/7 and I was so defined I looked like a fitness model. I FELT like absolute shit. It was the lowest I'd ever weighed in my life(139lbs, I'm 5'11 so this was really bad for my BMI) and I was sore and hungry all the time. I felt like I could never eat enough and eating sucked and became laborious, I'm pretty sure I was giving myself stress fractures because I felt a lot of pain in my femur, hips, and lower back which traveled up and down my body. If I kept trying to run it got worse. I was so exhausted I would sleep excessively. I DEPENDED on caffeine to have energy. It absolutely WAS NOT worth it.
So I'd like everyone to consider whether being "10% body fat" or just incredibly lean is worth it, because it takes so much effort that it just physically and mentally exhausts and breaks you.
Totally agree! I feel so much better at 15-20%
Always love your straight to the point, no nonsense videos!
I was 34% bf (according to my bathroom scale) back in April 2022. I'm now down to 27.5% (started walking 5 miles per day, cut out refined carbs, increased protein intake but maintained 400-500 caloric deficit). I don't look too fat at the moment, despite that large 27.5 number. I think if I can get down to 20%, while maintaining my muscle mass, I'd look fit -- not athletic, but "fit" :)
You might be lower than 27.5%
27.5% is extremely fat unless you have a LOT of muscle mass underneath.
I've never understood the bodyfat obsession. Strength, agility, endurance, longetivity are what matter. No one will even notice your leanness if your shirt is on.
Subcutaneous fat is important in a lot of circumstances because it acts as a cushion and prevents injury.
Sean! It's been too long. So glad you're back!💪 I miss the content, the great advice, everything! Hope you're well.👍
Sean has always been my favorite fitness CZcams’r.. your straight to the point, no nonsense is appreciated.
Keep spreading the good word Sean! Most guys need to pull the chute during a cutting phase when they start feeling like shit and their efforts begin having a negative impact on all other aspects of their life, but the industry has done a great job of encouraging us to wear that shitting feeling as a badge of honour. Hopefully we can make the feeling of thriving and feeling our best the new norm.
Great video. I am 40 and dont want to have that "DAD BOD" I have spent the last 6 months cutting. Probably sitting around 11% now. I can definitely see abs all the time, some muscle fibers, nice cut lines and veins but man am I miserable. Almost no energy, everything revolves around my macros and working out. Great videos. Definitely needed to hear this.
Why do it?
What about your sex drive?
It’s so tempting to try to stay lean regardless of the downsides because you tend to look SO GOOD. Once you get that lean it’s so hard to see anything above that % as fluffy and fat even if you still have a top 1% body composition.
I don't even understand why so many guys want to look dehydrated
Lol. As a woman I achieved 19% body fat. I nearly lost my mind. I had to do 1800 calories with a 40:30:30 split which sounds super reasonable but it was an appallingly evil way to live. I am now 25% body fat and I actually can live my life. I do still have body appearance goals but I will never be that crazy hard on myself again. As a natural lifter, I choose to be capable of keeping up with my husband and children rather just "looking impressive".
just curious, how did you measure your 19%?
hey chubby
Im man i eat 1400-1800kcal with no problem and i Always was fat...i have heart of a Tiger so i can take it
@@lukinkokoz5020 that's impossible. if you eat below your BMR, you will lose bodyweight. you're probably not measuring your kcal correctly.
@@onsenguy Exactly. I am only 168cm and my body was just melting away. He must be a man less than 160 cm. Any taller and he is just not getting his calories right.
I'm 45 and just about to start working out for the first time. I've been catching up on your content for awhile and will continue to keep watching. I hope it's not to late for me to get a decent body. Maybe not 10% body fat but I'd be happy with 15% and muscle.
Allow me to add my two cents to this: Please be aware, that you are setting quite high goals, here. Maybe absolutely attainable (if you're doing things right), but you are also aiming quite high.
15% is where I always maintained athletically. Although since turning 50 I shot up to 22% and my body is arguing with me about losing 15-20 lbs.
@@RC-ic1co Between the age of 20 to 60 your metabolism stays exactly the same according to new studies, the recent for gain weight can be connected to changing lifestyles, therefore it's just as easy for someone at 45 to get below 15% body fat as someone at 20.
@@albin4323if by "metabolism" you mean caloric utilization then maybe, however, there is so much more to it besides calories. And it's substantially more difficult to get to 15% body fat when you in your 40s compared to your 20s. Things like hormones, mitochondrial function, etc - it all matters and that doesn't get "better" with age, unfortunately.
I am at 22% at 41, and it's not easy to lose those stubborn 7%. I can't do it for quite a while (without resorting to a significant caloric restriction which I don't want to do). And I don't even look fat, I look "regular". Strength-wise I may be a bit ahead of my peers, I can do 18 pull ups now. But that body fat just doesn't want to go, it's dead set on some number and it stays there.
Great to see that Sean broke down the numbers and stats very realistically and rationally. In my books, just looks are only one of the factors. I want to maintain 15-17 & body fat, eat well, have good sex, be strong as fuck, be mobile, and have energy for the rest of the areas of my life like work, fun, hobbies, side hustles, etc. I think looks (how shredded you are, and body fat %age) is kind of a toxic goal for most people. They aren't even doing it for themselves, they just want to impress others, no matter the cost.
At age 63, my goal is “Shredded”. Shredded beef, chicken, cheese, and potatoes. Forget shredded lettuce and cabbage- no calories. Seriously though, I’ve been weight training for 8 months now, after little exercise for years. Started at 6’1, 195lbs. Now I’m 210 lbs and 50% stronger than when I started. Probably 20% body fat, and I feel better than ever! Great video Sean!!!!
Considering your age, height and weight, 20% body fat is probably way underestimated ;-)
@@maxpower586 Could be. I’m starting to add more cardio now. It may be as high as 25%. I’ll be working on it now, in addition to weight training. Thanks for your reply!
@@SeniorGymBro-Tom No big deal. Enjoy your training and the results!
@@maxpower586 You too! Thanks!
Sean Nalewanyj has turned into an uploading machine! Keep it going💪
Teens especially need to hear this. I remember being 15 and getting super shredded and “maingain” from there. I felt awful but felt hacked even though I was really skinny, weighing like 110 lbs and using XS shirt size. This probably even affected my height since I was still technically growing. Now I’m 18, 5’5 165 lbs and feel much better, much stronger, much muscular and use L or even XL shirt size in some brands so yea. Don’t get shredded if you are natural.
same story as mine. happy you made it bro 💪🏽
I agree. It takes a lot of sacrifice and dedication. I’m two weeks out from a BB show and I’m between 12 and 15 percent. Trying to get to 10 percent. I’m 51 years old and it’s tough. I love seeing my abs though!
Awesome video and tips! I'd like to add one thing that people tend to completely overlook.
LIGHTING!
When you're trying to lose weight, you typically only see yourself in your home light and it's usually not good. There's no shadows to show new muscle tone. But when you see yourself in natural sunlight, all the sudden you realize that you're actually thinner than you think and more ripped. The other day I was in my neighborhood gyms' locker room and looked at a mirror. Here I thought losing fat around the side pec and abdomen was giving me trouble. Then boom! I actually saw it in harsh light and I was surprised at seeing progress.
Love the advice ( its been 1 min since the upload😂)
I'm getting old, but recently embarked on a goal to get back to 12%ish. But you just made me worry about what my face is going to look like now that the skin isn't what it used to be. I don't want to look like Skeletor. I guess I'll stop once people start asking me if I have AIDS or Cancer😅
Skeletor is a badass though.
I think he is saying as long as you arent trying to get to 10% or lower you dont need to worry
Totally agree as an older gent . After my divorce I obsessed about reducing my bf!!! I looked a mess when I look back at pics . Skinny as hell and looking distinctly poorly (cancer) . Think I got hooked on Jeff and his 6-8% bf gig !!! Now I look healthier and get more looks from the ladies … most women don’t !!! Go for skinny guys …
@@TheStevetoon
Women don’t like anorexia or obese.
They like healthy men aka around 15% bf is best to appeal to most women.
@@C0d0ps Probably. But that is not my goal. Now that we have set the post. 15% bf and I'm assuming you pair that with muscle gain and lifting. Congratulations, you joined 70% of chuds that are working on the exact same thing even competing with juice heads. It's basic, working on your arms again? Cool. But then here we are reaching for 10-14% which will be where I operate, oh do I love to see my rib cages and soon to be rock solid abs, slim quick and swifty, that's me. It's not the same, not comparable, different goals and actions.
I discovered quite late that I simply cannot put _any_ muscle if I stay below 20% or even 22%. All my parents and grandparents has been big and strong and never thin. Like my farther did three different sports simultaneously when he was 16, but still was reasonably fat by todays standards.
So whatever I try (without PEDs) with my diet and training, my strength and muscle size drops dramatically if I pursuit six pack.
And when I still reach results, they just don’t stay at all. Just a day going off with friends and eating casually and I’m gaining fat back on a fly. While to return all lost muscles taking much longer time.
It was quite tough pill to swallow. Ended up trying ‘roids, but quickly understood, that it’s a one way road.
Glad I didn’t quit lifting, despite strong urge. I do it just for fun now and happier than I ever been. Don’t skip trainings, my personal life is much better. And I bench press 150kg for reps, which is cool for average 179cm Joe I am.
So what I’m trying to say - don’t obsess with it. It’s not the end of the world, don’t hate your body and yourself. Work hard, you’ll be rewarded, live normal life.
Listen to Sean.
Btw six pack didn’t win me any girl. Sense of humor, however, did.
Great video. I’m currently at 18%. I’m still working hard to get below 15%. That seems ideal for me.
Those pictures online showing side by sides of each bodyfat percentage are the absolute WORST
Great video and at a perfect time for me. I've recently gotten back into martial arts and while I definitely wanna lose some weight and get leaner for my fighting, this is a good reminder to not overdo it. Thanks Sean.
Great video! As a trainer myself, I really appreciate your honesty and being so up front about this and everything else you present information to us with. You have gained my respect and it would be great to have a conversation with you one day!
Guys, listen to Sean. I got down to 10% because I wanted to get as lean as possible before I started my muscle and strength gaining phase again. It was fun being lean for the summer, but two months of cutting was very very difficult to get that low in body fat. Aside from the pros and cons list that Sean provided, I suffered heavily with increased depression, lack of concentration at work, irritability, and several other negative side effects that gradually crept up on me during that two month cycle. Once I increased calories and carbs again, I started feeling really good again and I felt great in the gym. Plus I maintained most of my lean physique and added some size and strength again. I think being around 12% looks a lot better and feels so much better than 10%. Anyway, that’s just my two cents. Take it for what it’s worth. The important thing is to be healthy physically as well as mentally
For some it's much more easy to get down to 10% and nothing happens, good genetics for some areas and not for others.
I think the main reason why you didn't feel well at 10% bodyfat is because you didn't have carbs
My favorite part of the video, at about 2:40 shows picture, says "while I'm definitely not shredded"......looks pretty freakin shredded to me. And I'm in pretty good shape never that toned in the mid section though.
All joking aside, great video and advice. Well done.
at 5'11" i weighed 240lbs, and i went down to 160lbs. I thought i'd have been able to see my abs at that point but no. that really put into perspective for me how lean you need to be to see clearly defined abs. I tried to go further, and eventually got to 157lbs but I had no energy, I was always tired and always hungry.
Impossible. Either you're not 5' 11" or your weight measurements are completely wrong. I'm 5'11" and at 199lbs, I'm probably 12 pounds away from visible abs. At 180 I'd be pretty shredded. 160lbs at 5'11" and no abs?!
@@dennissvistun922 possible, means he doesn't have much muscle mass just like me, I'm 15 percent at 140 pounds right now and can see abit of abs however I am skinny fat so I still have a disproportionate amount of fat around my stomach so I may need to lose 10 ish more pounds to get rid of the stomach fat, then can focus on actually building up my lean mass
Put on muscle. But at 160 you should have abs.
Dude you couldn't see your abs at 160? Wtf have you never done a plank in your goddamn life? I could see abs at 190 and I was a fatass all my life. Cmon bro you gotta be cappin we're the same height
I'm the same height and at 185 I can start to see my ab formation. I plan to get to 175, but 165 seems miserable. Maybe you are the unlucky ones whose entire fat deposit just goes to your abdominal area. My fat deposits are fairly even throughout my body
I remember when I found Greg's channel and thought that volume eating was the holy grail. A few months later my body was like, "nah bro, you're not fooling me with this stomach full of spinach and lettuce".
This is why I love Sean, he’s always real and honest. I personally I’m not very genetically blessed, no matter how much I try to get leaner I usually don’t have a problem until I reach 13-14%bf then my body just make me eat anything I have in sight until I get back to 15%. Some people are just genetically gifted and can maintain a low percentage of a body fat.
This guy is such an inspiration to tens of thousands of people 👏
Thank for saying this i say just maintain what makes you feel good...
Life is hard enough without making people feel bad about being so lean....
As a current serving soldier who is legitimately at 13-15% body fat at 210-211Ibs and still very physically conditioned and strong, at 5'10.3". I definitely completely agree with everything on this video it's very factual and no opinions. I like it keep letting people know what the facts actually are. As someone who has been lifting even rather very heavy weight lifting for over 16 years you very much hit every pertinent factual information.
Hey, I really want to join the army for many reasons, staying fit would one, would you say that the food they give you helps maintain your abs?
@@dozoneil1253 In the way that they definitely don't really maintain a high calorie percentage and definitely work your entire body pretty hard, and a lot of cardio. So in that way yes you will definitely loose quite a bit of body fat and build muscle in its place. Now I'm not saying you will get really ripped by any means, however it depends on how much effort you put in. But by the time you finish basic and AIT , you will 100% be craving high calorie foods, don't overdue it but if you want to gain muscle and strength you will have to maintain a pretty high protein and healthy amount of iron and natural sugars like in fruits, and keep up your workouts.
@@Michael-fb1rl Okay thank you, I respect soldier so much, thank you for being so brave 🙏🏾🙏🏾
As long as I stay around 12-15%, I’m satisfied. I like looking strong, but I also want to enjoy my life, and have some leeway to enjoy food. The closest I came to 10% bodyfat was about 11.2%, and it was not easy and I was not having fun.
Best fitness youtuber ever, you have helped me so much over the years i've been watching u, thanks truly. Not long ago i suffered from body dysmorphia and depression after i regained a lot of the weight due to trying to maintain 10% bf for months, now i am sitting at 15% and i am happier, healthier and more flexible. I am currently cutting but this time i'll just stick around to 12% bf, great video thanks for the advice :)
As someone who is about 10% all year but with fluctuations of +/- 2% the amount of training to keep this is crazy. I’m a collegiate swimmer who trains about 24 hours a week.
It’s super hard putting on weight as well but that’s not my goal. I can’t imagine maintaining 10% without 4 hours of cardio like what I do.
Lol, you're like the exact thing he's criticizing in this video. Swimmers from what I've seen don't actually get that lean without thinking about it, but also no one in your swimming videos looks to be even near 10% or lower?? The person in your profile picture looks to be around 15-20%...
@@chessrulz2 Did you get really sick when you were at that low bf? Or was your body kind of used to it?
@@fastestdino2 personally, I don’t get sick very often. If I do get sick it’s always very mild and I end up training full volume. I just make sure to but more emphasis on sleep/recovery, stress reduction, and diet.
So I guess my body is used to it. I’ve probably been at this BF for about 6-7 years straight at this point
@@chessrulz2 LMAO. Dude, 7.8% is what bodybuilders compete at. At 7.8% your skin is basically translucent, the skin around your stomach is like paper, and your face looks as gaunt as a holocaust victim. You're probably 12-13%.
@@graham6132 I got the BodPod results to prove it buddy. my profile picture from 6-7 years ago.
I'm at 22y/o, %18 BF, 169lbs at 5'11 and I gotta say.... It's so good hearing you talk about this, I still struggle with the issue of wanting the get less and less BF percentage when in reality I'm fine, healthy and could maybe even use some more, social media and fake people on the internet are the reason for the lost feelings of needing to keep lifting and getting leaner when in reality, your healthier then most people... It's good to hear.
Don't settle for mediocre. This is not a feel good time. Same age 15%. I don't know about you but I'm trying to leave some people in the dust. While watching this I accept the positives in spite of the negatives, I will not settle for average or a little bit above it. If your just looking to stay fit more power to ya
i think visible abs with a muscular build is such a great and realistic goal for everyone
I've found for me 210lb at about15% is my sweet spot! I've pushed it further (both bigger and thinner) and I always crash! Being 210lb at 15% is doable, maintainable and doesn't require me to sacrifice too much of the good stuff in life!
I know a few people sub 10 who are miserable in life. Never enjoy alcohol, snacks, and have to find a gym everyday they are on vacation. They bad mouth average looking people in the gym. Then wonder why they are single and no woman wants to deal with their mental BS.
How tall are you?
Maintainig a certain body fat percentatge is also very heavily dependand on one's age. I feel like you should've mentioned that. A male in the range of 17-23 y/o will have an easier time mantaining a lower body fat percentatge than a male in his late twenties or beyond, for example.
Not really. Younger people tend to be moving around more with friends they still have from high school. When you get older you start getting more lame and don’t do as many activities. It’s just a lower step count dude. Work or watch your shows while walking on a treadmill. You’ll see it’s no different.
@@DC-wo2yb wrong
@@DC-wo2yb I disagree. Mantaining a certain body fat percentatge is not a matter of just how much aerobic exercise you do. As you get older (30, 35, 40 years old) your metabolism starts to slow down, you experience hormonal changes (diminished testosterone levels), etc. that obviously affect your BF%. So it isn't just a matter of habits or having an enough active lifestyle, it's also physiological.
Edit: The profile I'm assuming is non-enhanced males
I loved how my body looked at 10%. But my face had dark circles under my eyes and I looked like I was battling an illness. The irony is that I was probably healthier when I was slightly chubby. I feel some people are lucky and have a body that requires less effort and stress to be lean than I do.
As someone with super high metabolism, I can say that having low body fat has many detriments even if you don’t have to actively starve yourself. If I want to get a good workout in, I essentially have to eat something high in sugar before my workout since otherwise I’ll just fold in the middle of training, sometimes also having to throw up. I’m doing my best to gain weight rn and it’s hopefully gonna get better soon.
I love your videos, just lost twenty pounds from your advice dude so thanks!
Love the new editing, Sean. Your videos have been consistently improving 💪
13%-15% Body Fat for that Ideal, Attractive Body.
How can you talk so fast and fluently and accurately for 12 minutes nonstop?!?! You are a talented speaker not just a man with beautiful physique
I've only watched 4 videos from this guy and it's straight up the best and most honest advice on youtube
Completely agree - I am prepping for three natural bbing competitions this year...and I can say without a doubt that getting low bf is challenging and I don't feel even close to as good as I did at a higher weight. Yeah I have striations and vascularity, but I also am very tired and hungry all the time. I have to think about food and how to balance it the entire day...constantly. I am drinking so much I have to pee every 20 minutes and I will basically lick any bowl clean! The look is great, but it is not sustainable. Good for the competition, but not good for life overall.
My best was 11% but it was superhard to stay there or go lower, still feel good arround 12 to 14 % so i totally agree.
I went from 117kg in February to 90kg in August in 2021. Since then still sitting at around 88 to 90kg (184cm height). Got my bench press goal of 100kg x8 reps. I want to lose that last bit of fat to get to 15% mainly for my face, but my discipline is not on point.
I always try to stay around 11%. Not because of physique reasons but I always have more energy and feel better around there.
Good advice. I always say it's best to go for athleticism and working out as if you were assigned an archetype in an rpg and you want to optimize your "skill tree" which is your genetic body type since everyone is different. Athleticism will give you a nice aesthetic as a byproduct but performance and health should always take precedence. Work smarter AND harder and you will see results nothing great comes easy
WESTINGHOUSE GONNA SUE YOUR ASS BRO!
Rule of thumb:
If you are coming out of a cut, after one to two weeks of eating at maintenance, you should feel just fine, basically like before the cut or better.
If you don't, you're too lean.
single digit in summer.
double digit in winter.
Never in doubt the most elite fitness channel. Sean just know you’re a bloody legend mate.
Ehh. He ok.. but i still have more knowledge than him. Im 54, MD and trainer.. i can help sean and anyone who want to get over the top.. I dont vlog, just reputation and word of mouth locally. IM low profile.
I can understand. Lately, all I want to do is eat. My sleep suffered the most. Great stuff. 👍
Hey, Sean! So I know this message won’t probably get to you, but since the people here are pretty well educated (or so it seems 😭) I’d like to ask a question and I’m hoping someone here could give me an answer to this?
The question is, how long does it take to progressively overload? For example, if my current bench press is 75kg, how many workouts at an average would it take for me to improve my reps from, let’s say 6 to 8 and so on? The reason for this question being, it’s common knowledge that if you’re not progressively overloading, there’s either a problem with your workout (could be form or something else) or with your nutrition.
and secondly, in compound lifts, it’s quite common to lift higher on some days or have more reps in your system, than some other workout day, should that worry me if that happens to me?
I am grateful that I am in the category of naturally being lean. However, on the flip side I also struggle to put on mass. You can't have it both ways, something has to give when it comes to fitness. I bounce around 12-15% depending on my nutrition more than my training.
that’s what i’m starting to think for me it’s super hard to get there lowest i can get is like 15
Definitely agree with all 5 points, even as someone who can maintain 10% without much effort. I'd say gaining additional muscle is the big one for me personally, as even feeling good at 10% I still will slowly bulk up to 13-15% to gain more muscle before going back down. I'd guess I'm around 10-11% right now, and it's around 1% above the lowest I've ever been which was 2 years ago. Very manageable for me but I have a low appetite and come from a bloodline where leanness comes kinda naturally assuming we're active lol. Definitely not for everyone though.
Sean you are the one of the most honest and genuine fitness influencer on CZcams. Thanks for all your hard work. I think everyone who is in fitness needs to hear this. 💯💯
Completely agree! Point #4 is so true. Got down to 9%, and while I looked good shirtless or in very fitting polos, you wouldn't even be able to tell that I even lifted in most of my everyday work clothes. Another aspect to touch upon is the crappy sleep that comes with the calorie restriction of getting to sub 12%. Would wake up every night at 3AM and be wide awake ready for the day. Then, would find myself wanting to curl up and take a nap after lunch. Training sucked most of the time and would need to rely on big doses of pre-workout and caffeine just to get through my programs. For me, 14% is my sweet spot. I'm able to make progress in the gym, don't have to count everything I eat, and recovery and sleep are great. Even using gear to get super lean only goes as far as helping to retain some muscle mass, but doesn't do much in making you feel better when your calories are cut down to nothing.
I’m also 14% body fat
Last year I was 20-23% body fat so I’ve definitely made a lot of progress in my fitness journey but I’d love to be 12% year round for the look.
However I’m finding it extremely difficult to get leaner than this. Even at this body fat percentage I’m noticing significant hunger especially at night.
I feel like I just have bad genetics which is why getting to 12% is so hard for me while it’s not that hard for most other guys. Is my situation common?
I looked more buff as a rugby player at 20% body fat in my rugby gear than I did at 13% body fat
"Looked" is a great word to use
Good work Sean!
I agree. 12-15% is very healthy and easily sustainable year round.
Excellent video, my goal has always been 15% max without compromising the quality of life and relationships. People really have no idea how hard it is to get below 15% if you have a full time job that's not fitness related, also if you have kids and other activities that demand your time and energy. It's almost impossible to get to 10% bodyfat. You are right when you say the returns diminish as the body fat decreases.
You're absolutely right about looking bigger in clothes. Once I got to a point where I couldn't mentally take the exhaustion of maintaining a low body fat and upped my calories, I started to really put on some size, particularly in my shoulders, back, and legs. The extra muscle tissue offset any size gain in my waist and I have more of an X-taper now than when I was lean.
I had this exact experience myself. Cut way too early after starting lifting (like four months in) and became obsessed with looking shredded, but I looked so goofy because I didn't have the muscle mass to support that leanness. Not to mention, it's so much easier to diet the more muscle you have, it actually becomes kind of hard to eat 3-4k+ calories, so dieting in the 2-3k range is so pleasant.
The fullness you get from being in maintenance or in a surplus is also so nice, it makes you look huge especially when you have a pump. You can sit around a pretty high body fat and still have definition and abs supposing your muscle mass is just high enough. Moderate bulking really is where it's at, it's where there's the most progression in the gym, feel and look great, and life is just a really good time.
Being 10% is so unenjoyable that I don't understand these people that sacrifice so much happiness for something that doesn't even look good to the vast majority of the population.
Been at 10% BF basically for most of my life, Even before started lifting and calisthenics, probably have been at 9% for short periods, when had to work a lot(a job where i have to be on my feet all day, easily average 30-40k steps per day). Since i have never had any issues putting on muscle, feeling hungry, low energy, low sex drive etc. Thought than anyone can maintain 10% year round. But because of educational videos like this, started to realise that i've been genetically blessed to be lean. Now i try to be humble, and even advertise to people to not try and get to 10%. 15% is completely fine and you'll still look great.
I think you might fit into the category sean talked about where you don’t actually know what 10% body fat looks like
@@dscvered I don’t look like a guy who can step on a stage, if i drop like 3% more bf, i would need to add size. Because im quite small 173cm and weigh 65kg, and most of it is muscle (not like an ig model whos big at 10% but still), since i don’t train for looks, but for performance in calisthenics i don’t really care that im quite small. So judging by the fact im 173cm and only weigh 65kg, my assesment of 10% i think is pretty accurate i could be off by maybe 1%, and im not 12% i have better vascularity and more defined abbs than guys at 12%
@The_Audacity Most naturally skinny people still aren’t less than 10%
@@dscvered pretty much, hunter-gathering human tribes (such that they still exist) float in the 10-15% range depending on the time of year and availability of calories. That's our observed baseline genetically, more or less. YMMV. But definitely not really lower than 10%ish (which is when starvation symptoms kick in for most of us).
Thanks for this video I definitely needed it. I've been obsessed with keeping the visible 6 pack for so long and finally told myself I needed to add some body fat because I was so tired and unhappy. This video helped me feel comfortable with my decision. The funny part is I actually like the way I look more now than at my leanest. I felt scrawny without a pump, now I feel more comfortable in my body all day.
The more muscle you have the easier it is to maintain a lower %. The more muscle the more calories you burn which means you can eat more. Maybe add 5-10lbs of muscle. You'll be able to eat way more food and still stay low
@@irfuel No thats incorrect. 10 pounds of muscle is about 80-100 calories a day and thats at complete rest. Unless you lay in bed all day and don't use your muscles it's probably double that or more. Thats just from normal moving around, if you add any kind of moderate activity it's gonna be even higher. 10 pounds of muscle could be up to 300 extra calories a day maybe more on hard training days. How do you think guys like Coach Greg stay at 9-10% and need a minimum of 3500 calories or they are starving? If all that extra muscle was only burning 50 calories a day he would be gaining loads of body fat eating over 3500+ calories a day.
@@irfuel Way ahead of you lol I think YOU need to Google it. The literal bare minimum is 6 calories at rest. Instantly debunking your 50k statement. 10 pounds at the absolute minimum at rest will burn 60k. Please read up to date information before making comments. Some even say 7 is the minimum and 13 being the maximum at rest. I was using the conservative 6-10 range. None of them say 5 like you stated so I have no idea where you pulled that number from, made it up I'm sure.
@@irfuel 100 is at rest doing nothing at all. 500 calories of clean whole food is actually a pretty decent meal. A meal that would help curb the hunger and tiredness a lot when maintaining lower %. An extra few hundred calories at 10% bf is a lot. Doesn't sound like you're familiar with life at low body fat % ( I'm sure this is where you claim to be 8%)
Thank you sir, i recently became a runner and my body fat is at 13%. I was aiming for lower but this has been an eye opener. Cheers.
Great video. Your content is nice to watch without all the drama that others seem to include.
I got down to about 12% and in the end of my diet i just felt it is not worth going more down i was pretty lean and to continue cutting more wasn't worth it. I was without energy hungry 24/7 no libido drinking high amounts of coffee to take a bit off my hunger feelings. It is just worth to get more lean and shredded if someone does it professionally and compete. In the real world anyway if you have a physique that people can see that you work out (and i don't even mean to be really big) and the abs are visible it is already better then 99%