How do you lower your body fat percentage

[madscientist]

I've reached my ideal weight but I still have more fat on my body than I need. What is the best way to get rid of it without losing more weight (or not much more weight)?

[Penny]

Start doing some strength training. You need to build muscle if you want to get rid of the fat. Cardio will help you to drop the pounds, but you need more than that to actually reduce your body's overall fat. Building muscle will also make your body stronger and healthier :) Just remember not to overdo it and remember that it will take some time before you see any improvements.

[tracy1976]

Yup it's all about strength training if you don't want to drop anymore pounds. There are lots of things that you can do, including lifting weight, pilates, yoga, etc. Simply find out what works for you and TAKE IT EASY! It's really easy to injure yourself when ti comes to strength training if you're not careful. No exercise you do should hurt. If it hurts, you're either doing it wrong, over-straining yourself or doing too much. Listen to your body and allow it to become stronger over time.

[Mike]

I agree that it's strength/resistance training that does it. You need to build muscle to reduce the look of fat. That said, it does take time and it requires the proper regimen. If you haven't done much strength training before and you want to be intense about it, I recommend that you get in touch with an actual trainer who can tell you what and what not to do. It is very easy to injure yourself with these types of exercises if you're not careful. Because as much as you need to work your muscles, you need to properly rest them, too.

[madscientist]

So is there any strength training in particular or should I just start doing situps and lifting weights of something. I always get so confused when strength training is recommended to me. Any suggestions would be great. I don't have any intentions of being super-intense about it or even going to to the gym, so I don't feel I need a trainer or anything like that.

[Ron]

So is there any strength training in particular or should I just start doing situps and lifting weights of something. I always get so confused when strength training is recommended to me. Any suggestions would be great. I don't have any intentions of being super-intense about it or even going to to the gym, so I don't feel I need a trainer or anything like that.

Pretty much anything is good. Start with something like planks, squats, situps, curls, etc. You don't need to do anything to intense. You might even find something like Yoga or pilaties will be good, too. Do it a few times a week and keep your reps short until your body gets used to it. Remember to listen to your body and if you have a health problem you might want to talk to you doc first.

[Paplo]

Pretty much anything is good. Start with something like planks, squats, situps, curls, etc. You don't need to do anything to intense. You might even find something like Yoga or pilaties will be good, too. Do it a few times a week and keep your reps short until your body gets used to it. Remember to listen to your body and if you have a health problem you might want to talk to you doc first.

I agree. Even doing bear crawls is good. There's lots of ways you can incorporate strength training into your life. Best of all, if you don't own a pair of weights, you'll be shocked at how using your own body weight for resistance works like a charm!

[jenny25]

All these suggestions are great. The only thing I would add is that remember even if you lower your body fat percentage, this doesn't mean that you'll start to see muscle. If you're aiming for muscle definition, even half an inch of fat can obstruct the definition. You'll need to dedicate yourself to some serious strength training to get that kind of result.

[lia]

All these suggestions are great. The only thing I would add is that remember even if you lower your body fat percentage, this doesn't mean that you'll start to see muscle. If you're aiming for muscle definition, even half an inch of fat can obstruct the definition. You'll need to dedicate yourself to some serious strength training to get that kind of result.

It's true. Seeing muscle definition, especially on certain parts of your body takes time and a lot of consistent work. Like, you'll probably seem arm definition faster than ab definition because it's typically easier to work out your arms. That said, anything is possible if you really want it. As I said, it all boils down to how much dedication you have.