What a 10% body fat physique actually looks like

You can find all sorts of things online for estimating your body fat percentage just by comparing your photos to people who have a specific look, which gives you a rough idea of where your BF sits. It’s probably not the gold standard, but it’s definitely an option if you're curious.

A pretty solid example is this website

So, I was scrolling through YouTube today and stumbled upon this really interesting video. This guy actually went for a DEXA scan—which, from what I understand, is basically the most accurate way to do it—and I have to say, the results caught me off guard.

The scan clocked him at 10% body fat (basically 11%), but looking at those photos from the link above, I would've guessed he was somewhere in the 6-8% range. The guy in the video was raving about the accuracy, saying it was the lowest reading they've ever recorded, which honestly surprised me...

Another thing that really caught my eye was how he lost almost the exact same amount of lean mass as he did fat during his cut. He wasn't even doing an aggressive deficit—I think he mentioned losing about 22 pounds over 14 weeks—and he was definitely still lifting heavy while cutting, too.

I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this... is it even realistic for a natural lifter to hit single-digit body fat while still maintaining decent muscle mass? Or is that kind of look strictly reserved for the pros who are using "supplements"?

Also, does anyone know if it's possible to get this kind of detailed analysis—body composition, fat levels, bone density, all that stuff—around Washington, D.C.?

I want to know what you guys think: is it even possible to hit single-digit body fat naturally while still looking jacked, or is that strictly for the pros who are juicing?

Yeah, you can, but you’re always going to sacrifice some muscle mass along the way. It doesn't mean if you drop 10% of fat you lose an equal amount of muscle—not necessarily. If you play the long game over a few years with solid bulk and cut cycles where you don't let yourself get higher than 12-14% at your heaviest, you could probably sit right at 10% or even lower without losing your gains.
TL;DR: It's doable, but it's a grind.

George Miller2 said:You can find all sorts of stuff online where you compare your photos to people with specific body fat percentages to get a rough estimate of your own BF. It’s definitely not foolproof, but it’s an option.

A pretty good example is this site.

I was scrolling through YouTube today and found this interesting video about a guy who went for a DEXA scan—which, as far as I know, is the gold standard for accuracy—and man, the results totally caught me off guard.

The scan clocked him at 10% body fat (basically 11%), but looking at his photos, like in that link above, I’d have guessed he was sitting somewhere around 6-8%. The guy testing it was raving about how accurate it was, and apparently, that was the lowest reading they've ever seen, which really threw me for a loop.

What’s also wild is that he lost almost as much lean mass as he did fat during his cut, even though he wasn't doing some crazy aggressive weight loss (I think he dropped about 22 pounds in 14 weeks) and he was definitely still training hard while cutting.

I'm curious what you guys think—is it actually possible for a natural athlete to hit single-digit body fat while still keeping decent muscle mass, or is that kind of look strictly reserved for the pros using "gear"?

Also, does anyone know if you can get this kind of deep analysis—body mass, fat levels, bone density, etc.—done anywhere in Washington, D.C.?

Honestly, it’s not even surprising. Having six-pack abs that shredded on a guy is about as "natural" as having a waxed chest. When you drop that low, your hormones shift so much that your body just won't let you hang onto muscle.
If you're chasing that insanely low body fat, say goodbye to a chunk of your muscle. Plus, it's pretty obvious this guy is on PED. If a natural lifter tried to go that low, they'd lose way more than he did.
Body fat actually serves a purpose; we need it for our bodies to function right. For most guys, the sweet spot for health is well above what it takes to show clear abs. That's why those last few pounds are such a nightmare to lose.
Everything else is just fairy tales, unrealistic trends pushed by the fitness industry, or just wishful thinking from naive people who think they can look like a magazine cover without any help.

For some solid info on this, check out the blog http://nattyornot.com/.

Not even surprised. Having shredded six-pack abs like that is about as natural as having a waxed chest. When you're sitting at such a low body fat percentage, your hormonal profile shifts completely and your body just won't let you hold onto muscle mass.

Wrong. Most guys already rock a six-pack at 10% body fat. For most people, staying between 8-12% is doable naturally without losing muscle, provided you actually put in the work, know what you're doing, and dial in your training and calories perfectly.

Staying at 10% isn't an issue and doesn't wreck your hormones for most guys. But hitting 8%? You need insane dedication and elite genetics for that.

Most men could probably maintain 12% without breaking a sweat.

Personally, I think 15% is the sweet spot.

Hitting 8% body fat while training naturally and actually looking good is basically impossible. Take Zyzz, for example—he was hovering around 8%, and we all know how his situation played out.

Maintaining 10% body fat is incredibly tough, and anything under 12% is a massive struggle.

Even Mark Drčić is sitting at about 8%, and we know what’s going on there.

How is a natural lifter supposed to achieve a decent physique when these two examples show just how low those numbers go? For a natural athlete, hitting 10% is a huge win. Anything lower than that isn't really practical because it's just too hard to maintain.

Hitting 8% body fat is straight-up impossible for a natural lifter to actually look good at. That Zyzz guy is sitting at maybe 8%, and we all know what his situation is.

Of course it’s possible, but you need years upon years of training and pure dedication. Obviously, some gym rat with three years under his belt isn't going to look anything like he's at 8% when he still needs another seven years of being natty to hit a decent mass that actually looks good at that percentage. You're saying it makes no sense and it's too hard—I agree. It makes no sense, but it's possible. We're sticking to the technicalities here: it's possible, it's pointless, and it's way too much work for what you get out of it. 🙂

and maintaining 10% bf too

Look at that kid Dario fitness just chilling at 10% like it's nothing, even eating pizza all the time. You can realistically hold 10% year-round if you grind a little bit, and don't even get me started on 12%.

I personally held 10% for a week or two, but (whether it was 9% or 11% depends on the month and water retention, but you get my point) I'm heading back to a bulk because at this level, I still need at least another 5 years of training before I look like I know what I'm doing. Personally, I don't go below 12% anymore. This summer I've been hovering around 15% and I'm happy with it because wherever I take my shirt off, I'm more attractive than 99% of guys, and it doesn't wreck my quality of life. I'm also experimenting with a more relaxed approach this year, trying not to lose a single ounce of muscle or strength. I've got everything under control even while dropping about 1% over six months. 😁)

That guy isn't natural. I’m 100% sure because I know him personally and I know exactly who got him started on all of this.

How can you say you were ever that low with your body fat? What were you even measuring against? Based on the photos you've posted, you never looked like you were below 14-15%, just from looking at them.

Maybe he isn't "natural," or maybe he just hit the genetic lottery. Honestly, it doesn't even matter because there's always going to be an outlier somewhere... This Dario guy over at FBA looks incredible, though you can tell he’s really flexing those abs in that specific lighting. Then you have that guy on YouTube who looks totally relaxed, yet you can still see his full six-pack even in dim light. But when you dive into all those fitness articles or binge training and nutrition channels on YouTube, everyone tries to convince you that it’s totally doable to stay under 10% body fat while simultaneously hitting your absolute peak muscle mass potential. Looking at how shredded the guy in my link is—and even he isn't quite below 10%—and then looking at this Facebook guy, I really have to wonder if that's even a realistic goal for someone with average genetics, or honestly, for anyone staying away from the juice. It just doesn't seem possible.

Either this YouTube guy is actually under 10%, or I don't know what else to tell you.

Honestly, all those fitness gurus on Facebook are definitely on the juice, right? Like, I don't even know if there's a single one out there who isn't using gear.

View on instagram

That's pretty low, and he's 100% natural.

Yeah, honestly, it looks completely unnatural 😬

oh man, Nicholas Kern90 🤣

Man, that’s just straight-up natural, oh my god

Nicholas Kern90 said:View on instagram

This guy is riding pretty low— and he’s 100% natural--

Would you bet your life on that claim?

If that guy on Instagram is actually natty, then I guess my dad’s a devout Muslim... 😬

I’m telling you, it’s 100% natural. No cycles, no gear, nothing. 😉

I know the guy personally...

The point is, you can get massive results if you actually put in the work. It’s simple: effort equals output.

Btw, the guy in the photo is about 152 lbs at 5'10".

Nicholas Kern90 said:I’m telling you right now—it’s 100% natural. No cycles, no gear, nothing. 😉

I know the guy personally...

The whole point is you can get huge if you actually put in the work—effort equals results.

Btw, the kid in the photo is about 152 lbs at 5'10".

There is no way that level of shredded is natural—it's just not happening. 🙂 Uncle Winny (among others) clearly did the heavy lifting here.

northerncobra31 said:That guy isn't natural. I know it 100% because I know him personally and I know exactly who pulled him into that whole scene.

How do you even know you were that low on body fat? What were you comparing yourself to? Because looking at the photos you used to post, you never looked below 14-15% if I had to guess.

That was three years ago, and those photos aren't even posted here. I'm bulking up more every year now since I realized I don't have the mass to pull off that look yet.

Dario is one of the few guys I actually believe is natty.

I think you're mistaken about him, unfortunately

What to measure bf?

My calipers aren't exactly precise enough for me to eyeball this.