Maintaining a Low Body Fat

Many people envy the lean bodies of participants in every physique contest. And who wouldn’t? People having 10% or more body fats would look heavy and hefty when compared side-by-side with those with only 6% fat so everyone works hard to lower the body fat to that level. However, what people don’t know is that everyone, even those competing in physique contests, cannot possibly maintain their body fat at 6% all year-round.

Maintaining low body fat is particularly difficult during the winter months. People tend to become sedentary during cold weather, metabolic rates tend to be lower and hence, body fats (energy) are conserved. Add to this the fact that there is less activity that can be done outdoors so there scarce means to expend the body’s energy.

Going into a low-fat, low calorie diet may help but people should be aware that this is not advisable as a long-term remedy. When one goes into a low-calorie diet, the body perceives it as a period of starvation and thus reacts accordingly: it conserves fat by lowering the body’s metabolism. You would be fighting a losing battle as the more you starve yourself, the more the body’s internal system fights back by conserving as much fat as it can.

Most fitness enthusiasts maintain their body fats at a relatively manageable level (say, 8-10%) throughout the year and only get to form in the weeks preceding a competition. What contestants do is get into intensive training to get into form. Doing a systematic cycle training is one of the best way to do it: one would become lean and at the same time develop some muscles that look good during contests.

The key point to remember is maintaining the body fat at a manageable level. It means having it a level which you can easily lower when needed. Thus, getting heavy and out of shape during off-peak months by eating relentlessly and doing no workouts to burn all those calories is out of the question. That is not at all the manageable level being referred to. Maintaining your body fat to up to 5% is manageable, up to 10% requires a little more work but it can still be managed, but higher than that, you’ll have a really difficult time ahead of you.

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