What 25% body fat looks like on a man

What you see

Standing relaxed, the belly looks flat or nearly flat, yet there is no definition on it — the skin is smooth and the separations between muscles do not read. The shoulders are noticeably wider than the waist and the silhouette takes on a V shape. Flexing the arms shows the outline of biceps and triceps, but without separation between the heads. A fold at the flank is easy to pinch, and sitting down gathers the belly into a soft roll.

What it means

25% is both the top of the average range for men and the bottom edge of obesity. From a health standpoint it is acceptable: with normal blood pressure, glucose and lipids there is nothing to worry about.

For endurance sport it is already dead weight. Every extra kilogram costs energy over a distance: in running, added mass worsens running economy almost linearly, and the difference between 25% and 15% for a marathoner is several minutes on the clock.

Getting to 20%

This is where simply "eating less" stops working on its own — the body pushes back harder.

• A moderate deficit: 300–400 kcal. A pace of 0.3–0.5 kg per week, slower but with your capacity to train intact.
• Do not cut carbohydrates entirely if you train for endurance: session quality will drop before your body fat does. You can work out your glycogen stores in the carbohydrate depot calculator.
• Watch the long gaps without food. At this level managing hunger matters more than the choice of any particular diet.