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It’s great to have a goal, and if your target is to get to 10% body fat, you’ve come to the right place.
Some folk think it’s all about counting the macros, and sure, that’s a big part of it. But to get things absolutely right, you must tick every box.
If you want to reduce your body fat percentages and achieve lean body mass, you'll need to be dedicated. But you CAN do it!
To get to your goal, you’ll need to be disciplined and prepare yourself for the journey. You should be aware of what you need to do and prepare yourself physically and mentally.
Getting to 15% body fat or lower is an achievable aim, and if you’re prepared to put in the work—it’s a goal that’s yours for the taking.
The two principal factors to concentrate on are diet and exercise. If you get these right, your journey will be a whole lot easier.
Let’s dive in.
How to eat to achieve 10-15% body fat
Watching what you eat is a no-brainer if you want to lose weight. But nutrition becomes all the more pressing if you want to get to around 10% body fat.
The same goes for your physical activity which needs to be more formidable to take you to the next level and reduce your overall body weight.
Here are some of the most important changes to make if you want to get to that dream weight.
Prioritise energy foods
If you don't have sufficient energy, you won’t stay the distance. So fuelling your body with the right nutrients is essential. This means plenty of fruit and vegetables along with the leanest proteins you can get, the highest quality fats, and ditching overly sugar-coated sauces.
Your carbs should be in their purest form, so grains, brown rice, sweet potatoes, and quinoa must be consumed regularly.
You must enjoy the food you eat, so if some of these aren’t to your taste, it’s fine to swap them for a similar alternative. Getting your energy levels up is important if you want to get to your goal weight.
Cut down on the sugar
If you’re aiming for much higher than 10% body fat, you can get away with some sugary treats. But when it comes to the 10% and 20% range, you’ll need to be much stricter on yourself.
It’s the “added sugars” you need to watch out for. Alcohol, for example, contains excessive calories. So even a couple of drinks can be a bad move.
Other sugary drinks and foods that contain added or high sugar levels must be ditched if you want to achieve your target.
Read: The Benefits Of Meal Replacement Shakes
Find meals that work for you
Yes, it’s essential that you watch the calories in your main meal, but it’s just as important to find meals that you’ll enjoy and stick with.
There is some room for variety to make sure you don't get bored, but it’s important that you stick to the plan.
This means you’ll be eating similar meals each day, like skinless chicken with plenty of veggies and brown rice. So, plan your meals carefully to make sure you’re not over-indulging and you don’t get bored.
Read: The Best Instant Pot Recipes To Prep In Under 30 Mins
Ditch the foods that will hold you back
Whether it’s comfort food or just something you’re used to eating, there’s always something in your diet that is causing a major stumbling block to your weight loss efforts.
Make yourself aware of what it is and eliminate it from your diet. To get under 15% body fat you need to be strict with yourself and take a deep dive into everything you’re consuming.
Prime candidates are hot drinks, takeaways, and food sauces that you can take without thinking too much about the calories.
Restaurant food is particularly tricky, as it’s more difficult to count the calories in food that someone else has prepared for you.
Read: Fat Burning Foods: What To Eat To Burn Fat
Eat at the right times
To get to the target percentage, it’s important to stagger your food to achieve the results you want. To reduce your body fat percentage you must create muscle, which is why energy food is so important.
So it’s essential that you increase your protein carb intake before you work out to give you plenty of energy to push hard and recover well.
How to exercise to achieve 10-15% body fat
So you’ve got the nutrition to fuel your body, now you need to exercise to increase muscle and reduce your body fat.
How you choose to exercise is up to you. But there are certain workouts that will enable you to progress more quickly.
Your aim will be to work all of the muscle groups to replace body fat with muscle, so the more muscle you build, the closer you’ll be to your target.
You’ll need to be committed. But if you’ve got your nutrition lined up, you’re halfway there already.
Now it’s time to get physical.
The fastest way to build muscle through exercise is through high-intensity resistance training. This will help to maximise your fat burn and muscle build. You should build slowly and gradually. Don’t rush it or you’ll risk getting injured and slowing or halting the journey entirely.
It can take a few months to get to under 15% body fat, depending on your current body composition. If you have a higher body fat percentage, it will take slightly longer, but it's well worth the journey!
Take it day by day, week by week, and start by building a baseline of strength and conditioning, especially if you’re new to resistance training. You should start by working out three or four times each week and building up to six days when your body feels ready for it.
The two principal forms of exercise you should be looking at for maximum fat burning are high-intensity interval training and resistance training.
As with all forms of exercise, it’s important to start slowly if you’re new to it. Don’t rush in like a bull in a china shop, or you’ll risk a major setback, such as a serious injury. Allow yourself time to get used to the intensity of the physical activity and build intensity gradually.
Read: 4 Ways To Fall Back In Love With Exercise
The best high-intensity interval training (HIIT) exercises for fat-burning
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is an efficient way to replace fat with muscle. It’s a method of training that involves short bursts of exercise at maximum effort, followed by a rest period. A bit of HIIT is great for cardio health as well as calorie burning, too.
Examples of HIIT training include…
- Short bursts of sprinting
- Cycling intervals
- Circuit training with short bursts of exercise
- Jumping jacks
- Squats
- Lunges
- Push-ups
Start with around 20 seconds of high-intensity effort, followed by 20 seconds of recovery for each set.
As you progress, increase the duration of the exercise and reduce recovery time. For maximum benefit, it is recommended that you perform each exercise with good technique.
This will provide the best fat-burning results. The calorie burn is excellent after a HIIT workout as your heart rate and metabolism are high.
The best resistance training exercises for fat-burning
The best form of muscle building is resistance training with weights. Building muscle and burning fat go hand-in-hand with this type of exercise and it’s great for upping the calorie burn.
Remember: The more muscle you gain the higher your metabolic rate will be. So let’s get working out and burn that fat!
Mixing some HIIT and weight training into your exercise routine will raise your metabolic rate and burn fat rapidly. Let’s look at some of the best strength training exercises…
- Push-ups
- Lunges
- Pull-ups
- Sit-ups
- Resistance Bands
- Bicep curls
- Chest presses
- Squats
- Planks
- Rows
- Kettlebell swings
- Overhead presses
- Deadlifts
- Leg presses
- Lat pulldowns
The goal here is to build muscle through endurance and strength exercises to reduce body fat.
Pushing against resistance from weight machines, free weights, resistance bands or your own body weight will help to achieve this.
Essential self-care for 10-15% body fat
Watching your diet and exercise are two of the key factors in getting to your goal percentage, but self-care is important too if you’re going to make it to your goal. The going will get tough at times, but if you’re looking after your overall health, it will make the journey go much more smoothly.
Get plenty of sleep
Supporting your overall health means taking care of your sleep quality and getting eight hours of sleep each night is important if you want to stay strong during your weight loss efforts.
Poor sleep can affect your mood and appetite while elevating your stress levels. So, make a decent night’s sleep a priority.
Look after your mental health
There will be tough times and staying mentally strong is essential for your weight loss journey. Your mental health can make the difference on your journey.
You need to be dedicated and focused on your regimen to get under 15% body fat. Any distractions can severely disrupt your plans.
Make sure you take some time out to enjoy yourself along the way and have a support network of friends and family for when things get hard.
Read: Why Exercise Is Essential For Improving Mental Health
Manage your stress levels
Chronic stress can lead to increased cortisol levels, which is likely to cause weight gain. Practicing stress-management techniques like yoga and meditation.
Try some deep breathing, listen to music, practice mindfulness, or simply go for a walk. Find what works for you and use it when you need it the most. The journey will be tough, but you’re allowed to have fun too.
The key to getting to 10-15% body fat level
Achieving the 10-15 percent body fat target requires dedication. But your principal focus should be on gaining lean muscle.
When you add muscle, your metabolism rises and your body burns more fat. The more lean muscle you add, the lower your body fat percentage will be. As you progress with your fitness journey, you'll find you increase muscle definition and lose body fat as a result.
A healthy, balanced diet, alongside physical exercise that promotes muscle gain, will help you achieve a lower body fat percentage. Make sure your diet actively promotes muscle mass to ensure it works with your physical activity.
Stay strong throughout. There will be good times and bad times throughout your fitness journey, but if you want to lose weight and get to 10-15 percent body fat—you have the power to do it.
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