Male Average Weight

Men should try to keep their body fat around 15% or less. But if you have for example 19% of fat then you are not in serious danger. It is a sign that you could have a small risk of future strokes, heart attacks and kidney disease. For women it is recommended no more than 22 % of fat. If a women has a slightly higher fat level, lets say 25%, then that is also good but not exactly perfect either. These numbers are not strict rules but more like guideline. It is good to know if you are below or higher than these guidelines.

# Athletes usually have much lower body fat levels. A lean male long distance runner's body fat may be lower than 7%. And female runners may be at 14%. That is very lean. Gymnasts and bodybuilders have even lower fat levels. About 3-5% for men and 9-13% for women.
# The average level of body fat for ordinary people is around 22% for men and 32% for women. It means that both mean and women have on average 7-10% more fat than is considered healthy. Women tend to gain fat easier than men because they have more fat to begin with. The reason why there is such a difference is hormones.

Male hormones induce muscle growth while suppressing fat storage. Female hormones stimulate the deposition of fat. It is a safety mechanism so pregnant women will have extra fat to nourish the baby. Body fat also increases with age. People lose more muscle and put on more fat the older they get. For example if you weight exactly the same at the age of 50 then you did at the age of 25, then you still would have more fat.