The Mindset You’ll Need To Get To 5% Body Fat

Don’t Bother Getting Lean Unless You Can Stomach These 3 Mindset Tenets 

Getting down to 5% body fat is a lot like making a million dollars - a lofty, oft-quoted benchmark that few will ever achieve much less come close to.

Ouch.

For reference, at 10% body fat (on a guy, you’ll likely be one of the leanest, most athletic looking dudes at the lake or pool party).

At 6-8%, you’re shockingly ripped beyond what most people will ever encounter in real life (and you’ve probably made some notable lifestyle adjustments to get down to, much less maintain this level of single digit body fat).

At 5% or less, we’re talking freaky pro level competitive bodybuilder or extreme athlete.

Now if you’re naturally lean (just like if you were born into money), you likely have other problems (like going from scrawny to brawny) and this article isn’t entirely applicable for you.

However, this likely isn’t the case and chances are, you’re of average body fat percentages.

What is average?

According to the American Council of Exercise (ACE), average body fat for males is 18 to 22%. What’s worse is that data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey shows that from the ages of 8 to over 80, average body fat percentages for males will vary from mid 20% to nearly 30%.

For most people, achieving 10% body fat or high single digits much less maintaining it sustainability will already be an unattainable benchmark…

...unless you begin to develop and conquer the following three epic shred mindset tenets:

1. Accept that it’s going to be an increasingly harder and harder grind

There’s a common saying among business and fitness circles that “the road doesn’t get easier, you just get better/stronger/wiser.”

This is true - the road to having visible, shredded abs doesn’t get easier (if you’re fortunate, you hopefully get better/stronger/wiser) and more importantly, I’d ADD that it gets increasingly harder the further along you go.

Kinda like “mo’ money, mo’ problems” except it’s actually encountering different problems at different, further stages.

So to illustrate:

• Going 20% to 15% body fat - “basic” and sound nutrition tweaks and awareness; maybe 2-3 people out of 10 can achieve
• Going 15% to 10% body fat - much harder; 1-2 people out of 10 could achieve likely less actually
• Going below 10% body fat - very rare, extremely hard

Lots of people (even fitness professionals) will tell you it’s easy. They’ll even add in my favorite clause:

“It’s easy IF you <insert XYZ aka product/service being sold>”

Sounds familiar, right? Well I’m here to tell you it’s not - just like you’ve never heard a wealthy person say it was just so easy to make a million bucks. Have you? Much more likely that the people saying it’s easy have never gotten or never will achieve 10% body fat.

Make no mistake, it’s not easy. Know and accept that now.

2. Get ready to “do your own thing” and be a lone wolf

Sure, learn the rules (aka learn your body) and then you can break them or at least operate within those parameters, but until then, the shred journey - just like The Hero’s Journey in any move/story line or any entrepreneur’s journey to success - will probably feel very lonely at times.

While it’s nice (and can be a game changer) to have camaraderie on this journey, more often than not, the people around you - family and friends included - will ostracize you or even consciously or subconsciously undermine and derail your efforts to get shredded.

At best, they’ll be sympathetic (not empathetic as they likely don’t or will ever know what you’re going through) and at worst, they’ll “weigh in,” judge, and ridicule your lifestyle choices.

Remember this - they’re average (or likely worse than average) and average is not better. Better than average is better.

Stay your course, expect this, and do it anyway. Make them uncomfortable with your pursuit for better.

3. Resolve to keep going for much longer than you anticipated (or would like)

From a tactical, execution standpoint, this single principle has made the most difference for me, personally.

Unless you’re a genetically gifted freak that can shed body fat incredibly fast or you’re resulting to harsh, unsustainable methods, the path to 10% body fat or less and then figuring out how to maintain it sustainability is likely going to take significantly longer than you ever would think or like.

On the path to epic shred-dom, I once shared with a good friend that I don’t know what it’ll take or if I’d ever get down to 5% body fat. Keep in mind that I already started at lower body fat levels and had been doing this for several months amid work, life.

His advice? “Do it for longer.”

No complex, new-fangled fat-loss strategy, no magic pill. Actually, there is a magic pill - it’s time. Time under tension. Persistence under duress.

Like money, even seemingly small amounts compounded over time will eventually yield big results.

This is the same with getting down to low levels of body fat. It will take time. And then more time. Most people are unable to put in and sustain the time needed to achieve 10% or lower levels of body fat.

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While these are the big 3, there’s actually an underlying fourth which is built upon knowing and understanding the actual reason why you’re here reading this.

It’s the very real reason why you want to have a great physique however you define that - whether it’s well-defined abs or an impressive V-taper that’s powerful and commanding both in and out of a suit.

And this reason is very personal, probably deeply so - ranging from everyday confidence and self-assuredness to marital satisfaction to a host of other reasons I’ve been told in the past. Whatever they may be, however “silly” you may think they are, know this:

They’re all VALID and they are all real. Because those are your reasons and they matter to you.

Knowing and having these reasons in your face (mindset) when the going gets tough will help see you through your journey and may make the difference between achieving success or failing.

Reading over all this, I admit - it all sounds pretty bleak.

But the good news is, it’s not all bad! While most people would like to focus on and primarily deal with “how great you’ll feel”(benefits) IF you achieve your goal, I’d rather go into it abreast of all the costs.

Cost vs. benefits. Or as my Canadian grad roommate used to say, “if the juice is worth the squeeze.” Go figure.

Today we dealt with arguably the biggest costs of getting lean - a nitty gritty mindset. Now that you’re at least exposed, aware, and perhaps coming to terms with this, tune in next time for when we’ll get into (benefits) -

“What Changes In Your Life When You Look Great Naked”

(spoiler alert: it’s not what most people think)

A former marketing exec turned "chief meathead officer," Jeremy Shih gets busy execs into cover model shape through nutrition and fitness coaching. Message The Executive Meathead today for a 13-page initial assessment and questionnaire.