For most of us weekend warriors, the bodybuilder's distinction between being “lean” or being “shredded” is so fine as to make the terms interchangeable. But there's a big difference.

As defined by body fat, to be “lean” is to have a body fat percentage in the neighborhood of 7 to 10 percent. The “shredded” athlete is rocking about 4 to 7 percent body fat, but those few extra percentage points will be hard won.

You've seen the “shredded” guys on the cover of those magazines near the check-out line at the health food store. It almost appears as thought their muscles and ligaments were made of modeling clay and applied to the frame with a sharp-edged putty knife. The recesses between them are deep and pronounced, the way an overzealous comic book artist might draw a muscle-bound super hero.

Is there any good reason why you should get shredded? Yes, if you are a professional bodybuilder, competing against other men who are shredded. In this case, being shredded is your job and livelihood, like diving into the air from a moving trapeze is the job and livelihood of a circus acrobat. There are, however, no good health-oriented reasons to undertake either profession.

To be shredded is to not only be in a constant state of hunger, but to experience bizarre cravings in the way a pregnant woman does. Food becomes the most important thing in the shredded athlete's life, and an itch that can never be completely scratched for as long as he wants to remain shredded.

Unless he has just won his bodybuilding competition, it is likely that the shredded individual is not happy. Unlike a lean person, whose mood and energy will both be upbeat, a shredded person will be miserable to be around.

Part of that misery may stem from the sudden lack of leeway the shredded man has in his training regimen. Whereas the lean bodybuilder can miss a workout here and there, or have the occasional beer with his buddies, the shredded athlete can never veer off the path. If his food is not weighed to the gram, if just one session of cardio is missed, the effect is as game changing as a supermodel snacking on a Milky Way.

Most importantly, being shredded is not a sustainable and healthy life-choice. It's a short-term goal, building up to a competition or a photo-shoot.

So, unless you are prepared to make bodybuilding a career, you'll be happier and healthier by just staying lean.

Sources: Men's Fitness