How to Measure Your Body Fat Percentage
Bod Pod Air displacement- First you have to change into a skin tight suit wearing nothing underneath and climb into an air chamber where air shoots up from all around you making all your fat jiggle around. The results are based on the amount of jiggling that the machine reads in proportion to the ratio of solid tissues in your body. This is the gold standard in measuring body fat percentage, but having your fat jiggle around in a skin tight suit isn't exactly the type of experience an already self conscience person wants to go through.
Water tank body density- You change into your bathing suit, lay in a tank of water, and expel all the air in your lungs. Since fat is less dense than muscle fat will float so your results from this test are based on how much your body floats. When done properly this is a very accurate test, but accuracy depends on the person's ability to expel air from their lungs as air will cause you to float too.
Near infrared- A tiny handheld machine is pressed against your skin where it shoots infrared light through your body. The light will be reflected by muscle and absorbed by the fat, and the results are based on how much light comes back to the sensor. This is a very quick and easy method but the accuracy can be off about 5% either way.
Bioelectrical impedance- A lot like the Near infrared but instead of sending light through your body it sends a tiny electrical current that measures water retention. These are the most popularly sold body fat percentage testers as they are normally sold in the form of scales. This method should not be used by people with pacemakers, and the results are dependent on the user being properly hydrated. Your urination schedule can influence the reading.
With all that out of the way that brings us to skin fold measurements. The idea of skin fold measurements is you grab the fat in 7 specific areas (chest, triceps, subscapular, midaxillary, suprailiac, abdomen, and thigh) and add up the total to compare your results with a chart that will tell you your body fat percentage. When done thoroughly this is a very accurate method of measuring body fat percentage. Keep measuring the person until you keep getting the same result. You can measure each site in any order you chose. Body fat calipers are inexpensive and can be bought for less than $10 on eBay. All measurements should be taken while standing.
How to measure body fat with body fat calipers.
Grab the calipers in one hand and pinch the fat at the selected area. Make sure to grab deep so you get every layer of fat. When you feel you've grabbed all the fat bring the caliper over and while still holding on to the fat with a pinched finger, pinch the fat with the caliper. When the caliper is in place you can let go with the finger pinching hand. The caliper will slowly settle in when squeezing the fat. This sounds more pain full than it is, if this process hurts any more than slight pinching then you are being too rough. Once the caliper is settled in and is no longer moving check the reading and write it down. An individual can't accurately take these measurements by themselves.
The 7 areas of the body to measure fat
Chest: The fatty area on the side of the chest just before the armpit.
Triceps: A vertical pinch between the shoulder and elbow at the bottom of the arm opposite of the biceps. Raise arm while taking measurement.
Subscapular (back): A diagonal pinch under the edge of the shoulder blade
Midaxillary: A vertical pinch on the side of the torso just under the armpit just below nipple height. Raise your arm above your head.
Abdomen: A vertical pinch next to the belly button.
Suprailiac: A diagonal pinch just above the iliac crest of the hip bone.
Thigh: A vertical pinch mid way between the knee and thigh.
With all your measurements written down go to this link to a calculator that will give you your results. http://www.gain-weight-muscle-fast.com/body-fat-calculator.html
Published by Jason Cooley
I can't write this in the third person... I just can't. To do so would make me feel like a douche big enough to accommodate Madonna. My articles are a change of pace from what you can expect anywhere else. M... View profile
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