How to Calculate Body Fat Using Calipers

Body Fat Calipers are a popular method for clinicians, trainers and individuals to measure body fat. For individual users, are calipers a way to merely measure fat loss or more accurately calculate fat loss percentages?

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Body Fat Caliper for actual application.

1. Measuring body fat as a part of weight management is important. Is calculating actual body fat percentages as important as measuring the presence or absence of fat? Calipers are a good instrument for measuring progress in weight loss.

2. 
   Accumeasure Caliper

   Best measurement results require a seasoned examiner who knows the precise measurement points and various fat percentage calculations. For self testing try the Accu-measure calipers. Don't spend a lot of money on equipment when doing it yourself. Accu-measure is recommended by several resources and costs around $15.00-$20.00.

3. If you are interested in experimenting with body fat calipers, remember these points. Use the calipers to measure progress. Take the readings within seconds of measuring. Consistency is important, so take readings at the same time of day. Don't test immediately after exercising. If you're going to calculate body fat percentages, take each reading 3 times to get an average for use in your final calculations. Mark each measurement point before the first reading for even more consistency.

4. 
   Skinfold with caliper

   Follow the instructions that come with your calipers. Generally there are about 7 sites to measure; triceps, abs, chest, thigh, suprailiac (on your side just above the hip), midaxiliary (arm pit), and subscapular (just below the shoulder blade). Some tests might include the lower back, bicep and calf. The trick is obtaining a true skin fold. You don't want other tissue in your measurement. What's the difference? With one hand, pinch the skin on the knuckle of the middle finger of your other hand. Now turn the hand palm up and pinch the fleshy part at the bottom of the middle finger. The first example is a skin fold, the second is not because it has other tissue between the skin folds.

5. After you follow the instructions and taking your measurements you can calculate body fat percentages with these formulas. Be aware they may not be accurate for your age, size, physical condition, etc. There are actually hundreds of possible calculations, those provided here are for general information based on sex.

6. To Calculate Body Density For Males use: DB= 1.112-(.00043499)(sum of 7 skinfolds)+(.00000055)(sum of 7 skinfolds squared)-(.00028826)(your age)
   
   For Females use:DB= 1.097-(.00046971)(sum of 7 skinfolds)+(.00000056)(sum of 7 skinfolds squared)-(.00012828)(your age)
   
   To convert density to fat percentage: Body Fat% = [(4.95/DB)-4.5]x100

[parollins]

on 3/10/2009 Interesting my husband just did this.