How to Measure Body Fat Skin Fold Test
The skin fold test is not the most accurate way of measuring body fat. But, if performed by a trained professional, it can yield reliable results. The purpose of measuring body fat is to get more specific information about your health and fitness than just what a measure of your total weight can provide. Because the skin fold test measures only a few spots on the body and estimates total body fat, it can typically be off by up to 6 percent.
Instructions
-
-
1
Have a personal trainer or someone else with experience measuring body fat with skin fold calipers pinch a double layer of skin above your bicep that contains the underlying fat, but not any of the muscle.
-
2
Apply the skin fold calipers at right angles to the fold about one centimeter from the base of the fold. A measurement is taken in millimeters. Record the number.
-
-
3
Using the same procedure described in steps 1 and 2, measure skin folds around the triceps, the subscapular (area just below the shoulder blade on your back), the iliac crest (area on your side just above the wing of your pelvic bone where "love handles" typically sit), the supraspinale (slightly lower and forward from the iliac crest), the front thigh, calf and abdominal region.
-
4
Repeat and average. After taking the first set of measurements in each location, repeat the process two more times. For each location, calculate the average of the three measurements.
-
5
Calculate body fat. The formula used to calculate your body fat percentage depends on how many places you measured. The simplest approach, if you measured all seven locations described above, is to total the average measurements and compare them to a chart. If you measured only four places, use the Durnin and Womersley formula.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
It takes practice with the skin calipers to measure accurately. Consistency is crucial. Usually, measurements are only taken from one side of the bottom, depending on which side is the subject's dominant side (right- or left-handed).
