How to Use EKG Calipers
EKG calipers measure fat composition in the human body. They are an important tool to utilize if you're serious about getting into shape. Athletes often use EKG calipers to monitor their own progress. They can also appear in doctors' offices and health clubs around the country. The reason for this is simple--EKG calipers give a more complete understanding of weight loss progress than a scale. While losing weight is important, losing fat is more important.
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Instructions
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Pick at least four areas on your body to measure with the EKG calipers. EKG calipers measure the thickness of fat folds in the body. Common areas to measure include the bicep, triceps, stomach, back, "love handles" and chest.
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Grab or pinch your fat in the areas you decided to measure. You'll need some assistance if you picked a hard-to-reach spot like your back (pick areas you can easily reach if you're self-conscious).
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Open the calipers and gently clamp down on the fat fold you're grabbing. Do not let the calipers dig into your skin. You only need them to gently touch your skin.
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Read the measurement on the calipers and write down the results.
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Continue measuring the same areas every week and write down your results to keep track of your results. These measurements will give you a better understanding of how you're doing with your workout and diet. Using a scale is fine, but you can actually gain muscle weight when you work out. This is a good thing, but you run the risk of misinterpreting the results if you're solely concerned about your weight.
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Tips & Warnings
According to sports-fitness-advisor.com, you can enter your measurements into several equations to calculate your body fat composition. Unfortunately, there's a lot of equations out there and some work for only small segments of the population. For example, an female athlete may find one equation helpful while an overweight male might find another equation more accurate. Furthermore, the slightest inaccuracy can throw the results off by a substantial margin. To avoid this confusion, measure your success solely on the changes in the individual measurements.
References
- Photo Credit Workout image by Nikolay Okhitin from Fotolia.com
