Tips on Getting the Most from Body Fat Calipers

Any fitness expert will tell you that simple body weight is often a poor measure of how fit you truly are. The truest measure of fitness is by measuring your body fat percentage. Body fat calipers are important tools you can use to measure your fitness progress.

There are of course alternatives to measuring body fat. You can have your body fat percentage measured by a professional using the underwater weighing method. While this may be the most reliable method, it is expensive. In addition, it is time consuming and the testing facilities are often difficult to find.

Unlike this high cost, difficult-to-use method, body fat calipers are easy to use, inexpensive to buy and totally portable. In addition, they can be used at your convenience and in the privacy of your own home.

Body fat calipers are used to measure skin folds. The skin fold measurements are then used in a formula to estimate your body fat percentage.

The question everyone asks is, how reliable are body fat calipers?

Indeed, there is a large margin for error when using them and even small errors in measurement can make a big difference in the results. Body fat calipers can measure body fat percentage only to an accuracy level of plus or minus 4%. Therefore, a reading of 20% body fat could mean that the actual number is anywhere from 16% to 24%.

Fortunately, there are ways to improve the accuracy of body fat calipers. First and foremost, the most important thing you can do is use the right formula.

The typical body fat caliper measurement will use a total of four skin fold measurements to create a representation of the total fat contained under the skin. The next step is to use those measurements in a formula which will calculate the percentage of body fat. The amazing thing here is that there are over 100 formulas that could be used. In addition, using the wrong formula could render your results nearly useless for estimating the percentage of body fat.

The reason there are so many formulas is that different people will have different skin and body fat characteristics. For instance, younger people typically store approximately half of their body fat under their skin. As we age, the percentage of total body fat stored under the skin typically will increase, so it is important to use a formula to match your age. In addition, gender, level of fitness, and ethnicity all have their own roles to play in body fat percentage.

When using body fat calipers to measure body fat, it is important to know that no formula will be perfect, and there is no such thing as a truly customized and personalized formula.

One of the best ways to avoid using the wrong formula is to not use a formula at all! By simply tracking the differences in the individual skin fold measurements themselves, you'll have a much more accurate measurement of your fitness progress than calculating an actual body fat percentage.

If you'll be measuring yourself, we recommend Accu-Measure body fat calipers. They are easy to use, give the most accurate measurements, and can be purchased for less than $30 at Bodybuilding.com.

When finding the precise location for testing the skin folds using body fat calipers, it is important to use a ruler for measurement. It is often helpful to mark each skin fold location with a felt pen for further accuracy. Taking three readings, and using the average of the three, is the best way to ensure the greatest accuracy.

By the way, if using body fat calipers sounds like too much work, we recommend you consider a body fat scale. They look just like a bathroom scale and all you have to do is step on them and get your weight and body fat reading! Plus, they are more accurate.

It is also important to buy the best body fat calipers you can afford. While many people think that all of them are the same, nothing could be further from the truth. Body fat calipers range in price from $10 to $500, and the more expensive models tend to be the highest quality and have the greatest accuracy.

One thing that sets the more expensive body fat calipers apart from the cheap ones is the tension control. Cheap models will not be able to provide the constant pressure needed for accurate readings, and even small errors could have a significant impact on their accuracy.

Here are some tips to get the most out of your body fat calipers:

• Again, the only good option for self-measurement are the Accu-Measure body fat calipers.
• For greatest accuracy, use them at the same time of the day.
• It is important to take the reading within four seconds of application. A delay in measurement can result in considerable underestimating of the skin fold measurements.
• It is best to not use the body fat calipers immediately after exercising.
• Measuring changes in skin fold measurements provides for greater accuracy than converting those measurements to body fat percentages.
• Use body fat calipers only to measure your progress, not to compare your percentage of body fat to charts or to others.
• When being tested by someone else, try to get an experienced examiner to do the measurement. It is also a good idea to have the same examiner measure you each time.
• If possible, it is a good idea to have a professional hydrostatic weighing test to determine body fat percentage. Having a professional test done can help provide a benchmark for the accuracy of your body fat calipers.

Related Pages

Body Composition - Are you made of more fat or more muscle? Find out what body composition is all about.
Body Fat Percentage - What is your body fat percentage? Knowing this is more important than stepping on the bathroom scale.
Body Mass Index (BMI) - What's your BMI score? Get your score and find out if you are underweight, normal, or overweight.
Body Fat Scales - Find out how these inexpensive and easy-to-use scales can help you measure your weight loss success.
How to Lose 20 Pounds Really Really Fast! - Tom Venuto discusses the importance of losing fat vs. losing weight.