Body fat percentage?

emilysusana

How do you find this out? Sorry if this is a dumb question.

CasperNaegle

Here is a great article to read on it. Just keep in mind that every method has lots of room for error. The most important thing is to use a consistent method and track over time.

https://legionathletics.com/how-to-calculate-body-fat/

ahoy_m8

Thanks for the link. One thing it didn't mention was the Navy formula. It uses a tape measure only. It also has a big potential error margin, like everything, but you don't need to buy anything. The hard parts are taking your measurement in the exact same place (if you have a mole,scar or something, that can help you place the tape measure) and tape measure tension. At my leanest, I can see a 1" difference on hips depending on how tight I pull the tape. I suck at measuring, actually, so I cannot give advice on how its done. I just know I was taking my "hip measurement" around my actual pelvic bones for a while and that gave me a way leaner answer. When I first tried it, I used the male formula (didn't realize there was one for women--duh) and measured around my navel. Again, answer way leaner than reality. Women measure their waist at the smallest point and hips at the largest, which is around your butt far below actual pelvic bones.

Good luck, OP. Practice probably helps consistency. I really could use tips on how to do it better, too.

cwolfman13

My trainer uses calipers. In general, if possible it would be better to have someone else measure it. He uses calipers and takes pinches from various places on my body.

sgt1372

The most accurate methods of BF measurement are the DEXA scan and hydrostatic weighing. Anything else is just a guess; an educated guess perhaps, but just a guess nonetheless. So, it you want to know what your BF% is with any degree of accuracy, get yourself DEXA scanned or weighed hydrostatically.