How accurate are calipers and does this look like 24%bodyfat?
andreascjonsson
Posts: 433 Member
Hi!
I recently whent to a PT and measured my bodyfat percentage. He used calipers and said he was experienced with them and apparently i had 24% wich is a letdown and higher than i thought. I know calipers arent perfect but it should be somewhat around that percentage. This is me atm
is my self image skewed and im actually at 24% or what does it look like to you?
I recently whent to a PT and measured my bodyfat percentage. He used calipers and said he was experienced with them and apparently i had 24% wich is a letdown and higher than i thought. I know calipers arent perfect but it should be somewhat around that percentage. This is me atm
is my self image skewed and im actually at 24% or what does it look like to you?1
Replies
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You look very lean to me. Why not forget about the bf% and just go by how you look
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LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »You look very lean to me. Why not forget about the bf% and just go by how you look
Thx! I know thats what i should do, it just got to me and i wanted to make sure i just didnt see myself leaner than i was. Just like some people see themselves bigger than they are.2 -
BF % measurements are best used to look for trends rather than accurate numbers. You look good, don't sweat it!4
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How many sites did he take readings from as it normally varies between 3 to 7? (7 having more accuracy than 3).
Also, 'Under ideal conditions, caliper-tests predict fat percentage within plus or minus 3.5 percent of your true body composition'.1 -
Without something like a Dexa scan its a best guess, but you can use your caliper/measurements to develop a trend over time.
https://www.builtlean.com/2012/09/24/body-fat-percentage-men-women/0 -
Thanks for all the input. I will disregard the actuall measurements and look more at the development, as you guys suggest. I have 2 more measurement times left with my pt and then hopefully i will be done with cutting anyway and start my bulk.0
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Davidsdottir wrote: »BF % measurements are best used to look for trends rather than accurate numbers. You look good, don't sweat it!
Agreed. An in that sense, it also helps if the same person takes the measurements each time.
FWIW, you're stomach *looks* leaner than mind did when I was around 15%. But I carry the vast majority of my fat in my stomach, so take it with a grain of salt.0 -
Go for the Dexa scan! I've been trying to find one in my area to help track progress since it's way more accurate than either scales or calipers.0
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Calipers can be very accurate of done right by an experienced person. FWIW, I wouldn't hazard a guess based on the one photo. If you want an visual estimate, take 4 pics. 2 front, 2 side. One flexed and one not of each. That will help folks give you the best guess.0
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well the dexa scan is 86 bucks more expencive per time. So my 3 measurement times would cost 258 bucks more and thats just alittle more than i am willing to pay.0
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24% actually doesn't seem too far off. To me, men with BF in the low to mid-20's tend to look like they have 'thick' skin. Definitely not fat, but not wire thin either.
Once you drop to the mid to low teens, skin starts looking really thin and you start becoming vascular, regardless of whether you've been lifting or not.
That said, you look fine. If nothing else, this just shows how unnecessary (and ridiculous) it can be to target a really low BF%.3 -
andreascjonsson wrote: »well the dexa scan is 86 bucks more expencive per time. So my 3 measurement times would cost 258 bucks more and thats just alittle more than i am willing to pay.
That's certainly reasonable. As someone said earlier... worry less about the actual number (though I get the shot to the ego it can be) and more about how that number changes. Whatever degree of accuracy or inaccuracy there is should be there every time. If possible, get measured by the same person on the same day of the week at the same time of day each time to help minimize normal variances in body comp (mostly fluid retention).0 -
24% actually doesn't seem too far off. To me, men with BF in the low to mid-20's tend to look like they have 'thick' skin. Definitely not fat, but not wire thin either.
Once you drop to the mid to low teens, skin starts looking really thin and you start becoming vascular, regardless of whether you've been lifting or not.
That's not actually true. Most men, even very muscular ones, will not have vascularity until they are below 10% bodyfat. Definition in the abs is a great sign someone is in the low teens. I would agree with you on 20% looking like "thick skin", though.
OP, I would echo what others have said and caution you against putting too much faith in caliper readings as an absolute measure. They're fine for trends, but rely greatly on the skill of the user to be accurate.
If I had to guess your BF percentage, I'd go off the BuiltLean chart and say you're pretty close to 20%, maybe a touch lower. Everyone carries fat differently, so again, don't put too much stock in the number as an absolute measure!0 -
Why not just use the Navy Body Fat Calculation method. It's extremely simple and is as accurate as calipers. Get a cloth tape measure and measure your waist at the navel with your stomach completely relaxed. Do the same for your neck. Plug those numbers into an online calculator and get your results.
These methods are all off by as much as 5%. The point is to track progress not the exact number you get at any one time. And to answer your question, you look much leaner than 24%.0 -
Calipers are only as accurate as the person using them. Calipering yourself can be very inaccurate.
To me you look considerably leaner than 24%...more like 18-20%, but I also don't know if you are sucking it in.0 -
I am not sucking in as that would defeat the whole purpose of this thread XDAaron_K123 wrote: »Calipers are only as accurate as the person using them. Calipering yourself can be very inaccurate.
To me you look considerably leaner than 24%...more like 18-20%, but I also don't know if you are sucking it in.
Ill try the tape measurement approach and see how they stack up against eachother, but the more i look around the web the more certain i get that my thinking that measurements are somewhat accurate are wrong unless you take the expencive approach. I will, as i said before, now use it more to look if it goes down rather than the exact number and watch the trends.DevilsFan1 wrote: »Why not just use the Navy Body Fat Calculation method. It's extremely simple and is as accurate as calipers. Get a cloth tape measure and measure your waist at the navel with your stomach completely relaxed. Do the same for your neck. Plug those numbers into an online calculator and get your results.
These methods are all off by as much as 5%. The point is to track progress not the exact number you get at any one time. And to answer your question, you look much leaner than 24%.
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andreascjonsson wrote: »
I am not sucking in as that would defeat the whole purpose of this thread XDAaron_K123 wrote: »Calipers are only as accurate as the person using them. Calipering yourself can be very inaccurate.
To me you look considerably leaner than 24%...more like 18-20%, but I also don't know if you are sucking it in.
Ill try the tape measurement approach and see how they stack up against eachother, but the more i look around the web the more certain i get that my thinking that measurements are somewhat accurate are wrong unless you take the expencive approach. I will, as i said before, now use it more to look if it goes down rather than the exact number and watch the trends.DevilsFan1 wrote: »Why not just use the Navy Body Fat Calculation method. It's extremely simple and is as accurate as calipers. Get a cloth tape measure and measure your waist at the navel with your stomach completely relaxed. Do the same for your neck. Plug those numbers into an online calculator and get your results.
These methods are all off by as much as 5%. The point is to track progress not the exact number you get at any one time. And to answer your question, you look much leaner than 24%.
I use both calipers and a tape and my results almost always match. Yes, they are probably not as accurate as a Dexa scan, but I can do them for free at home whenever I want. Anyway, a number is just a number subject to error. Do you like the way you look? Do your clothes fit well? Are you getting leaner and not fatter? If so, a number doesn't really mean anything.1 -
According to the navy body fat calculation i got 16% bodyfat instead wich sound way to low XD
Maybe my genetics just put the fat in unusal places :P0 -
How many points did he use. My PT is very experienced and good with calipers and he does 10 points. Visually, it's hard to say because a lot depends on how and where you carry fat, but 24% seems high as 25% is considered obese and you don't look close to obese to me.24% actually doesn't seem too far off. To me, men with BF in the low to mid-20's tend to look like they have 'thick' skin. Definitely not fat, but not wire thin either.
Once you drop to the mid to low teens, skin starts looking really thin and you start becoming vascular, regardless of whether you've been lifting or not.
That said, you look fine. If nothing else, this just shows how unnecessary (and ridiculous) it can be to target a really low BF%.
No way...24% BF on a male is overweight and almost obese...25% is considered obese and the OP doesn't look obese to me.0 -
"No way...24% BF on a male is overweight and almost obese...25% is considered obese and the OP doesn't look obese to me". This was my thoughts exactly when i heard the results but ive come to realise with the help of the great MFP community that im probably abit below 24% atleast. He used 4 points and measured them 3 times each.
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cwolfman13 wrote: »No way...24% BF on a male is overweight and almost obese...25% is considered obese and the OP doesn't look obese to me.
Actually, there is no "overweight" category with body fat measurements. You are either obese (which simply means over-fat and at increased health risk) or not.
OP: I would guesstimate your BF% at 20 or a bit under based on that pic. Mind you, visual guesstimates are the least accurate, especially from untrained random internet people A major consideration is that we can only see your abs/lower chest and arms in that picture. If you carry your subcutaneous fat more in your legs, that can throw your average (and no, women aren't the only ones with that tendency. Men are more likely to carry in our bellies, but most often that is also more likely to be visceral fat as well.) You appear to be in very good 'regular person' shape.
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I am not claiming that my method of tracking bodyfat % was necessarily the most accurate (I had my wife using calipers on me) but if you look at the pictures under my profile I had estimated my bf% as being ~24% in the Feb 22nd pic and around 18% in the July 28th pic. To me you look much closer to my July 28th than to my Feb 22nd.
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MarkusDarwath wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »No way...24% BF on a male is overweight and almost obese...25% is considered obese and the OP doesn't look obese to me.
Actually, there is no "overweight" category with body fat measurements. You are either obese (which simply means over-fat and at increased health risk) or not.
OP: I would guesstimate your BF% at 20 or a bit under based on that pic. Mind you, visual guesstimates are the least accurate, especially from untrained random internet people A major consideration is that we can only see your abs/lower chest and arms in that picture. If you carry your subcutaneous fat more in your legs, that can throw your average (and no, women aren't the only ones with that tendency. Men are more likely to carry in our bellies, but most often that is also more likely to be visceral fat as well.) You appear to be in very good 'regular person' shape.
Yeah..but if 25% is considered obese then it's pretty obvious that 24% would be overweight.0 -
+1 that visible stuff looks around/sub 20 and not close to 25.1
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cwolfman13 wrote: »
Yeah..but if 25% is considered obese then it's pretty obvious that 24% would be overweight.
"Overweight" would be a subjective visual assessment. Statistically significant increases to health risk begin at 25% (for men). Below that there simply is no verifiable and repeatable difference in health markers to assess a 'less healthy' category. There's just "underweight," "normal," "obese," and "morbidly obese."2 -
andreascjonsson wrote: »According to the navy body fat calculation i got 16% bodyfat instead wich sound way to low XD
Maybe my genetics just put the fat in unusal places :P
I think 16 is much closer than 24. While you cannot see your abs distinctly, you're very close;1 -
andreascjonsson wrote: »According to the navy body fat calculation i got 16% bodyfat instead wich sound way to low XD
Maybe my genetics just put the fat in unusal places :P
I measure as 16% by the Navy method. Calipers (7 point) put me as 18.6% and my scales have me as anywhere between 18-19%.
My conclusion was that the US Navy weren’t in the business of rejecting recruits based on body fat, if they could avoid it.1 -
andreascjonsson wrote: »According to the navy body fat calculation i got 16% bodyfat instead wich sound way to low XD
Maybe my genetics just put the fat in unusal places :P
I measure as 16% by the Navy method. Calipers (7 point) put me as 18.6% and my scales have me as anywhere between 18-19%.
My conclusion was that the US Navy weren’t in the business of rejecting recruits based on body fat, if they could avoid it.
The biggest flaw with the navy formula is the neck measurement. It uses the assumption that the neck is one of the leanest parts of the body, so the thicker your neck is in comparison with your other measurements the more it will reduce your body fat calculation. Those with fat or unusually muscular necks will thus have their body fat underestimated a bit. I would imagine it could also skew high for people with really long and thin necks.
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andreascjonsson wrote: »Hi!
I recently whent to a PT and measured my bodyfat percentage. He used calipers and said he was experienced with them and apparently i had 24% wich is a letdown and higher than i thought. I know calipers arent perfect but it should be somewhat around that percentage. This is me atmis my self image skewed and im actually at 24% or what does it look like to you?
I would say around 18%-20% based on the fact that you can see some ab definition.2 -
without seeing the whole body it's impossible to get a really good read, as people hold fat in different places/patterns. From the little we can see I'd be more inclined to put you in the high teens though.0
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