How to measure body fat

marcwhittaker223
marcwhittaker223 Posts: 2 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Hi - how do I measure my body fat? Thanks

Replies

  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    edited August 2019
    For an actual measurement, DEXA and hydro are the best methods but cost and availability can be a problem.

    Calipers are cheap and can be accurate provided you take a suffiient # of body site measurements (8-12 is best) and the person taking the measurements (you can't take them all by yourself) is properly trained to use them. Otherwise, caliper measurements are worthless.

    Bioelectrical devices that you can use at home (or that are available at some gyms) are notoriously inaccurate and unreliable. You may be able to use them to etablish a trend, if you use the same device under the same conditions each time it is used. However, you could get the same info just weighing and looking at yourself in a mirror daily.

    In fact, if you take full length photos of yourself each time you lose 5 or 10# and compare your appearance w/comparative BF% photos available on line, you can probably get a pretty accurate estimate of your BF% as time passes, provided you are willing and able to be honest about your body's appearance.

    These are,pretty much the only ways to "measure" you BF.

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