Body Fat Caliper Measurements
dpr73
Posts: 495 Member
Hey all,
Because I heard that they are a good tool for tracking ones progress during a bulk, I bought a body fat caliper. I took my reading today and am a bit floored by the result. I ended up with between a 5-8% BF! I knew I was very lean (131 at 5’7 and male) but I can’t see my abs! I have had picture estimates from peeps on here putting me as high as 17% BF because of my lack of abs (although loose skin from massive weight loss of 70lbs could be clouding the visuals there too).
How accurate are these if you truly take a good read? I took several reads from the pectoral, abdomen and thigh and they came up pretty similar every time.
Because I heard that they are a good tool for tracking ones progress during a bulk, I bought a body fat caliper. I took my reading today and am a bit floored by the result. I ended up with between a 5-8% BF! I knew I was very lean (131 at 5’7 and male) but I can’t see my abs! I have had picture estimates from peeps on here putting me as high as 17% BF because of my lack of abs (although loose skin from massive weight loss of 70lbs could be clouding the visuals there too).
How accurate are these if you truly take a good read? I took several reads from the pectoral, abdomen and thigh and they came up pretty similar every time.
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Replies
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Hey all,
Because I heard that they are a good tool for tracking ones progress during a bulk, I bought a body fat caliper. I took my reading today and am a bit floored by the result. I ended up with between a 5-8% BF! I knew I was very lean (131 at 5’7 and male) but I can’t see my abs! I have had picture estimates from peeps on here putting me as high as 17% BF because of my lack of abs (although loose skin from massive weight loss of 70lbs could be clouding the visuals there too).
How accurate are these if you truly take a good read? I took several reads from the pectoral, abdomen and thigh and they came up pretty similar every time.
Abs aren't always a great indicator. I'm 15% currently and still have abs... all six still visible. Thin =/= lean. I've seen plenty of thin guys and gals who were over 15%... or you are that lean and just don't have enough ab development to see them - but I'd guess 5-8% regardless of ab development would show something.
Calipers if used properly can be accurate but some of the cheaper ones or if used by someone inexperienced can be wildly inaccurate.
Do you ribs show? How vascular are you? What kind of muscle separation is there? Can you clearly see your obliques? at 5-8% every single muscle in your body should have clear separation. You should almost be an anatomy exhibit.
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Three sites to test isn't many - you would get better accuracy with more sites which requires someone else to wield the calipers.
It also reduces the false low readings from stretching/contorting yourself to reach when you are using them on yourself.
Loose skin is also a confounding issue.0 -
jseams1234 wrote: »Hey all,
Because I heard that they are a good tool for tracking ones progress during a bulk, I bought a body fat caliper. I took my reading today and am a bit floored by the result. I ended up with between a 5-8% BF! I knew I was very lean (131 at 5’7 and male) but I can’t see my abs! I have had picture estimates from peeps on here putting me as high as 17% BF because of my lack of abs (although loose skin from massive weight loss of 70lbs could be clouding the visuals there too).
How accurate are these if you truly take a good read? I took several reads from the pectoral, abdomen and thigh and they came up pretty similar every time.
Abs aren't always a great indicator. I'm 15% currently and still have abs... all six still visible. Thin =/= lean. I've seen plenty of thin guys and gals who were over 15%... or you are that lean and just don't have enough ab development to see them - but I'd guess 5-8% regardless of ab development would show something.
Calipers if used properly can be accurate but some of the cheaper ones or if used by someone inexperienced can be wildly inaccurate.
Do you ribs show? How vascular are you? What kind of muscle separation is there? Can you clearly see your obliques? at 5-8% every single muscle in your body should have clear separation. You should almost be an anatomy exhibit.
My ribs do show. When I do upper body day you can see almost every muscle, my legs are also extremely lean (you can see each of the quads actually as I squat). I can my obliques and under good lighting my abs can sorta show.
I am quite vascular as well. I would say everything might support a low BF except for the abs...
I even get cold more than I would like...one of the reasons I am hoping to build some weight onto my frame!0 -
Hey all,
Because I heard that they are a good tool for tracking ones progress during a bulk, I bought a body fat caliper. I took my reading today and am a bit floored by the result. I ended up with between a 5-8% BF! I knew I was very lean (131 at 5’7 and male) but I can’t see my abs! I have had picture estimates from peeps on here putting me as high as 17% BF because of my lack of abs (although loose skin from massive weight loss of 70lbs could be clouding the visuals there too).
How accurate are these if you truly take a good read? I took several reads from the pectoral, abdomen and thigh and they came up pretty similar every time.
My trainer uses them on me and uses 10 points. Ideally, you would want an outside party who is competent in using them to measure you rather than doing it yourself. My trainer has over 100 tests performed in a controlled setting during his schooling and is relatively accurate, within 3% either way.
Also, since you're doing a 3 point, are you using an appropriate formula? You would ideally use the Jackson Pollock formula which is 1.10938 - (0.0008267 x the sum of the chest, abdomen and thigh measurements in millimeters) + (0.0000016 x the square of the sum of the chest, abdomen and thigh measurements in millimeters) - (0.0002574 x age) = body density. When I did my own, that's what I used.0 -
Are you measuring yourself? If so pretty likely not accurate, maybe with a lot of practice but still probably not.
As mentioned the excess skin may be causing measure issues
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Theoldguy1 wrote: »Are you measuring yourself? If so pretty likely not accurate, maybe with a lot of practice but still probably not.
As mentioned the excess skin may be causing measure issues
Yes but wouldn’t excess skin inflate the reading?0 -
Few people othercthan competitive MALE bodybuilders ever achieve 5-8% BF and, even then, only long enough to compete b4 returning to a healthier BF level
A min of 7 measurement sites (2 on your back that you cannot measure yourself) is recommended for the greatest accuracy w/BF calipers and the experience of the person taking the body fold measurement is critical to the result.
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Theoldguy1 wrote: »Are you measuring yourself? If so pretty likely not accurate, maybe with a lot of practice but still probably not.
As mentioned the excess skin may be causing measure issues
Yes but wouldn’t excess skin inflate the reading?
Not really. You are taking a skin fold at a specific location. It's measuring how thick the skin and fat attached to the skin are at that location. Think about a piece of paper. If you want to measure how thick it is folded it doesn't matter how long or wide the paper is, only how thick it is folded. In fact, it seems like it might be easier and more accurate if you have more skin because it's easier to get a skin fold to measure with the calipers.0 -
Most people have no idea what 5% looks like. It's NOT SUSTAINABLE for a healthy person.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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I agree I’m not 5% but sub 10% with low musculature in certain areas wouldn’t shock me. I have a lot of muscle separation
Would someone be able to see some of my pics (DM’d) to give an estimate?0 -
I've heard unless you have great experience it can be difficult to get an accurate reading on yourself. However whether or not it's accurate, you can use it as a baseline as long as you are consistent during your bulk. I would use it as a tracking point along with the scale, lifting progress, measurements, mirror, photos and clothing fit.3
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10ish or slightly below wouldn't surprise me with your stats. My middle son has basically the same stats and has good definition, major vascularity in his forearms (he's a climber), but not a huge amount of ab definition (4ish pack not heavily defined). The pics above are of men with a LOT of muscle development which can really skew perception. When i had my BF measured, I was on the low end for women (not competition lean, but really lean), but from pics I looked several percentage points more due to low muscle mass and uneven fat distribution.
In the end, does it really matter? Pictures, measurements or even BIA scales when used under consistent conditions can be used to track your progress trend. Continue working towards your goals. I doubt you really have a goal to be X% BF right? You probably have a goal to look a certain way, be able to lift X amount or achieve Y skill. If you are wondering if you are lean enough to bulk, you can get someone to take your caliper measurements, post a pic here or go somewhere to get a Dexa/Hydro/BodPod.2 -
mom23mangos wrote: »10ish or slightly below wouldn't surprise me with your stats. My middle son has basically the same stats and has good definition, major vascularity in his forearms (he's a climber), but not a huge amount of ab definition (4ish pack not heavily defined). The pics above are of men with a LOT of muscle development which can really skew perception. When i had my BF measured, I was on the low end for women (not competition lean, but really lean), but from pics I looked several percentage points more due to low muscle mass and uneven fat distribution.
In the end, does it really matter? Pictures, measurements or even BIA scales when used under consistent conditions can be used to track your progress trend. Continue working towards your goals. I doubt you really have a goal to be X% BF right? You probably have a goal to look a certain way, be able to lift X amount or achieve Y skill. If you are wondering if you are lean enough to bulk, you can get someone to take your caliper measurements, post a pic here or go somewhere to get a Dexa/Hydro/BodPod.
I agree. I wanted to grow my
Lower body a good amount to fill out my pants better ultimately. I would like to DM a pic to get an estimate as I basically have a fear of looking unhealthy or fat or out of shape after gaining these 15lbs. I don’t want to have bigger legs if I’m sacrificing my current physique too much.0 -
mom23mangos wrote: »10ish or slightly below wouldn't surprise me with your stats. My middle son has basically the same stats and has good definition, major vascularity in his forearms (he's a climber), but not a huge amount of ab definition (4ish pack not heavily defined). The pics above are of men with a LOT of muscle development which can really skew perception. When i had my BF measured, I was on the low end for women (not competition lean, but really lean), but from pics I looked several percentage points more due to low muscle mass and uneven fat distribution.
In the end, does it really matter? Pictures, measurements or even BIA scales when used under consistent conditions can be used to track your progress trend. Continue working towards your goals. I doubt you really have a goal to be X% BF right? You probably have a goal to look a certain way, be able to lift X amount or achieve Y skill. If you are wondering if you are lean enough to bulk, you can get someone to take your caliper measurements, post a pic here or go somewhere to get a Dexa/Hydro/BodPod.
I agree. I wanted to grow my
Lower body a good amount to fill out my pants better ultimately. I would like to DM a pic to get an estimate as I basically have a fear of looking unhealthy or fat or out of shape after gaining these 15lbs. I don’t want to have bigger legs if I’m sacrificing my current physique too much.
Based on your stats you won't look out of shape especially if you bulk slower and with proper programming (I am also 5'7", but a bit heavier at 135lbs and female, I have bulked to 144lbs and still looked fit). You can always cut or recomp when you get to goal, but in your case being so lean, you won't make much progress if you don't gain.2
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