body fat percentage?

M_lifts

can someone explain this to me? ive always worked with BMI. now i know they arent the best tools! im learning something new everyday! i just learnt how to calculate my frame= small

i used the body fat calculator on a link someone posted http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/home-body-fat-test-2774-143.html. this says i have a body fat of 20.8. is that within normal range?

registers

I "think" that's normal for a female, men are supposed to be around 15%. Body fat is the best type of measurmant, because if someone weighs 130lbs, and have 12% body fat, and someone also weighs 130 but has 33% bodyfat. Their dietary needs are way different, and so is their metabolism, lower body fat level, i'd say the better your fitness. but Dr's base it on weight? So a 300lbs bodybuilder is considered obese. Pretty stupid.

cem789

yesss... thats very good for a woman

tjradd73

you would have to go to a gym to be sure...but I think that 18-23% is considered great for a woman...less than that and you would be considered athletic

M_lifts

you would have to go to a gym to be sure...but I think that 18-23% is considered great for a woman...less than that and you would be considered athletic

im not athletic so i 'll take normal! lol

tinareet

wow 20.8 is great, and im defo jealous, different sites say different things, but I'm sure 20.8 is in the middle-lower end of healthy body fat percentage
xxx

M_lifts

i'll have to google what the normal is! im sure different sites measure it different ways!

17Chan

UM. I really question that website. I did everything it said for me to do, and it told me i had 2.4% body fat, which is NOT possible unless I was on a death bed.
My scale at home tells me 13% body fat, but I also doubt that.
I'm guessing I'm 20%?

I "loled" when I saw the number, but now I just have more reason not to trust online tests.

tinareet

ohhhh i just tried that site it says mine is 28.5% and my scales at home says 29.2% so to me i would say its not tooo bad, obv there is a degree of inaccuracy with most ways to measure body fat, the most accurate way to measure body fat is with skin callipers.
Xx

DebiP10

it says 20% for me. dunno how accurate it is though

FitPhysique

That is within the "normal" range.

Steveeee

Well..

Your Results

You have 21.5% body fat.

You have 48.8 Pounds of fat and 178.2 Pounds of lean (muscle, bone, body water).

If this is accurate, I may need to reassess my goal of losing another 57lbs.. :laugh:

TrainingWithTonya

First of all, measurement formulas are the least accurate way of determining body fat. Second, this is not an accurate formula because it doesn't use areas of the body where fat is stored for the formula. If you must use a formula for estimating body fat because of lack of access to a more accurate way of assessing, then stick to a more accurate formula that is based on the areas of the body where more fat is stored, like the abdominal area. Here are the formulas I use when I have to for clients that I can't see in person. They are from the ACE Personal Trainer Certification Manual.

Body Density for Women = 1.168297 - (0.002824 x abdomen in centimeters) + (0.0000122098 x abdomen in centimeters squared) - (0.000733128 x hips in centimeters) + (0.000510477 x height in centimeters) - (0.000216161 x age)

Body Density for Men = 1.21142 + (0.00085 x weight in kilograms) - (0.0005 x iliac measurement in centimeters) - (0.00061 x hip in centimeters) - (0.00138 x abdomen in centimeters)

Once you have body density you get percent fat with the following formula (495 / Body Density) - 450

Abdomen measurements are the typical waist measurement. The hip measurements are at the fullest part of the butt. The iliac measurement is the measure around the body at the iliac crest (the bony part of the pelvis at the top), what some call the lower abdominal area as it is typically below the navel.

As for the ranges of body fat, it varies based on what formula or other testing method you use. So, if you have a set piece of equipment you use, stick with their chart. If you use a website to determine body composition, then use their chart. For the formulas above, here is the chart: