Calipers for bf% - recommendations?

kwatkin
kwatkin Posts: 81 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
For those that use calipers... what brand would you recommend? ....for a decent price :smile: (>$30)

Bonus points if it can ship to Canada!

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Replies

  • kwatkin
    kwatkin Posts: 81 Member
    bump!
  • vorgas
    vorgas Posts: 741 Member
    If you aren't having someone trained to use them, make sure to get the self-adjusting kind. The ones that sense when they are pressing hard enough. Otherwise your readings will be way off. Can't really recommend a brand. Since bf% is something I only do once a month, I just schedule a session with a trainer and have them do it. That way I know it's more accurate.
  • djeffreys10
    djeffreys10 Posts: 2,312 Member
    I just use the cheap plastic one from bodybuilding.com, but GNC has the same one in store. None of them are going to give you a really accurate reading, but if you have the same person make the measurements at the same places on your body every time you can use it to see your progress.
  • kwatkin
    kwatkin Posts: 81 Member
    I just use the cheap plastic one from bodybuilding.com, but GNC has the same one in store. None of them are going to give you a really accurate reading, but if you have the same person make the measurements at the same places on your body every time you can use it to see your progress.

    So what can give you an accurate reading of BF% then? I've been using a Tanita scale but have been told that calipers are the best option... I need some way to get a fairly accurate idea!
  • djeffreys10
    djeffreys10 Posts: 2,312 Member
    I just use the cheap plastic one from bodybuilding.com, but GNC has the same one in store. None of them are going to give you a really accurate reading, but if you have the same person make the measurements at the same places on your body every time you can use it to see your progress.

    So what can give you an accurate reading of BF% then? I've been using a Tanita scale but have been told that calipers are the best option... I need some way to get a fairly accurate idea!

    Nothing you can do at home. They will allow you to track progress, i.e. if you measure consistently it will be consistently inaccurate. Calipers are the most accurate way to get your body fat measured at home. None of those impedance things work worth a damn (omron handheld, bf scales, etc). If you need a pretty accurate measurement you generally have to go to have a water immersion test done. But if you just want to track you progress over time, calipers are a good option. Just know that you may be off a couple percentage points or so.

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