Body Fat Tests?

TayTayDrenDren
TayTayDrenDren Posts: 65 Member
edited November 15 in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
I really want to get my body fat tested just so I can have a better idea of where I should be in terms of nutrition, but all of the fairly accurate tests are inconvenient and expensive. How do you guys regularly check your body fat %?

Replies

  • richardgavel
    richardgavel Posts: 1,001 Member
    I track with a bio impedance scale every day to help with trending, tho I know accuracy is lacking. I've had dexa done twice. Once about a year ago and once a month ago. I got a great deal the last time for 5 measurements for 250 that I plan on using every 6 months.
  • CafeRacer808
    CafeRacer808 Posts: 2,396 Member
    I use old fashioned body calipers. It takes a bit of practice to learn the proper technique but once you do, it's a far more accurate way of measuring BF% than bioelectric impedance, which is what all smart scales and handheld body fat devices use.
  • Erik8484
    Erik8484 Posts: 458 Member
    I only ever got it tested when I was first thinking about moving from a cut to a bulk, as I was regularly told that I should get my body fat % down to 10-12%. I tested using a combination of BIA, calipers, dexa and strangers on the internet.

    These days I find the number itself to be almost meaningless because:
    1. given the measurement inaccuracies the number isn't useful for comparing yourself to others;
    2. in my experience a decision on whether you should bulk or not should be made by asking yourself "how much additional fat can I put on before I feel uncomfortable with how I look";
    3. the decision on whether or not to cut could also be made based on how you feel about your appearance; and
    4. as a guy, over the short term I find that waist measurements provide a reasonable indicator of how much fat I am gaining / losing.

    If you want something cheap, you could buy yourself some cheap calipers, but I don't think that the number they spit out will be a reliable estimate of your actual body fat percentage.
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    Calipers. For me, spot on accuracy is less important than consistency.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    Gallowmere1984 wrote: »
    Calipers. For me, spot on accuracy is less important than consistency.

    This. And at least with calipers they should track trends consistently (assuming you use them properly). Unfortunately BIA can't even reasonably do that.
  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,753 Member
    Visual comparisons.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    Gallowmere1984 wrote: »
    Calipers. For me, spot on accuracy is less important than consistency.

    This.
  • mfpmishka
    mfpmishka Posts: 36 Member
    I like Omron Body Fat Analyzer.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    Tiny_Dancer_in_Pink wrote: »
    Visual comparisons.

    This for me too.. good old mirror and photos.
  • jdscrubs32
    jdscrubs32 Posts: 515 Member
    sardelsa wrote: »
    Tiny_Dancer_in_Pink wrote: »
    Visual comparisons.

    This for me too.. good old mirror and photos.

    This for me as well @sardelsa especially the wiggle test in front of the mirror. Wiggle your stomach, the less time it takes for the stomach to stop wiggling, the lower body fat you have, the more time it takes, the higher body fat you have. Not a scientific test or anything but works for me.
  • bmayes2014
    bmayes2014 Posts: 232 Member
    edited February 2017
    My previous trainer tested mine twice using the calipers. I later paid for a 'Bod Pod' at a local facility. She was waaaay off! Her measurements were so inaccurate. My point: just make sure the person knows what they're doing if they use the calipers.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    DXA and Hydrostatic. Only costs me $45 for DXA (less if I want to buy a package) and $39 for Hydrostatic at mobile testing sites available to me locally.

    Usually get one or the other every 3 months but in the past 3 months was doing one and sometimes both in a month to satisfy my curiosity and/or to make measurement comparisons.
  • JstTheWayIam
    JstTheWayIam Posts: 6,357 Member
    I use what Mike Matthews uses in this video, Accumeasure One Point Suprailiac Skinfold Calipers... They're only like $9 at the vitamin Shoppe
    https://youtu.be/RU8Wkgxfzf0
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