Does anyone understand these measurements?
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Spitspot81
Posts: 208 Member
I am starting a new lifting programme at the gym Monday with a view to losing some bf. I went in on Friday for a body composition and am confused by the results.
They used tape measure and calipers (think that is what they are called. I know there is always going to inaccuracy with the calipers.....but at the bottom of the sheet it says I am 10%bf ???? Am I miss reading the measurements?
If I was to guess I would say I am about 22%bf.
Obviously I am going to focus more on the tape measurements...but am I miss reading these calculations?
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Replies
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Spitspot81 wrote: »
I am starting a new lifting programme at the gym Monday with a view to losing some bf. I went in on Friday for a body composition and am confused by the results.
They used tape measure and calipers (think that is what they are called. I know there is always going to inaccuracy with the calipers.....but at the bottom of the sheet it says I am 10%bf ???? Am I miss reading the measurements?
If I was to guess I would say I am about 22%bf.
Obviously I am going to focus more on the tape measurements...but am I miss reading these calculations?
Didn't you ask the person doing it?0 -
TavistockToad wrote: »Spitspot81 wrote: »
I am starting a new lifting programme at the gym Monday with a view to losing some bf. I went in on Friday for a body composition and am confused by the results.
They used tape measure and calipers (think that is what they are called. I know there is always going to inaccuracy with the calipers.....but at the bottom of the sheet it says I am 10%bf ???? Am I miss reading the measurements?
If I was to guess I would say I am about 22%bf.
Obviously I am going to focus more on the tape measurements...but am I miss reading these calculations?
Didn't you ask the person doing it?
No i didn’t as I didn’t really look. To be honest my eyes are always drawn to my weight...something that I need to get away from.
I can message the girl who did it and ask her how this can be correct...but I just wondered if anyone had any insight into how she would have gotten that calculation0 -
No, you're not misreading the results they gave you. It says you're 10.8% bodyfat.
Two distinct possibilities here:
1) The person using the calipers did not know how to measure properly, or;
2) You are extremely lean. As in contest-ready physique competitor lean. 10% for a woman is shredded. Do you look anything like the woman at 10% in this image?:
It doesn't seem to be the fault of the algorithm they're using, either. Plugging those measurements into an online BF% calculator gives the same result - around 10%.0 -
Well, the first two are your weight and height as you probably already know.
The second box shows skinfold measurements in millimeters using calipers at several places. (upper arms, upper back...etc, pretty much everywhere they used the calipers)
The third box shows tape measured circumference is cm for various parts, some relaxed and flexed.
Don't worry about the phantom z value, it's only there for comparison reasons and doesn't mean much to you.
Somatotype score basically describes your general body look based on your measurements (height, fat, muscle...etc). Mostly just descriptive and doesn't have much practical use.
BMI is a known measure to categorize you based on body weight. Your BMI shows your weight is closer to the low end of normal.
WHR is ratio of the circumference of the waist to that of the hips. Women whose ratio is higher than 0.8 are at a statistically increased risk for heart disease and diabetes. Your ratio looks normal and doesn't show WHR-based increase in statistical risk.
Sum of skinfold helps compare your fat loss/gain if you have changes in one place but not another. It's also used to calculate body fat percentage (they calculated yours to 10.8%). It could be inaccurate if the person who measured your skinfold was not experienced, but looks like you are pretty lean regardless.1 -
amusedmonkey wrote: »Well, the first two are your weight and height as you probably already know.
The second box shows skinfold measurements in millimeters using calipers at several places. (upper arms, upper back...etc, pretty much everywhere they used the calipers)
The third box shows tape measured circumference is cm for various parts, some relaxed and flexed.
Don't worry about the phantom z value, it's only there for comparison reasons and doesn't mean much to you.
Somatotype score basically describes your general body look based on your measurements (height, fat, muscle...etc). Mostly just descriptive and doesn't have much practical use.
BMI is a known measure to categorize you based on body weight. Your BMI shows your weight is closer to the low end of normal.
WHR is ratio of the circumference of the waist to that of the hips. Women whose ratio is higher than 0.8 are at a statistically increased risk for heart disease and diabetes. Your ratio looks normal and doesn't show increased statistical risk.
Sum of skinfold helps compare your fat loss/gain if you have changes in one place but not another. It's also used to calculate body fat percentage (they calculated yours to 10.8%). It could be inaccurate if the person who measured your skinfold was not experienced, but looks like you are pretty lean regardless.
Thank you so so much for providing me with a detailed and thorough breakdown. So kind of you and very much appreciated.0 -
Not the best lighting, but I would still guess at about 22% bf. Nowhere near the 10% stated.
However, I am healthy, well within my recommended bmi and not far off where I want to be....so at the end of the day I guess those are the important things to focus on.
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You look great - id disregard the bf% and just use the data to track progress. If you get them done again, the person measuring you should measure you the same way, so you'll be able to see if you've got leaner or not.
I find some people pinch "light" with calipers, so the readings would be less than normal.2 -
Spitspot81 wrote: »
Not the best lighting, but I would still guess at about 22% bf. Nowhere near the 10% stated.
However, I am healthy, well within my recommended bmi and not far off where I want to be....so at the end of the day I guess those are the important things to focus on.
I agree. Maybe even 20%, but 10.8% seems off. I would ask them to explain.
I had the opposite problem. I look similar to you, with approximately the same BMI, and a nurse measured my body fat at 32%. LOL.
This is what the alleged 32% BF looks like on me:
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Spitspot81 wrote: »
Not the best lighting, but I would still guess at about 22% bf. Nowhere near the 10% stated.
However, I am healthy, well within my recommended bmi and not far off where I want to be....so at the end of the day I guess those are the important things to focus on.
I agree. Maybe even 20%, but 10.8% seems off. I would ask them to explain.
I had the opposite problem. I look similar to you, with approximately the same BMI, and a nurse measured my body fat at 32%. LOL.
This is what the alleged 32% BF looks like on me:
32%???....Makes you realise the inaccuracies of such measurements. Difficult to tell from the photo you have provided, but you do seem of a similar build to me.
I guess this shows the importance of taking regular photos and tape measurements.
Thanks for your input2
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