Body Fat Calculator Issues

Calipers are hard to use accurately and, as @cwolfman points out, are best used by someone with training/experience using them. The more points of measurement the better and, for the greatest accuracy, you cannot possibly do them all by yourself.

Tape measure/BF calculators are just ball park estimators and cannot possibly give an exact result for anyone. The same applies to retail bioelectrical devices.

The most accurate way to measure BF available to the pubic is either hydrostatic weighing and/or DEXA. I've done both. Results are correlated but not identical.

Hydro generally gives lower results. Every calculator and bioelectrical device I ever used gave me a # higher than what I got w/hydro or DEXA.

However, hydro only provides a basic BF vs nonBF mass info. DEXA will give you BF, nonBF and bone mass/density data, BF distribution info, including VAT which is much more useful.

DEXA is also much more convenient to do than hydro. You can just lay on the table in your skivies to get a DEXA scan done in a few mins but you have to get into your bathing trunks and get dunked under water (usually 3 times) while you try to expell as much air out of your lungs possible each time (which is a source of error) to get a BF% result in about 15-20 mins.

Of course, the other problem w/hydro and DEXA is cost/availability but, if you have the $ and access to either of them, I'd recommend them over any other method of BF "measurement."

"my questions are:

1. how accurate is the Jackson-Pollock 3 Body Fat Formula for Males?
2. what measurements does everyone else use and do you use them alone or with assistance?
3. what is your thoughts on in the InBody Scanner if you have ever used one?

32 year old Male
199 Lbs.
5 foot 9 inches

if I left anything out let me know. thanks
[/quote]

1/ The more sites the better - not everyone has the same body fat distribution. And it's far better to get it done by someone else and preferably a trained person. I'd be very dubious about just 3 points and even moreso a DIY 3 point reading.
2/ The mirror basically! I'm not that fussed about a number, especially a number that can have quite a wide margin of error. I can see if my body fat is up, down or staying roughly where I want it. When I was overfat I could see I was overfat so knew the direction needed. Taking and reviewing progress photos also works if you are still in your weight loss phase.
3/ I sometimes use a Boditrax which is I believe similar to the InBody. Four point contact points far superior to machines with just two. But still needs to be used with attention to consistency to avoid the general BIA issues of varying hydration levels messing up the numbers (think fed or unfed, recently exercised, different times of day....). A reasonable/believable trend but with some weird and wonderful odd readings along the way. It's free at my gym but I wouldn't pay for it. Absolutely not good enough to just wander up and use it at random or once and expect accuracy.

61 year old male
170lbs
Also 5'9"