With lower levels of body fat the resolution of the calipers is a problem. Skinfold calipers measure the thickness of your subcutaneous fat the fat underneath the skin at certain body locations.
Gofit Body Fat Caliper
Body fat caliper measurement locations. A skin fold test is a method of estimating body fat percentage by taking skin fold caliper measurements in 3 9 different locations on the body see glossary for pictures and then applying the results into one of the various formulas available. The calipers only measure the fat under the skin and at a few locations. The body fat caliper calculator is based on the skinfold method of determining body fat percentage. 2 specialist skinfold testing. Pinch the skinfold with your left thumb and index finger so the fold is 1 centimeter above the site. The skinfold method measures skinfold thickness at 3 to 9 different locations on the body depending on the method used then computes body density and with it the total body fat percentage.
How to get accurate caliper measurements. The skinfold caliper is a device which measures the thickness of a fold of your skin with its underlying layer of fat. There is significant person to person variation in fat distribution through the body limiting the accuracy even with expert usage. Position the caliper perpendicular to the fold about 1 centimeter beneath the thumb and index finger then press on the thumb pad. By doing this at the key locations can be a quite accurate representative of the total amount of fat that is on your body it is also possible to estimate the total percent of bodyfat on your body. Measurements are taken at either 3 or 7 different sites on the body.