Indeed the measurements taken from a skin fold body fat test provide a very good indication of ones body fat levels. Skinfold calipers measure the thickness of your subcutaneous fat the fat underneath the skin at certain body locations.
How To Calculate Your Body Fat Percentage Easily Amp Accurately
Most effective body fat measurement. Body fat measurement has for some time been considered an ideal way to chart physical improvement with various skin fold techniques generally considered the most convenient accessible and cost effective way. The bod pod taps into adp technology air displacement plethysmography if you want to get fancy which uses air displacement to measure body volume and calculates lean and fat mass. Although bia is one of the most popular methods of measuring body composition the accuracy can widely vary depending on an individuals hydration status and other factors. Only skin deep duel energy x ray absorptiometry ease of use has contributed to the bod pods popularity but for researchers its been gradually replaced by dexa scans generally regarded as the. Your weight tells you little about your body fat content. Body fat testing is a great way to have an accurate metric for your body composition.
The american college of sports medicine acsm has set an ideal range between 10 and 22 for men and between 20 and 32 for women. Currently there is no official standard for acceptable body fat percentage values. The number the scale spits back at you is a measure of the weight of all the tissues in your body including lean body mass and fluid. These numbers derive from the idea that the ideal percentage for women is 23 while for men 15. As seen in this article measuring your body fat percentage isnt difficult at all. The most accurate ways to determine your body fat percentage is to visit a medical facility that does these measurements.
Measurements are taken at either 3 or 7 different sites on the body. There are many ways of getting your body fat tested but most experts will agree that the dexa dual energy x ray absorptiometry scan is the most accurate testing technology availablehydrostatic weighing was touted as the gold standard for many. How to interpret your body fat test written by calvin sun. Others such as water displacement and bod pods are more costlyyet are still easily available and offer a highly accurate method. Use bia in conjunction. Many methodssuch as calipers body measurement or bia scales are affordable and can be completed in a matter of minutes.