6 ways to measure body fat percentage 1. Guide the measuring tape around the waist at the belly button. A skin fold test is done using a tool called calipers to pinch different areas of your body and measure. Other ways to measure body fat waist measurements. The skinfold caliper is a device which measures the thickness of a fold of your skin with its underlying layer of fat. There are also hand held devices and scales which measure body fat but these are often inaccurate.
Your number will tell you if you fall in the underweight normal overweight or obese categories. Record the abdomen measurement after you have released the breath. There are many different methods for measuring body fat but some are more accurate than others. For example your abdomen may measure 35 inches. 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. Dual energy x ray absorptiometry dexa scans.
As with all techniques to measure body fat skinfold calipers will only give an estimation of your body fat. It is possible to use skinfold calipers to measure your own body fat on a regular basis or to go to a specialist to have a periodic measurement taken. A basic way to measure body fat percentage is by using a soft tape measure like the kind youd use for. Hydrostatic weighing and other high tech machines are expensive and almost impossible for a layperson to access. For best results let your arms hang at your sides while someone else measures. Breathe in and exhale normally.
A mathematical measurement that adjusts your weight for your height. Measuring your waistline can help complement your body fat scale results. Often used by fitness professionals calipers are used to literally pinch your skin folds usually around the.