Then input your gender and measurements below to receive a body fat index based on average values. Measurements are taken at either 3 or 7 different sites on the body. Tracking your body fat percentage is one way to measure progress when youre trying to lose weight or gain lean muscle mass. The caliper methodwhich you can learn to do yourselfmeasures skin folds and puts those measurements into a formula. Those formulas can also determine your fat weight and lean mass weight. Once you have all the necessary measurements a mathematical formula that includes height is used to determine body fat percentage.

Use a tape measure to determine your waist wrist hip and forearm circumference. For example if your waist is 30 your hips are. To calculate body fat percentage add your waist and hip measurements and then subtract the neck measurement to determine your circumference value. The body fat index is not an indicator of fitness level since the calculation is made with no regard to height or weight. 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. According to the american council on exercise approximately 50 of your body fat lies under the skin.

For men the formula is 86010 x log10abdomen neck 70041 x log10height in inches 3676. For women a body fat range of 13 31 is considered healthy while for men the range is 5 24. Like the measurements the formula differs between men and women. But it isnt the entire story of your overall health. The skin is then pinched with the caliper and the reading is taken within 2 seconds. Measurements are taken by grasping with the thumb and index finger a fold of skin and any accompanying subcutaneous soft fat and pulling the skin away from the muscle.

Using skinfold calipers is the most common way to measure your body fat mass. Body fat is not the most accurate measure of health however and it becomes more acceptable to have more body fat the older you are due to your metabolism slowing. Skinfold calipers measure the thickness of your subcutaneous fat the fat underneath the skin at certain body locations. The skinfold caliper is a device which measures the thickness of a fold of your skin with its underlying layer of fat. The formula will then spit out an estimated body fat percentage. 8 therefore measuring the thickness of your folds of skin is a fairly accurate method to calculate body fat percentage.

A caliper is a tool that measures skinfold thickness at various parts on the body. What is a good body fat percentage.

Gallery of Where To Take Body Fat Percentage Measurement