Get your FREE Diet and Fitness ebooks here or click on the images below to find out more about our weight loss, health and fitness program. Body composition from fluid space and density. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 12:p175-182.
(1980) Generalized equations for predicting body density of women. (1978) Generalized equations for predicting body density of men. Take a diagonal fold following the natural line of the iliac crest, just above the hip bone. With the arm resting comfortably at the side, take a vertical fold parallel to the long axis of the arm midway between the prominent bone at the top of the shoulde (acromion process) and the tip of the elbow (olecranon process).
A vertical skinfold measurements taken half the distance between the patella (knee cap) and the inguinal crease (the skin crease between the thigh and the hip). A vertical skinfold measurement taken 2.5 cm (one inch) to the right of the umbilicus (navel). (The anterior auxiliary line is the crease where the top of the arm, when hanging down, meets the chest.) A diagonal fold taken one half of the distance between the nipple and the anterior auxiliary. (Directions to take skinfolds are given after the calculator.) This will allow you to determine what are high skinfolds.Įnter the skinfold values in the tables below and press 'calculate body fat'. Pinch from the top and measure from the bottom. Measure each skinfold 3 times and use the 2 which agree. Save your time and money for a BodPod or DEXA test.To use the 3 site skinfold calculator measure the skinfolds when the skin is dry, before exercise, and when you're not overheated. The accuracy of this technique is not much greater than self administered testing, so I would not recommend this approach. There is significant person to person variation in fat distribution through the body, limiting the accuracy even with expert usage.Īn expert can take your skinfold thickness at several sites and use these to estimate your body fat.
The calipers only measure the fat under the skin, and at a few locations.With lower levels of body fat, the resolution of the calipers is a problem.This difference in pressure can make a big difference in the skinfold measurement, so I'd recommend buying two or three. Note the measurement on the little scale to the right of the arrows. Press on the serrated thumb pad next to the word 'press' until the two arrows line up. For men, a healthy target is less than 24 body fat. Once you feel like you have a good pinch, perform these steps: Place the calipers about 1 cm to the side of your fingers. In terms of overall health and longevity, you want to avoid body fat percentages that put you in the overweight or very overweight (obese) categories. But, generally speaking, lower is usually better. The click tends to wear down over time, and different calipers require different pressure to 'click'. A good body fat percentage depends on your individual body and your goals.A slight change in location of the measurement can make a big difference to the reading, so practice is required to get the same spot each time. Enter your gender, weight, age, and pectoral, abdominal, and thigh skinfold measurements in the calculator to estimate your.There are some concerns with the calipers. ġ.5 Downsides to the Accu-measure Calipers A good guide to the standard locations is and an online calculator can be found at. Measuring multiple locations is tricky on your own body, but you can get a number of sites.
Pinch the skin and fat away from the underlying muscle and measure with the calipers.