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- #BODY FAT CALCULATOR USING MEASUREMENTS HOW TO#
- #BODY FAT CALCULATOR USING MEASUREMENTS SKIN#
- #BODY FAT CALCULATOR USING MEASUREMENTS PROFESSIONAL#
The lesson: Don't focus too hard on the number focus on the changes in the number. Whether your body fat is truly 8 percent or 10 percent doesn't actually matter at all. The data is valuable because it reflects a change in your progress, not because of the actual number. Your choice of formula or the quality of your calipers is much less important than getting consistent numbers. If you measure seven points instead of three but still use the same caliper and formula, you can get different results. If you use a different caliper, you can get a different result. Why? If you use a different formula, you can, and usually will, get a different result. Choose a test, choose a formula, and stick with it! What's important to remember is consistency. Unless you're really into math, how the formulas work doesn't really matter. Although you're by no means limited to using one of these formulas, they seem to work the best and are the most widely used.Įach of these formulas is built upon fairly complex mathematical equations which take the sum of the caliper measurements and apply them to a constant. For lean bodybuilders, I use the nine-site Parillo equation. For people who carry more body fat than most of the population, I prefer the four-site Durnin and Womersley system. This formula can be utilized in three-site, four-site, and seven-site tests.
#BODY FAT CALCULATOR USING MEASUREMENTS HOW TO#
If you don't have a pro at your disposal, grab a friend and learn how to measure each other's body fat using this article as your guide.įor the general population, I recommend the Jackson and Pollock formula (yes, that's really its name).
#BODY FAT CALCULATOR USING MEASUREMENTS PROFESSIONAL#
That's why I recommend getting a qualified professional to do your body fat measurement.
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It can be terribly difficult to pinch yourself and read the caliper at the same time.
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#BODY FAT CALCULATOR USING MEASUREMENTS SKIN#
Those formulas can also determine your fat weight and lean mass weight.ĭepending on the type of formula you use, you'll grab skin folds on various areas of your body. The formula will then spit out an estimated body fat percentage. The caliper method-which you can learn to do yourself-measures skin folds and puts those measurements into a formula. For our purposes, the easiest and most accurate choice is the caliper method. There are also hand-held devices and scales which measure body fat, but these are often inaccurate. Hydrostatic weighing and other high-tech machines are expensive and almost impossible for a layperson to access. There are many different methods for measuring body fat, but some are more accurate than others.
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That's just one reason why your weight on the scale or a set of measurements doesn't necessarily give a true picture of your health. For instance, small, slender people who don't weigh much may actually have a greater percentage of body fat than larger, more muscular people who weigh more. This ratio can be deceiving in a number of ways. What isn't fat mass is considered "lean body mass," which consists of your bones, muscles, hair, water, and miscellaneous stuff. A body fat test is an attempt to separate every pound of your body into one of two categories: your fat mass and everything else.
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