Here are the
instructions for using a set of AccuMeasure calipers.
My wife and I both like the
FatTrack II calipers. At $29.95 (Bodybuilding.com), it's the best price anywhere. It stores up to three personal profiles.
It's a three pinch system. For each of the three pinches you can try multiple times until you feel that you got an accurate pinch. When you've completed your three pinches (info is shown on the LCD in millimeters), it supplies you with the calculated body fat percentage.
It comes with a free MyoTape (that measures limb circumference).
What's key in measuring your body fat (regardless of the method: hydrostatic weighing, caliper skin-fold measurements, etc.) is in
accurately measuring change. For example, if you decide that you're going to use the FatTrack II digital calipers (this is what I use), then the calculated body fat percentage will be in accordance with the Jackson-Pollack 3-site measuring system. For men, this involves pinching the skin, then measuring the thickness of that fold, three specific points in your body:
- chest :: Pinch and measure skin-fold thickness (diagonally) at one half the distance between the anterior auxiliary line and the nipple. The digital readout is given in millimeters.
- abdominal :: Pinch and measure skin-fold thickness (vertically) at 2 cm (20 mm, 3/4 inch) lateral to the umbilicus (navel, bellybutton). Again, the digital readout is given in millimeters.
- thigh :: Pinch and measure the skin-fold thickness (vertically) on the front-middle of the thigh. The digital readout is given in millimeters.
The sum of these numbers, along with one's age, is used to calculate a percentage body-fat.
Over the course of my transition through improved personal fitness, I have used this skin-fold measurement technique to track my progress. Frankly, I really don't care what percent body fat the device calculates for me. What is meaningful to me is
how the pinch measurements change.
Glancing at my recorded history of measurements, it's clear to see how the skinfold measurements are clearly indicative of changes in ratio of fat to
lean body mass:
J u l y _ 2 0 0 1
age - 48.63 years
scale - 180 pounds
17 mm - chest
32 mm - abdomen
18 mm - thigh
22% body fat (FatTrack II caliper feedback)
Calculation using
exrx.net calculator - 22.032711260399917%
N o v e m b e r _2 0 0 2
scale - 180 pounds (my birthday!
)
age - 50.00 years
04 mm - chest
12 mm - abdomen
07 mm - thigh
9% body fat (FatTrack II caliper feedback)
Calculation using
exrx.net calculator - 9.037914027855542%
M a r c h _2 0 0 4
scale - 182 pounds
age - 51.37 years
03 mm - chest
10 mm - abdomen
07 mm - thigh
8% body fat (FatTrack II caliper feedback)
Calculation using
exrx.net calculator - 7.897625935126218%
17 > 04 > 03 mm (reduction to 18% of original) :: change in chest skinfold
32 > 12 > 10 mm (reduction to 31% of original) :: change in abdomen skinfold
18 > 07 > 07 mm (reduction to 39% of original) :: change in thigh skinfold
All this, while maintaining essentially the same
scale weight. No conventional "cutting" or conventional "bulking".
If you're consistent in the technique that you use to measure your fat-loss progress, the generated numbers can be extremely helpful in deciding when and how to adjust your plan to better target your goals. Sure there is some margin of error when measuring your bodyfat (or hell, when measuring
anything), that certainly doesn't mean that you shouldn't measure using the convenient devices that are available on the market. By comparing regular readings against your transition history progress (or lack thereof) becomes clear.
So ... when I say that I'm at 8% body-fat, and it doesn't happen to jive with someone else's criteria for 8%, it really doesn't bother me in the least. What I know is that my readings/measurements are
indicative of my relative progress. Additionally, those measurements can be compared against others who are using the same method (specifically the FatTrack II calipers).
With respect to the margin of error in using these digital calipers, skinfold measurements are generated in whole (integer) units. That obviously suggests some rounding in calculation. Obviously rediculous are then exrx-generated body-fat numbers above that are carried out to 15 places!
Another source of potential error is the method/technique that you use in measuring the skinfold thicknesses. Obviously the more you measure, the more consistent you get.
Get some calipers ... and start tracking your own progress.
:
How hard to pinch ... flex muscle or not?
Linear Mode
