Thread: fat percentage tools???

I had gotten negative responses from some people regarding it. I got one last week and for me it's right on as to the readings that I've gotten at the gym.

I think it depends on where the trainer carries their body fat. for those persons who carry mainly subcutaneous fat and very little intramuscular fat it would be more accurate than for those who have high amounts of subcutaneous fat and high amounts of intramuscular fat...

Lange or Harpenden Calipers are by far more accurrate, but your looking at $225-400. Ouch!

Most Gyms and Universities offer BF testing to the public at say $10-50.......hydrostatic weighing being a bit more!

DP

http://www.bodytrends.com/fatcalipers.htm

http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com...tcalipers.html

http://weightrainer.virtualave.net/bodycalc.html


http://maelstrom.seos.uvic.ca/people...f_methods.html



DP

Originally posted by Dr. Pain
Lange or Harpenden Calipers are by far more accurrate, but your looking at $225-400. Ouch!

Most Gyms and Universities offer BF testing to the public at say $10-50.......hydrostatic weighing being a bit more!

DP

Problem is with caliper BF testing it depends on the person doing it and the method they use. If you really want an accurate assessment then like DP said your local university might have a hydro tank, but they will probably charge you about $100 (this is Canadian dollars, of course, so that's like about $25 American...)

The margin of error with skinfolds is usually from 3-5% either way and with bioelectrical impedance it can be as high as 10%. However, once you know your measures you can work on improving them...gives you a benchmark.

I prefer Harpinden calipers personally...they are bigger and seem to give more accuracy (easier to measure within .2 mm). Maybe it is just caliper envy though...

Agreed ponyboy...but hydro isn't really cost effective....even if the BF% is off, you can still use the actual skinfold readings as a measurement of progress.

Body fat calipers arnt the most accurate but they are a good way to measure if you are losing or gaining body fat. I have the accumeasure digital calipers and they are ok. They can vary about 5%

You may want to read this article!

Originally posted by crackerjack414
Body fat calipers arnt the most accurate but they are a good way to measure if you are losing or gaining body fat. I have the accumeasure digital calipers and they are ok. They can vary about 5%

Supposedly its the digital ones that suck, not all calipers. Make sure your using them right as well, is there a certain tension you have to achieve with the digital calipers?

Why is it that those body fat testers that you hold in your hands, providing a lite electric flow through the body, give you a different body fat % depending what age you enter. I noticed last time, that it varried 4 % depending if I put 20 or 50 years! I don't understand that - it's still the same person beeing measured.

that's because the calculations are made on statistical averages based on gender and age etc...

Originally posted by LAM
that's because the calculations are made on statistical averages based on gender and age etc...

So, if that machine goes by average / statistics, it's really pretty useless, if you are a fit person, working out, eating healthy like w8 and Dp teach us, supplementing your diet, etc.?

The electrical ones are hit or miss, not very accurate on a regular basis, everyones body has different resistance etc

the statistics used are from fit people not couch potatoes..

I'm just glad it works for me..

We have a Tanita scale that measures bodyfat and ours seems to be fairly accurate. Meaning, I was .4% off from my measurement at the gym, while my wife was off by 3% from her gym measurement.

But yes, these things are not all that accurate and the readings will vary depending on your hydration level. I drink about a gallon of water a day, and normally, the only thing I drink is water (though I do enjoy the occasional couple of beers

I use mine more for a base line to see if I'm dropping body fat. The number presented is fairly meaningless to me, as long as it's lower of than the last reading, I'm happy (and when checking, I tend to do it first thing in the morning; over a couple of days and make an avg of the readings.

With calipers, your reading is only as accurate as the person using the calipers. If you want the electric thing, I'd say go for it - just don't take it's readings as the gospel.

hmmm, have any of you guys used this before?

http://www.healthcentral.com/cooltoo...s/bodyfat1.cfm

its a body fat calulator, you input some data and gives u a rough estimate.

just wondering if anyone wants to try it out who has already been tested at the gym or doctors. I wonder how much it's off by...