Thread: Body Fat

Not to sure what the name of it is, but at my gym, they use this piece of equipment where you hold on to the sensors and extend your arms. It sends shockwaves through your body and figures your bodyfat approximately. Worked very nicely actually, since were on the topic of bodyfat...18% reasonable for someone whos in the offseason (bball)..ive done cardio every wednesday, but starting in two weeks i start conditioning for bball, should my bf go down reasonably cuz of this?

Body fat calipers. I got them but haven't used them in a long time. I am afraid to see the results

I measure my body fat using women.

More women introducing themselves = low bodyfat
Less women introducing themselves = high bodyfat

Originally Posted by cfs3

I measure my body fat using women.

More women introducing themselves = low bodyfat
Less women introducing themselves = high bodyfat

Haha, I like that. Really though, I just use the mirror. However, calipers are the most accurate way to measure bodyfat at a reasonable cost.

Calipers or hydrostatic weighing are the most accurate for "most people." Under 6% supposedly virtually nothing is reliable, calipers are based on statistics which basically means its guessing at your visceral fat since that is part of your true bodyfat percentage, not just subcutaneous. With calipers you can simply track the measurements though and not even calculate, so you can track progress regardless.

Bioelectrical impedance supposedly is not accurate, I believe Dale Mabry posted long ago that his values would shift 5% in a day.

Originally Posted by Mudge

With calipers you can simply track the measurements though and not even calculate, so you can track progress regardless.

I like this method combined with the mirror. The calipers are only as good as the person using them to take the measurements. We've all seen people post there photos and state their bodyfat as being WAY different than what our eyes tell us. If you can get a good person to do your measurements (and use the same person each time) - great. If not, you can track progress with calipers and the mirror and a tape measure.

I use a bodyfat scale. These things are supposedly inaccurate, so i let the mirror be the final judge.
Besides, i am likely to get told "You look good" and not "I like your bf%", so i see no reason to fuss with that number, unless one is planning to compete.

I would agree, either you like what you see or you dont, but for tracking purposes if you have a goal to work towards (even if bulking and trying to avoid LBM gains) then its usefull to follow the data (I dont at the moment).

Calipers if you can't find them locally
http://www.ironmagazine.com/banners.php?op=click&bid=27