Whey Protein Shake -
Viewing:
How To Measure Body Fat Percentage?
In order to progress quickly, you need to stay on top of your numbers. Knowing your weight is not enough. You should also measure your body fat percentage on a regular basis. There are several ways you can do so. Here is how.
Want to look ripped and lean? Then you must get your body fat percentage as low as possible. How low can you get?
To give you some idea of what to shoot for, it would be good to know that the average individual has around 20% body fat. Those who are fit or athletic get it down to 13 to 15%. Bodybuilders who are shredded have body fat percentage in single digit - below 10%. This is very rare and very difficult to achieve. It requires a lot of hard work and commitment. For most people, getting to the 13% body fat composition is a great achievement.
So how does one measure body fat percentage? This is a figure that not everyone knows about. Most people just measure their weight and their waist line, and they don't bother about the amount of fat in their body. Bodybuilders have a few ways to measure body fat.
Modern scales
There are modern scales that allow you to measure body fat percentage. However, there is some controversy about this method because some people claim that the measurements are not as accurate as they hope to get.
The way modern scales measure fat percentage is by passing a weak electric current through the body. As fat is a poor conductor of electricity, the scale is then able to calculate a figure passed on how well the current is conducted through the body. As you can imagine, there are many variables at play here. Variables such as bone density or water percentage can all affect the accuracy of the reading. As a result, the reading tend to differ when measured during different times of the day.
So if you are interested in accurate results, you may need to invest in a higher quality scale. Unfortunately, high quality scales can cost several hundred dollars. Not a great investment if you are just working out for leisure purposes!
Skin caliper test
This is, by far, the most commonly adopted approach simply because of one reason - it's practical and it works! This test is performed by taking measurements at different parts of the body (e.g. chest, waist, thigh) and then measuring the fat under the skin in millimeters. The skin is pulled up lightly using two fingers, and then the measurements are taken. Fingers are sensitive enough to feel where the muscles are. The fat is then separated from the muscles when pulled upwards.
The exact body fat percentage is then determined using a formula. There are many different formulas for calculating body fat percentage, and the formula you use depends on the areas where you took the measurements.
For example, one method requires you to take measurements of these parts of your body:
1) Triceps 2) Biceps 3) Shoulder blade 4) Waist
The total measurements are then matched to a chart, which gives the body fat percentage.
It's interesting to note that once you have the body fat percentage figure, you now know how much fat your body contains.
For example, let's say you weigh 200 pounds and your body fat percentage is 10%.
0.1 x 200 pounds gives you 20 pounds of fat in your body.
You may then use this figure as a weekly target. You have 20 pounds of fat now. You may wish to have 19 pounds of fat one week later. If you are not hitting your goals, something may have gone wrong with your plans.
Remember, in order to get your 6 pack abs, you have to get into the very lean figures. For men, it's around 9% and women 12%.
|
Classification |
Women |
Men |
|
Essential Fat |
10-12% |
2-4% |
|
Athletes |
14-20% |
6-13% |
|
Fitness |
21-24% |
14-17% |
|
Acceptable |
25-31% |
18-25% |
|
Obese |
32+% |
25+% |
ONGOING DISCUSSION
POST COMMENT HERE