So no, it's not just muscle! This ratio can be deceiving in a number of ways. 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.

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. There are many different methods for measuring body fat, but some are more accurate than others.

Hydrostatic weighing and other high-tech machines are expensive and almost impossible for a layperson to access. There are also hand-held devices and scales which measure body fat, but these are often inaccurate.

For our purposes, the easiest and most accurate choice is the caliper method. The caliper method—which you can learn to do yourself—measures skin folds and puts those measurements into a formula. The formula will then spit out an estimated body fat percentage. Those formulas can also determine your fat weight and lean mass weight.

Depending on the type of formula you use, you'll grab skin folds on various areas of your body. It can be terribly difficult to pinch yourself and read the caliper at the same time. That's why I recommend getting a qualified professional to do your body fat measurement. 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.

For the general population, I recommend the Jackson and Pollock formula yes, that's really its name. This formula can be utilized in three-site, four-site, and seven-site tests. For people who carry more body fat than most of the population, I prefer the four-site Durnin and Womersley system.

For lean bodybuilders, I use the nine-site Parillo equation. 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. Each of these formulas is built upon fairly complex mathematical equations which take the sum of the caliper measurements and apply them to a constant.

Unless you're really into math, how the formulas work doesn't really matter. What's important to remember is consistency. Choose a test, choose a formula, and stick with it!

If you use a different formula, you can, and usually will, get a different result. If you use a different caliper, you can get a different result.

If you measure seven points instead of three but still use the same caliper and formula, you can get different results. Your choice of formula or the quality of your calipers is much less important than getting consistent numbers. The data is valuable because it reflects a change in your progress, not because of the actual number.

Whether your body fat is truly 8 percent or 10 percent doesn't actually matter at all. What matters is that you see progress.

The lesson: Don't focus too hard on the number; focus on the changes in the number. Once you can get a consistent reading, you have all the info you need to gauge your progress as you work to transform your body.

Your goal when you test your body fat isn't to get accurate measurements, it's to get consistent measurements. Take that to heart and you'll do fine. Lower Back Lower Back Horizontal fold, directly over the kidneys, and 2 inches to the right of spine. Calf Calf Vertical fold, inside of leg on largest part of calf.

Neck Neck Circumference of relaxed neck, with tape measure slightly down in front. Abdomen Abdomen Circumference just above the navel.

Hips Hips Circumference of the largest area of hips. Lean Body Weight:. Disclaimer: The information given on this site is meant to help you reach your fitness goals.

It is not meant to substitute for the advice of your physician. All information given in Body Tracker, My Workout Trainer, and on this website is meant to be an estimate. For specific information regarding your body fat percentage or health, please consult your physician. Here are 12 great methods to promote long-term fat loss.

It is a myth that a pound of body fat contains exactly 3, calories. This article explains the actual amount and what that means for weight loss. This article takes a look at the science behind targeted fat loss, and checks if you can slim down specific areas of your body.

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You can easily estimate your basal metabolic rate using the Mifflin-St. Jeor equation — or by using our quick calculator. Here's how. Many think the pear body shape is healthier than the apple body shape. This article explains the pear and apple body shapes, the research behind them….

A Quiz for Teens Are You a Workaholic? How Well Do You Sleep? Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Nutrition Evidence Based The 10 Best Ways to Measure Your Body Fat Percentage. By Grant Tinsley, Ph. Share on Pinterest. Skinfold Calipers. Body Circumference Measurements.

Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry DXA. Hydrostatic Weighing. Air Displacement Plethysmography Bod Pod. Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis BIA. Bioimpedance Spectroscopy BIS. Electrical Impedance Myography EIM. Multi-Compartment Models the Gold Standard. Which Method Is Best for You? How we reviewed this article: History.

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During a DXA scan, you lie on your back for approximately 10 minutes while an X-ray scans over you. The amount of radiation from a DXA scan is very low. DXA is also used to assess bone density and provides detailed information about the bone, lean mass and fat in separate body regions arms, legs and torso 8.

DXA is more accurate than many other methods of assessing body fat percentage. This method, also known as underwater weighing or hydrodensitometry, estimates your body composition based on its density 9.

This technique weighs you while submerged under water after exhaling as much air as possible from your lungs. You are also weighed while you are on dry land, and the amount of air left in your lungs after you exhale is estimated or measured.

All of this information is entered into equations to determine the density of your body. Hydrostatic weighing is an accurate way to assess your body fat. Similar to hydrostatic weighing, air displacement plethysmography ADP estimates your body fat percentage based on the density of your body 9.

However, ADP uses air instead of water. The relationship between the volume and pressure of air allows this device to predict the density of your body You sit inside an egg-shaped chamber for several minutes while the pressure of the air inside the chamber is altered. To obtain accurate measurements, you need to wear skin-tight clothing or a bathing suit during testing.

The Bod Pod is the main ADP device currently used. It predicts your body fat with air rather than water. BIA devices detect how your body responds to small electrical currents.

This is done by placing electrodes on your skin. Some electrodes send currents into your body, while others receive the signal after it has passed through your body tissues. Electrical currents move through muscle easier than fat due to the higher water content of muscle BIA devices work by sending small electrical currents through your body to see how easily they travel through your tissues.

Many different devices are available, although advanced devices produce more accurate results. BIS and BIA devices look similar but use different technology.

BIS uses a much larger number of electrical currents than BIA, in addition to high and low frequencies, to mathematically predict your amount of body fluid BIS also analyzes the information differently, and some researchers believe that BIS is more accurate than BIA 14 , However, similar to BIA, BIS uses the body fluid information it gathers to predict your body composition based on equations The accuracy of both of these methods depends on how similar you are to the people for whom these equations were developed However, BIS uses more electrical currents and processes the information differently.

However, while BIA and BIS send currents through your whole body, EIM sends currents through smaller regions of your body These devices are placed on different parts of the body to estimate the body fat of those specific areas Because this device is placed directly on specific body regions, it has some similarities to skinfold calipers, although the technologies are very different.

EIM injects electrical currents into small body regions. Portable devices are placed directly on different body parts to estimate the body fat percentage at those locations.

More research is needed to establish the accuracy of this method. For some devices, you stand on a rotating platform for several minutes while the sensors detect your body shape.

Other devices use sensors that rotate around your body. In this way, 3-D body scanners are similar to circumference measurements. However, a greater amount of information is provided by a 3-D scanner The method uses information about your body shape to predict your body fat percentage.

More information is needed about the accuracy of these methods. Multi-compartment models are considered to be the most accurate method of body composition assessment 3 , These models split the body into three or more parts. The most common assessments are called 3-compartment and 4-compartment models.

These models require multiple tests to get estimates of body mass, body volume, body water and bone content For example, hydrostatic weighing or ADP can provide body volume, BIS or BIA can provide body water and DXA can measure bone content.

Information from each of these methods is combined to build a more complete picture of the body and obtain the most accurate body fat percentage 21 , However, they involve multiple tests and are not typically available to the general public.

Some methods, such as skinfold measurements, circumference calculations and portable BIA devices, are inexpensive and allow you to be measured in your own home as frequently as you like. The devices can also be purchased online easily, such as on Amazon.

Most of the methods with highest accuracies are not available to use in your own home. If you want a more accurate assessment and are willing to pay for it, you could pursue a method with good accuracy like hydrostatic weighing, ADP or DXA.

Ideally, you should do the test before you have anything to drink, especially for methods that rely on electrical signals like BIA, BIS and EIM. Assessing yourself the same way each time will reduce error rates and make it easier to tell if you are making progress.

However, you should always interpret your results from any method with caution. Even the best methods are not perfect and only give you an estimate of your true body fat. Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

Several dietary and lifestyle changes can help you burn body fat. Here are 12 great methods to promote long-term fat loss. It is a myth that a pound of body fat contains exactly 3, calories. This article explains the actual amount and what that means for weight loss.

This article takes a look at the science behind targeted fat loss, and checks if you can slim down specific areas of your body. If losing weight is your goal, this article covers 18 foods that may help support a healthy and sustainable weight loss journey, according to science.

Prepare forms and record basic information such as age, height, body weight, gender, test conditions. Calipers should be calibrated for correct jaw tension and gap width.

See more details of pre-test procedures. procedure: Skinfold measurement can use from 3 to 9 different standard anatomical sites around the body. The right side is usually only measured for consistency. The tester pinches the skin at the appropriate site to raise a double layer of skin and the underlying adipose tissue, but not the muscle.

The calipers are then applied 1 cm below and at right angles to the pinch, and a reading in millimeters mm taken two seconds later. The mean of two measurements should be taken.

If the two measurements differ greatly, a third should then be done, then the median value taken. the sites: there are many common sites at which the skinfold pinch can be taken. See the descriptions and photographs of each skinfold site. It is best to use the sum of several sites to monitor and compare body fat measures.

In order to satisfy those who want to calculate a percentage body fat measure, there is a sample of equations for calculating this here. Below is a table of general guidelines based on personal experience for using total sum in millimeters of the seven main skinfold sites tricep , bicep , subscap , supraspinale , abdominal , thigh , calf.

There are also examples of some actual athlete results. target population: suitable for all populations, though it is sometimes difficult to get reliable measurements with obese people. validity: using skinfold measurements is not a valid predictor of percent bodyfat, however they can be used as a monitoring device to indicate changes in body composition over time.

It is important to maintain correct calibration of the calipers more about calibrating calipers. reliability: the reliability of skinfold measurements can vary from tester to tester depending on their skill and experience.

There are accreditation courses available through ISAK. advantages: Skinfold measurements are widely utilized to assess body composition. It is a lot simpler than hydrostatic weighing and many of the other body composition techniques. After the original outlay for calipers, the daily tests costs are minimal.

other considerations: some participants may feel uncomfortable stripping down in front of the tester, therefore every effect should be made to make them feel comfortable.

For legal reasons, it is wise to have another person present, and to have females testers for female participants. The right side measurement is standard, though in some situations you may need to test someone on the left side.

If so, you must record this and endeavor to always test on the same side for that person. Reasons for testing on the left side may include injuries, amputation, deformities, or other medical conditions.