body fat %

lol.....not by any means refering to you being fat or anything.....I meant that that in the beginner and intermediate levels there is really no need for BF% to be calculated, there are extreme circumstances where someone might be anorexic (spelling?) but generally, its when someone in in an advanced stage like competition when this becomes a concern, my one client who competes starts to really get his BF% down about 2 weeks out from his show, he is only ever at about 12-15 at any time of the year, and in those 2 weeks he drops down to arouns 2%, so it has to be monitored very close.

I myself am always pretty low (12-15) and really dont worry about testing it all the time.

Sorry for the missunderstanding....
 
I should have also been more clear as to what i meant by
" i agree with you as well, i meant using a string or something like that when the person is obviously in need of weight loss"

I was reffering to some who thinks this by their own standards, not by ours/mine.....I never judge anyone, and we all know out own bodies the best, so really, if you came to me to lose some weight, wheather it be 5 pounds or 45 pounds, you are there for a reason......to lose weight, obviousley!

Using a BF% calculator can also be very INACURATE, being off from 2-10%.
 
Generally speaking, the skin calipers have a 3-5 % margin of error. This margin can grow depending on the tester. Anytime you return to have your bf tested, you want the same person to do the testing. Also, those with more experience are going to have a more accurate reading. If you are intested in a more accurate test, find a location that does hydrostatic weighing. Generally speaking it is a tad more accurate than bioimped. or calipers.
 
I had mine tested again with a Tanita scale (I know they aren't suppossed to be very accurate but I was there...the scale was there... lol) anyhow, I got the exact same result (as the calipers the week before)so I am assuming that, in my case, it's probably accurate.

thanks,
Rachel
 
Unfortunetly , there really is not any way to test your body fat at home or without the proper tools I should say. You can go out and buy some calipers, but they are VERY expensive for a good/accurate pair. Gymmie, are you a member of an athletic club? If you are, guaranteed your facility has a caliper, bioimp, or does hydrostatic. I think there are some scales on the market the supposedly measure your body fat. However, as Persophone wrote, I don't think they are too terriblely accurate. May give you a general idea though.
 
Gymmie,

Even if you aren't a member of a club...call around and ask if they will just let you stop in and pay for the test. I found a local club that I am not a member of that charged me $10.00 for a certified trainer to test my bf with calipers...worth it to me.

Rachel
 
Getting it done by a personal trainer is a good idea, but remember, it isnt 100% accurate.....I am a certified personal trainer and have always informed the client that there the test (using $900.00 calipers) can be off 2-10%, there is alot of factors that play into this, how many test sites were used (the caliper can be used to pinch the fat in a variety of areas, and there should be a few different areas used in the final calculation).

Some gyms are getting a new machine that has a tube type of area that u get into and it fills with air, then the computer can calculate you BF%...........the same thing as putting water into an area and getting your BF%.
 
I know that it isn't 100% but since I really don't need to know an exact number it is accurate enough for me and my plan is to go back in a few months to the same gym and have the same guy test me. He used my bicep, tricep, upper back and near my hipbone...no thigh though..is that unusual? I think maybe he was shy..lol

thanks,
Rachel
 
Even though they are not 100% - it's good to use the same one each time, so at least you know if you are going up or down in bf%. :)
 
Body fat testing and equations

Body Composition testing is at best an estimate. Skinfold body fat calculations and impedance (electronic fat scales) measurements in use today are based on regression equations using either underwater weighing or cadaver studies as standards for comparison. Both of the standards leave much to be desired.
Basically - you can take any single set of impedance measures,skinfolds, age, sex and weight data from a single person's test, input them into the various bodyfat calculation equations and you will end up with variation between the results of 10-20% bodyfat.
The best way around this problem is to take several (8-13) skinfold sites (have a certified professional take them, experience helps in reproducibility of results), several body girth sites (7-10) and your weight and compare these data to a second test later on using the same test protocol. This will eliminate the error induced by the regression equations, as well as give you a better idea of where you lost fat.
 
First things first, however you decide to have your %BF tested, make sure that you use the same test and preferably the same person to test you. This way you will be sure that the test is valid for you.

Second, you don't need to measure your %BF more than once every couple months, maybe even 3, depeding on what your training goals are. If you were training to compete, you would have to follow your %BF more closely, but a recreational trainee does not need to measure it as often or, as I can see with you, they begin to obsess over it. Therefore, we have finally gotten you to stop using the scale (which tells you nothing about your body composition) but now you are obsessing over the %BF. Remember that using calipers, your %BF may vary from time to time from water retention, etc etc. If you measure it so often, you are likely to have less-than-ideal conditions, and you will see your %BF fluctuate more often and become more furstrated. Everything in moderation, please.

Be happy with the progress you are making thus far, and keep motivated through things that are more qualifiable, like the way your clothes fit, the way you look, the way you feel, etc, etc. And from what I read you look just fine!!! ;)
 
Hey all-

After having BF% done by both impedance, and calipers, I will say this- the first number you get- is a number. Meaningless. What matters, is the subsequent numbers. The second, third time you get measured, what the differences are. Make sure its done by the same person, round same time of day, before working out. Otherwise you burn up your water stores and it reads low.

Just get it done the same way each time. But its the drop, the change, that counts.

Eric
 
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