Good way to determine BF.

[RancidSam]

Hey guys I was wondering if you could tell me a good way to determine body fat, as Ive never had it done cause I figured it below 7% at the highest. Im 17 and not interested in spending alot of money. I know calipers are horrible but I have some used for carpentry is there any way I can use these?

 

[R.Lewis]

I know calipers are horrible but I have some used for carpentry is there any way I can use these?

NO,
You cant do it yourself, its impossible due to the possitions you need to test.
Only a Personal trainer (or above) is qualifyed to do a caliper test.

There are scales but hey are wildly inaccurate.

The best test is to grab your belly and give it a wabble in front of the mirror, If you dont like it then work harder and clean up your diet.

Any way, are you really gonna change your life style based on some numbers?

 

[malkore]

skin fold calipers ain't perfect, but they aren't horribly inaccurat either. Step on a Tanita bodyfat scale...that's horribly inaccurate (4% bodyfat change during the day).

calipers work 'well enough' for non-competitive athletes/trainees. someone else has to test you though.

the best body fat test is a hydrostatic body comp test. check a local university to see if they offer this.

 

[RancidSam]

I never said I wanted to change my life style because of a number I just wanted to see if Im as skinny and have as much lean mass/muscle as I think I do.

 

[cusimar9]

The Accumeasure calipers are widely accepted as being one of the best ways to check bodyfat. They're cheap, only require a single measurement which you can take yourself and give you a good indication of your bodyfat, certainly more accurate than any scales.

Can be found at accumeasurefitness.com

 

[malkore]

I have a pair of those accumeasure, and they're so-so. at least my pair is a little sketchy. it often doesn't 'click' into place like its supposed to.

I just got a new pair of calipers today, real spring tension ones, nice enough to be used by a personal trainer, but only $20 from exrx.net

 

[niceone]

I disagree that it it impossible to do the measurements by yourself. I use clothes pegs to get my bicep and tricep 'pinch'.. other than that, I can do it all by myself.