Body Fat Measurement? How?
I'm getting quite a few emails asking how you measure your body fat percentage and how we are measuring it for our competition.
So how can body fat amounts be measured? How can we tell what is muscle, bone, organs and fat when the scale reads 200lbs?
First the most accurate way on the planet to measure your body fat % (even more accurate than cutting you up and separating the fat from bone and muscle!) is DEXA, which stands for dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. When they do this they basically scan your body with x-rays and can figure out exactly what is bone, muscle and fat.
The next best thing is hydrostatic weighing. Here they weigh you on a fancy sling, then they lower you into a tank of water, you blow out as much air as possible and they figure out the difference. Fat floats so the only weight you'd have in the water would be muscle and bone. The only margin of error here is the air in your lungs and how much one can possibly expel. Dal, a University near me does this and some day I'm gonna look into how much it costs etc.
Next are caliper tests. A simple caliper is used to measure how much fat can be pinched at different sites on the body. I've seen tests with as little as one site and as many as 14 different sites. 3 to 7 sites seem to be around the average. These are fairly accurate if done correctly, but there is a little of room for error in the measuring and pinching.
Body composition tests are becoming much more popular and can be quiet good. Once complicated formulas can be done in seconds using computer programs, so these are gaining in popularity. There are usually quiet a few measurements that have to be taken before results are accurate. 2, 3 or even 4 measurement body compositions are garbage, look for 10 or more. For body builders this method is really not the best. Too many of the variables calculate inches as fat when they might be muscle, but for the average guy or gal out there these are great, easy and painless.
Finally we have those bioelectrica thingies we see around all the time now. They work by sending a current through your body from foot to foot, or hand to hand. The faster the current travels the more muscle you have. These range from really accurate to WHAT? (Just insanely off) It depends on the maker, the person and a hundred different factors. They also cost WAY more than simple calipers.
So how are we measuring for the competition???
2 ways- First is using calipers and the second is using the website below I stumbled upon. I honestly think their free body-fat calculator is quite good, I just don't think the pay service part is really necessary. This is the first banner I've ever put on my page, and it's only here because I think the free part of their site (IE mainly the Body Fat calculator) is REALLY good. Again, if you body build seriously or are a serious athlete it probably won't be very accurate... for the average person... AWESOME
So, we take the 2 figures and get a quick average... and we've got our competition figures.
So there you go.. a ton of ways to check how much fat you are lugging around every day. And honestly, shouldn't you have an idea? You only have one body per life time.
Wait- You want to know what a "Good level" of body fat is?
For men it's usually 18-25%, fit individuals will be 14-17%, athletes 6-13% and the minimum is 2-4% before body functions start to shut down.
In women it's usually 25-31%, fit individuals will be 21-24%, athletes 14-20% and the minimum is 10-12% before bodily functions start to shut down. I've heard of women hitting that 10-12% range and not having periods!
So how can body fat amounts be measured? How can we tell what is muscle, bone, organs and fat when the scale reads 200lbs?
First the most accurate way on the planet to measure your body fat % (even more accurate than cutting you up and separating the fat from bone and muscle!) is DEXA, which stands for dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. When they do this they basically scan your body with x-rays and can figure out exactly what is bone, muscle and fat.
The next best thing is hydrostatic weighing. Here they weigh you on a fancy sling, then they lower you into a tank of water, you blow out as much air as possible and they figure out the difference. Fat floats so the only weight you'd have in the water would be muscle and bone. The only margin of error here is the air in your lungs and how much one can possibly expel. Dal, a University near me does this and some day I'm gonna look into how much it costs etc.
Next are caliper tests. A simple caliper is used to measure how much fat can be pinched at different sites on the body. I've seen tests with as little as one site and as many as 14 different sites. 3 to 7 sites seem to be around the average. These are fairly accurate if done correctly, but there is a little of room for error in the measuring and pinching.
Body composition tests are becoming much more popular and can be quiet good. Once complicated formulas can be done in seconds using computer programs, so these are gaining in popularity. There are usually quiet a few measurements that have to be taken before results are accurate. 2, 3 or even 4 measurement body compositions are garbage, look for 10 or more. For body builders this method is really not the best. Too many of the variables calculate inches as fat when they might be muscle, but for the average guy or gal out there these are great, easy and painless.
Finally we have those bioelectrica thingies we see around all the time now. They work by sending a current through your body from foot to foot, or hand to hand. The faster the current travels the more muscle you have. These range from really accurate to WHAT? (Just insanely off) It depends on the maker, the person and a hundred different factors. They also cost WAY more than simple calipers.
So how are we measuring for the competition???
2 ways- First is using calipers and the second is using the website below I stumbled upon. I honestly think their free body-fat calculator is quite good, I just don't think the pay service part is really necessary. This is the first banner I've ever put on my page, and it's only here because I think the free part of their site (IE mainly the Body Fat calculator) is REALLY good. Again, if you body build seriously or are a serious athlete it probably won't be very accurate... for the average person... AWESOME
So, we take the 2 figures and get a quick average... and we've got our competition figures.
So there you go.. a ton of ways to check how much fat you are lugging around every day. And honestly, shouldn't you have an idea? You only have one body per life time.
Wait- You want to know what a "Good level" of body fat is?
For men it's usually 18-25%, fit individuals will be 14-17%, athletes 6-13% and the minimum is 2-4% before body functions start to shut down.
In women it's usually 25-31%, fit individuals will be 21-24%, athletes 14-20% and the minimum is 10-12% before bodily functions start to shut down. I've heard of women hitting that 10-12% range and not having periods!
Gratuitous Hot Chick
posted by Geeper at 1:44 p.m.
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