Heart rate, blood pressure, weight, time in a 5k run or pounds you can bench press--fitness and health have lots of numbers. Fitness professionals and exercisers both rely on subjective measures--like how you feel working out--and objective measures--numbers--to track fitness and health improvements. Body fat percentage directly measures your body composition. When you know your body fat percentage, you have a better idea of your current fitness. There are many ways to calculate body fat percentage, and each may be the best, depending on your goals.
Convenience
Bioelectrical impedance scales provide the best body fat calculator for convenient, everyday use. Scales equipped with this technology calculate body fat by sending an electrical signal--the user does not feel anything--through the body. Fatty tissue and lean tissue carry different amounts of water, so they conduct electricity at different speeds. The scale calculates body fat based on how long the current takes to travel through the body. The downside is lower accuracy and reliability.
Accuracy
The most accurate method for calculating body fat requires special x-ray technology used in a DEXA scan. An acronym for "dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry," DEXA scans are the highest rated body fat calculators for accuracy, according to the fitness text book "Foundations of Physical Education, Exercise Science, and Sport." Because it uses x-ray technology, DEXA scans are not performed outside clinical or laboratory settings, making them unavailable to the everyday exerciser who wants to know her body fat percentage.
Convenient Accuracy
Skinfold caliper measurements accurately and conveniently calculate body fat percentages. A tool that measures thickness, a caliper measures skinfolds at various points on the body. Plug the measurements into a formula to calculate your body fat percentage. A trained professional--such as a personal trainer--who measures correctly can get accurate results. The American Council on Exercise says skinfold caliper measurements have a standard error of only 3.5 percent. The wide availability and high accuracy make caliper measurements the best overall body fat calculation method.
References
- "Foundations of Physical Education, Exercise Science, and Sport"; Wuest, D. & Bucher, C.; 2009
- "ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription"; American College of Sports Medicine; 2006
- American Council on Exercise: Percent Body Fat Calculator
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