To calculate your body fat percentage, you first must understand body composition. The American College of Sports Medicine defines body composition as the relative proportion of fat and fat-free tissue in the body. You can determine your Body Mass Index (BMI) by assessing weight in relation to height. BMI is a tool used to determine your risk factor for obesity.
Calculating BMI
Step 1
Measure the height of the subject. Instruct subject to stand straight up, without shoes. The subject should take a deep breath and hold it in while looking straight ahead. Record the height of the subject in centimeters. If the subject's height was measured in inches it can be converted to centimeters by using the conversion: 1 in. = 2.54 cm. Then convert the height to meters, using the conversion: 1 cm = 0.01 m.
Step 2
Weigh subject in pounds wearing minimal clothing. Convert the weight from pounds to kilograms by using the conversion: 1 kg = 2.2 lbs.
Step 3
Calculate BMI using the height and weight measurements obtained. The formula uses weight in kilograms divided by height in meters, squared.
Body Mass Index = weight (kg) / [height (m2)]
Step 4
Interpret disease risk using standard weight status categories. BMI below 18.5 is underweight. BMI 18.5 to 24.9 is considered normal weight. BMI 25.0 to 29.9 is overweight. BMI of 30.0 and above is consider obese. The Centers for Disease Control states that the correlation between BMI and body fatness is very strong, however there are some exceptions. Women tend to naturally have more fat than men. In addition, older individuals tend to have more fat than younger individuals. Finally, highly-trained athletes or bodybuilders tend to have a high BMI because of their high muscularity not their high fatness.
Things You'll Need
- Tape measure
- Body weight scale
References
- Centers for Disease Control: About BMI For Adults
- ACSM's Health-Related Physical Fitness Assessment Manual"; American College of Sports Medicine;2005
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