Calculating your body fat percentage is one of the most effective methods for tracking the progress of your fitness routine. Using calipers to measure your body fat will give you a more accurate picture of your body composition than will a scale. According to an article in the National Strength and Conditioning Association's "Performance Training Journal," September/October 2008 issue, using calipers to calculate body fat is secondary only to the expensive and often inaccessible methods such as hydrostatic weighing, Dexa Scan or Bod Pod. You will need a second person to measure you with the calipers.
Step 1
Take all the skinfold measurements directly on the skin, on the right side of the body.
Step 2
Hold the calipers in one hand and the skinfold with the thumb and index finger of the other hand. Apply the calipers to the fold, one-quarter to one-half inch from your fingers.
Step 3
Continue holding the fold with your fingers when you apply the calipers. Completely release the trigger of the calipers when measuring the skinfold.
Step 4
Measure the triceps skinfold. Position the right arm at your side, relaxed. Grab a vertical skinfold on the back of the upper arm, halfway between the shoulder and elbow. Apply the calipers and release the trigger. Record the result.
Step 5
Measure the biceps skinfold. With the arm still hanging down and relaxed, grab a vertical skinfold on the front of the upper arm, halfway between the shoulder and elbow. Apply the calipers, release the trigger and record the result.
Step 6
Measure the subscapular skinfold. Pinch a fold of skin directly under the shoulder blade. The skinfold should be at a 45-degree angle to the vertical, running the same direction as the shoulder blade. Position the calipers on the skinfold and record the measurement.
Step 7
Measure the suprailiac skinfold. Grab a fold of skin about 1 inch above the hip bone. The pinch should naturally follow the fold of the skin--almost horizontal. Apply the calipers and record the measurement.
Step 8
Add the four measurements together. Use a chart based on gender like the ones in the Lange owner's manual to determine body fat. Find the sum of the skinfolds in the left column and your age at the top row of the chart. The box where this row and column meet will be your body fat expressed as a percentage.
Tips and Warnings
- For a more accurate calculation, repeat steps four through seven, two more times. Take the average of the three measurements at each site. Add the four averages together, and use this as your sum of skinfold number.
Things You'll Need
- Calipers
- Paper
- Pencil
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