Weighing yourself on a scale only gives you part of the picture of your body's composition. Calculating your body mass index, BMI, which is your height-to-weight ratio, gives you a little more information, but can also be misleading in those who are muscular. A body-fat analysis is a measure of the percentage of fat in your body, and knowing this number may help you reduce your risk for obesity-related diseases such as heart disease, high cholesterol and diabetes. Using an instrument called a body-fat caliper is a noninvasive way to calculate your body-fat percentage.
Measure the Skinfold With Calipers
Step 1
Purchase a body-fat caliper (see Resources).
Step 2
Place your left index finger on the point of your right hipbone. Slide your finger up one inch, locating the suprailliac. The is the point where you perform a skinfold measurement.
Step 3
Hold the caliper with your right hand.
Step 4
Stand up and place the fingers of your left approximately two to three inches apart. Pinch the skin on the suprailliac and pull the skin and fat away from the muscle tissue underneath. The skinfold, if pinched correctly, should be horizontal.
Step 5
Place the caliper's jaws over the skinfold next to your fingers, approximately 1/4 inch from where your fingers are pinching the skin. The caliper will be perpendicular to the skinfold.
Step 6
Press the caliper's jaws together gently until your feel them "click." Stop pinching.
Step 7
Release the skinfold and view the measurement on the caliper. Record it. Repeat the skinfold test several times until you have consistent measurements less than 1 mm apart. Write the results down so you can compare them to a body-fat percentage chart.
Calculate Your Body Fat Percentage
Step 1
Consult the body fat chart for either men or women (see Resources).
Step 2
Locate your age on the left-hand side of the chart, and then slide your finger to the right until you are in the column that corresponds to your skinfold measurement in millimeters.
Step 3
View the number and color of the resulting square. The number is your percentage of body fat. The color corresponds to either lean, ideal, average or above average body-fat percentages. For example, a woman who is 30 and had a 22-mm skinfold result has 30.3 percent body fat, which falls in the average range.
Tips and Warnings
- Always measure on the right side of your body. Keep hands dry and free of lotion while performing the skinfold.
- An experienced examiner should test you for the most accurate results. Women should avoid measuring body fat during the menstrual cycle, as the temporary weight gain may produce inaccurate results. Skinfold measurements are not accurate on obese persons.
References
- The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas: Measuring Body Composition
- Health Check Systems: Understanding Body Fat Analysis
- Accumeasure Fitness: The Ideal Way to Measure Body Fat Using the Accu-Measure Caliper
- National Council on Strength & Fitness: A Closer Look at Skinfold Assessment
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