Measuring body fat using skin calipers is a simple and inexpensive method of tracking your weight loss and fitness goals. Your percentage of body fat is indicative of your overall health. Too much body fat puts you at risk for high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart disease. Unlike BMI, which does not take muscle weight into account, skinfold measurements are a relatively accurate means of determining body fat, even in athletes.
Step 1
Locate the skinfold measurement sites corresponding to your gender, and continue to use the same locations every time you measure your body fat. This will increase the accuracy of your results over time. For men, the best locations are the chest crease between the nipple and underarm, the front of the thigh and the abdomen 1 inch from the navel. Women should measure their body fat using a skinfold on the back of the upper arm, the front of the thigh and just above the hip.
Step 2
Grasp a fold of skin on the right side of your body using the index finger and thumb of your left hand. Pull the skinfold away from your body. Draw the skinfold up and away from your body instead of pinching it.
Step 3
Place the pads of the skinfold calipers squarely on the skinfold, about 1/4 inch from your fingers. Allow the calipers to close automatically. They should not pinch your skin or cause any discomfort.
Step 4
Wait several seconds after the trigger on the skinfold calipers releases before reading your skinfold thickness measurement. Record the number on the dial to the nearest 0.5 mm.
Step 5
Repeat this process using the same skinfold to obtain a second measurement. The American Council on Exercise recommends waiting at least 15 seconds before performing the second measurement to allow the fat at the measurement site time to return to its normal position. If your second measurement does not come within 1 mm of your first measurement, repeat the process again. Record the average of the two closest measurements.
Step 6
Repeat Steps 2 through 5 for the second and third skinfold sites that you located in Step 1.
Step 7
Enter your three skinfold measurements into a body fat percentage calculator, such as the one at AceFitness.org, to obtain your body fat percentage. Record the result for tracking over time.
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