Your body fat percentage is the percentage of your total body weight that comes from fat. You can determine your body fat percentage at home using your weight and a few body circumference measurements. Your body fat percentage is a good measure of your overall fitness and is a common method of evaluating your progress in a fitness program. This procedure requires a specific set of measurements and calculations for each gender because the distribution of fat is different between the genders.
Step 1
Measure the circumference of your body at specific locations with a tape measure. Women must measure their forearm, wrist and hips at their widest point. Men and women must measure the circumference of their waist at their navel. All of these measurements must be in inches.
Step 2
Weigh yourself in pounds using a scale. A morning weighing will help ensure that your weight is at the lowest level of the day.
Step 3
Calculate lean body weight for females. This is given by the equation (weight x 0.732) + (forearm circumference x 0.434) + (wrist circumference / 3.14) -- (waist circumference x 0.157) -- (hip circumference x 0.249) + 8.987.
Let your weight be 135 lb. for this example. Assume your forearm circumference is 10 inches, your wrist measurement is 6.5 inches, your waist circumference is 32 inches and your hip circumference is 39 inches. Your lean body weight is therefore (135 x 0.732) + (10 x 0.434) + (6.5 / 3.14) -- (32 x 0.157) -- (39 x 0.249) + 8.987 = 99 lb.
Step 4
Compute lean body weight for males. This is given by the equation (weight x 1.082) -- (waist circumference x 4.15) + 94.42.
Let your weight be 189 lb., and assume your waist circumference is 35 inches for this example. Your lean body weight is therefore (189 x 1.082) -- (35 x 4.15) + 94.42 = 154 lb.
Step 5
Derive your body fat percentage from your lean body weight. This is given by the equation (total weight - lean body weight) x 100 / (total weight).
Let your total weight be 135 lb., and assume your lean body weight is 99 lb. for this example. Your body fat percentage is therefore (135 - 99) x 100 / 135 = 26.7 percent.
Things You'll Need
- Scale
- Tape measure
- Calculator
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