So I joined a gym a couple months ago and they gave me a free initial assessment with a trainer. He was asking me some questions about my prior fitness experience and he asked about what my bf% was being, and I explained that I had it tested with calipers before and he told me that that was obsolete and had a lot of room for error. He then tested me using the handheld device that sends an electrical current through your body. Is that really a more reliable method? That seemed to contradict all I had read.

Another thing he suggested to me was that for my strength training I do chest and back on Monday, arms and shoulders on Wednesday, and legs and core on Friday. I asked him if I only worked out each muscle group just once a week if that was enough and he looked at me like I was crazy...I thought you had to train your muscles at least twice, if not 3x a week? Can someone explain this to me?

Thanks!

I'm interested in hearing answers to these questions as well! I have a scale that does the electric current thingy and I've always wondered how accurate that was compared to a caliper.

Well, he's wrong about calipers being less reliable than the electric current.

A split routine is legitimate though (IMO) works best for bodybuilders and people who are advanced enough that working a muscle group more than once a week is too much.

Yeah, I know a lot of people here will tell you that the scales and hand held devices are inaccurate. I think it depends on the person's body composition though. I have one of those bf scales that I've compared against caliper measurements done by a trainer at my gym, and the scale was nearly spot on down to the .% the same.

I don't know, maybe some of the scales are better than others.

The scales are a bit more accurate than the handheld, In my expereience.

They both run an bio-elecrtircal impedance from points of contact. So if its running from hand to hand, its only going to record the upperbody amounts.
Plus, water, food you've eaten, if you've excercised all play a part in the body fat percentage number it gives you.
THe BF% scales that you stand on are a little more accurate because the impedance runs from foot to foot so it gets most of the lower body...which is where most of us carry our weight.
a multipoint caliper is more accurate than those listed above IF you get a trainer who knows what they are doing. The most accurate testing methods are being dunked or sitting in a bod pod.

I wouldn't go by the scales or handheld devices as hydration levels can really throw them off. Even though calipers may not be accurate, as long as someone can reliably and consistently "pinch" then I would go by skinfold measurements than the actual bf percentage.

Initially it seems like the trainer that you met with has the 90's bodybuilding mentallity of train a bodypart once a week, not to mention the split he threw out at you. A muscle can be trained 2-3 times a week depending on volume, intensity, recovery, training age etc.

Usually beginers use a full body routine a few times a week. I'm currently doing a four day split where I end up working each body part twice a week. Three day splits are effective too, I think u just have to be consistant with one routine for a few months then switch it up. That's what I do.

Electronic impedance devices are crap. The last time I used one, it said I was 33% bf.

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I'd vote to get a new trainer!