There is significant person to person variation in fat distribution through the body limiting the accuracy even with expert usage. A skin fold test is a method of estimating body fat percentage by taking skin fold caliper measurements in 3 9 different locations on the body see glossary for pictures and then applying the results into one of the various formulas available.
How To Measure Body Fat Accurate Methods And Ranges
Body fat caliper measurement locations. Measurements are taken at either 3 or 7 different sites on the body. With lower levels of body fat the resolution of the calipers is a problem. The calipers only measure the fat under the skin and at a few locations. How to get accurate caliper measurements. Skinfold calipers measure the thickness of your subcutaneous fat the fat underneath the skin at certain body locations. Position the caliper perpendicular to the fold about 1 centimeter beneath the thumb and index finger then press on the thumb pad.
The skinfold caliper is a device which measures the thickness of a fold of your skin with its underlying layer of fat. Pinch the skinfold with your left thumb and index finger so the fold is 1 centimeter above the site. 2 specialist skinfold testing. By doing this at the key locations can be a quite accurate representative of the total amount of fat that is on your body it is also possible to estimate the total percent of bodyfat on your body. The body fat caliper calculator is based on the skinfold method of determining body fat percentage. The skinfold method measures skinfold thickness at 3 to 9 different locations on the body depending on the method used then computes body density and with it the total body fat percentage.
Gallery of Body Fat Caliper Measurement Locations
