Three Techniques for Body Fat Measurements

There are several methods for determining your body fat. The three techniques are Hydrostatic weighing, skin fold measurement with a caliper and anthropometric measurement.

Hydrostatic weighing is a method in which a person's mass is measured both in and out of a tank of water. The hydrostatic weighing method gives the most accurate body fat percentage out of the three techniques discussed in this article. This test is based on the assumption that lean tissue is denser than fat. Fat tissue tends to float, but lean muscle tissue sinks. For more information on getting a hydrostatic weighing consult your local health club, or a recreational pool.

Skin fold measurement with a caliper is a measurement that is referred to as under-the-skin pinching on certain points throughout your body, in which a caliper takes a body fat reading. With a digital body fat caliper you can measure your body fat percentage in seconds with great accuracy. The digital body fat caliper makes it easy to keep track of your weight loss goal. If you are in a budget consider the Fat Track Gold by Accu-Fitness . The Fat Track Gold can store up to 3 different profiles, and uses a patented floating code thickness measuring system for 1mm accuracy and 100% repeatability.

If you aren't in a budget and want a higher end body fat caliper , consider the Fat Track Pro . This digital body fat caliper has a sophisticated body fat measurement system that enables you to get a precise reading from your body, which can be transferred to your computer with its software. The Composition Tracker Body Fat Tracking software enables you to track and graph multiple users' body fat percentage, lean body mass, and body circumference measurement over time.

The third technique in measuring body fat is an anthropometric measurements. It is a test that can be performed from the comfort of your own home.

Body Fat Measurement for Males

Step 1 - Taking Measurements (in inches)
Height - _______
Hips - _______
Waist - _______
Weight (lbs) - _______

Step 2 - Body Fat Percentage
1. Multiply your hips (inches) ______ x 1.4 = ______ minus 2 = _______(A)
2. Multiply your waist (inches)_______ x 0.72 =______ minus 4 = ______(B)
3. Add A + B = _____(C)
4. Multiply your height (inches)______ x 0.61 =______ x 0.61 =_______(D)
5. Subtract D from C, then subtract 10 more: (C - D) - 10 = _____% fat