body fat

[groundandpoundpwr21]

sorry about this but most people dont bother to read the other forums. I was wondering what everyones opinions on the best way to measure body fat is? I know being put in that tank, my university has one and Ive emailed 10 people and they keep giving me the run around. I got a scale from walmart today thats supposed to measure it through your feet but I think its way off. So calipers/skin pinch, hand held electronic sensor. Whats your take?

[Jayhawk21]

I got a scale from walmart today thats supposed to measure it through your feet but I think its way off.

These things are a joke. Last year I tested at like 17.5% then I got underwater tested and I was 9.5%. I tried different one and it said I was at 6.5% one time. Might as well use the height, weight, and waist ratio. It's alot more accurate

[heckler45_2000]

Get someone in your schools exercise science dept. to do a quick check with calipers...

[Dark Dragon]

only thing with calipers is they are not always accurate but they tend to be consistant.

[heckler45_2000]

only thing with calipers is they are not always accurate but they tend to be consistant.

Well anything that is not the underwater weighing has a +/- error ratio... Even it is still a little off but it is gold standard when it comes to bodyfat%...

[FIVE_8]

These things are a joke. Last year I tested at like 17.5% then I got underwater tested and I was 9.5%. I tried different one and it said I was at 6.5% one time. Might as well use the height, weight, and waist ratio. It's alot more accurate

heh, for real those things are a waste of time!

[stupidhippo]

yeah.. I wouldnt trust em BUT u can monitor ur progress with them I believe.. if u always use the same machine..

[groundandpoundpwr21]

Ya when your dieting hardcore and your body fat goes up 10% you get curious haha. I guess Ill have my sports med friend do the calipers since there jerking me around on the under water tank we have here.

[Seattle Junk]

Impedence test are never accurate. They're measuing the amount of water in your body by the amount of electricity that is conducted. But that could never be accurate since your fluid levels always change in your body throughout the day. There is no perfect time when to do a test like. I do that digital handgrip bf% test at my gym and I can get a 2-3% difference when testing 2-3X in a row. It's not even a guide, it might as well be one of those magic 8 balls.

[Deal Me In]

I wondered this too but I don't have access to a tank. If you were to buy a set of calipers and do the tests yourself wouldn't they at least give you a base and a rate of change.

It might not be spot on but if you test one month and get a number and test a month later and get a smaller number wouldn't you at least know that you have lost some bf?

This is the best thing I can come up with. Someone shoot holes in this theory.

[aadrenaline]

ha yea those scales are horrible..the ones that have athelte mode ar ea little better but still way off..its funny im 5'8" 175 it says im 25% theres no way in hell i can see my abs kinda id say im like 16% they are just a general figure for the average person. if your a body builder and say your 6 foot 275 or somthing it'll prolly say your like 35-40% lol

[legobricks]

ha yea those scales are horrible..the ones that have athelte mode ar ea little better but still way off..its funny im 5'8" 175 it says im 25% theres no way in hell i can see my abs kinda id say im like 16% they are just a general figure for the average person. if your a body builder and say your 6 foot 275 or somthing it'll prolly say your like 35-40% lol

yeah, It said I was 19%. I was like WTF!!!! there is no way in hell!!!! I really think they are junk.