Bodyfat testing question

**LeafsFan** · 06-30-2004, 10:37 PM

I had a bodyfast test done at the gym today - The hook a wire to my right foot and another to my right hand and ran a current through it which determined my bodyfat.

How accurate is that test?
If I'm bloated from my current cycle, will the water count as fat?

I got a reading of 22% which is impossible because I'm fairly lean and can see my abs when I flex.

I'm guessing it might not very accurate?

**KAEW44** · 06-30-2004, 10:55 PM

That test is probably similar to the bathroom scales that have the bodyfat test in them..it sends and electrical pulse and gets a figure, then you enter your age and weight and height and it calculates your body fat....i have done them before and they are off by about 5% , which means thay show you as 5% fatter than you really are!
I usually do a combination of my bathroom scale, the gym scale, and the calipers with the chart....then take an average.

**Steroids101** · 06-30-2004, 10:55 PM

No the water will count as muscle. That test is extremley inaccurate. Underwater weighing, calipers, and the electromagnetic feild are the best methods available.

Calipers are usually the easiest to access, and are also very accurate assuming the person knows what he/shes doing.

**bluethunder** · 07-01-2004, 06:34 AM

basically Its just like my scale. Uses current then based on the resistance(water,fat,muscell all have different resistance properties, together its called impeadance). They are not the most accurate by far 3-6% but can be used to gauge progress & averages

**kronik** · 07-01-2004, 09:53 AM

The "thread parrot" is coming out in me and I just cant seem to stop it...

I used the scales once and they sucked...

**Anhydro78** · 07-02-2004, 03:59 AM

Thats a bio-impedance meter. Hooking wires up to your toes and fingers thats weird. We got one at the gym and its a nice handheld device. They are not accurate but they are consistant. And that is important when evaluating your progress. Body fat calipers are worse than the bioimpedance method . You can have someone measure the skinfolds twice in a row and they will get different results.And you cant really get an accurate measurements on people that get above the 10% range.