3 Ways To Find Your Body Fat Percentage
http://article.nanolive.com/articles/143787/1/3-Ways-To-Find-Your-Body-Fat-Percentage/Page1.html
Bill Mann
Bill Mann is a former high school jock who is using HIIT programs to return to his fitness peak after a series of family and career crises led to him packing on over 20 pounds of flab in less than six months. His website, Abs At Last ( http://www.absatlast.com ) contains much more information on HIIT training, firming your abs and related subjects, along with reviews of the best programs available online today. By Bill Mann
Published on 09/11/2008
A look at different techniques for measuring body fat percentage, including one that's ideal for use by regular people.
More and more, people have come to realize that their body fat percentage is a key fitness indicator, more important than BMI (body mass index) or the numbers on their scale. But how can you measure your body fat percentage? I mean, it isn't something you see when you step on your typical scale, like your weight. There are actually three good ways to measure the percentage of fat in your body, one of which is ideal for home use. Let's see what they are:
* The Immersion technique
* The Caliper technique
* The Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) technique
The Immersion Technique
This is the most accurate approach. It involves submerging a person in a special water tank and determining how much water they displace. This information, along with the person's weight, is used to calculate their density. From that, their body fat percentage can be calculated. A great approach for scientific research, but not so practical for you and me.
The Caliper Technique
This technique uses calipers to measure the amount of skin that can be pinched at one specific spot on the body. This spot has been shown to be representative of overall body fat for most people. With this measurement, plus their age and gender, a person can look up their approximate body fat percentage on a chart. Using calipers is a bit less accurate than immersion, but is far more practical for regular use by regular folks like you and me.
The Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) Technique
In this approach, a small, safe electrical current is passed through your body. Each kind of body tissue (fat, muscle, bone, etc.) has a different resistance to the flow of that current (a different impedance). That impedance, combined with a person's height, weight, age, gender, and general activity level, is used to calculate a body fat percentage.
While BIA isn't as accurate as the immersion technique, it gives pretty good results without the whole underwater scene and without the careful measuring involved in the caliper technique. The BIA equipment can easily be included in a hand-held measuring device, or even a bathroom scale. Once a person enters the basic information about themselves into such a scale or handheld device, measuring their body fat percentage becomes as simple as weighing themselves first thing in the morning.
Scales that measure your body fat percentage as well as your weight are readily available in home goods and department stores for as little as $50US.
* The Immersion technique
* The Caliper technique
* The Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) technique
The Immersion Technique
This is the most accurate approach. It involves submerging a person in a special water tank and determining how much water they displace. This information, along with the person's weight, is used to calculate their density. From that, their body fat percentage can be calculated. A great approach for scientific research, but not so practical for you and me.
The Caliper Technique
This technique uses calipers to measure the amount of skin that can be pinched at one specific spot on the body. This spot has been shown to be representative of overall body fat for most people. With this measurement, plus their age and gender, a person can look up their approximate body fat percentage on a chart. Using calipers is a bit less accurate than immersion, but is far more practical for regular use by regular folks like you and me.
The Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) Technique
In this approach, a small, safe electrical current is passed through your body. Each kind of body tissue (fat, muscle, bone, etc.) has a different resistance to the flow of that current (a different impedance). That impedance, combined with a person's height, weight, age, gender, and general activity level, is used to calculate a body fat percentage.
While BIA isn't as accurate as the immersion technique, it gives pretty good results without the whole underwater scene and without the careful measuring involved in the caliper technique. The BIA equipment can easily be included in a hand-held measuring device, or even a bathroom scale. Once a person enters the basic information about themselves into such a scale or handheld device, measuring their body fat percentage becomes as simple as weighing themselves first thing in the morning.
Scales that measure your body fat percentage as well as your weight are readily available in home goods and department stores for as little as $50US.