Body Composition Scale – How To Calculate Body Fat

Body fat can be calculated by four basic techniques such as, Fat Scale Home Body, Hydrostatic Weighing Skinfold Caliper and Navy Method. However, our task is to pay attention to three, most often used.

Home Body Fat Scales technique evaluates the amount of body fat by method of Biometrical Impedance. By this method an enormously low voltage current is passed through our body and the opposing current is measured. Upon coming to the result and comparing it with the actual body weight, the exact percentage of body fat is determined.

However, this method may not work well occasionally, since the resistance of our body is affected by various factors which create some current along with body fat, such as skin temperature, skeletal muscles, the body water, electrical waves of heart, and physical work out. In order to avoid that an individual needs a rest of 4-5 hours, without doing any physical exercise 12 hours before the method is used.

Skinfold Caliper is another useful technique to calculate body fat conducted with the usage of calipers. This is the cheapest technique for measuring body fat. However, in order to achieve the best results, the procedure should be done correctly by an expert.

Hydrostatic Weighing, previously known as under water weighing, is the most precise technique to calculate body fat, on condition you provide a hydrostatic weighing tank. It is necessary to know Archimedes Principle in order to understand this technique. It would be even better if you knew some physics too. The mass of your body is calculated by measuring the amount of water that you relocate while you are in the water. It happens because the amount of water relocated when the body totally or partially gets into the water is equivalent or proportional to the weight of that body. Depending on the body density, the method calculates body fat. The only problem that might crop up is how to find a hydrostatic weighing tank.

On the whole, the main question is why should we bother about calculating body fat?

An important constituent of a successful weight loss diet plan is body fat. Before you decide to go on a diet it is necessary to understand scientific aspects of your weight loss program. That means you should know the inventory of your body fat and the time it needs to lose some portion. Besides this, you should get information about the amount of calories you need to reduce for achieving the goal. How to calculate body fat correctly is the first and foremost step in your pursue of weight loss goals.

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Body Composition Scale

Whenever we embark on any type of fitness program, we expect to make some kind of progress.  Otherwise, we would just be wasting out time.  Measuring our progress is very important not only to let us know if and how quickly we are improving, but also because it provides encouragement for us to stay on track.  However, no measurement is perfectly accurate, and not all measurements are appropriate for every goal.  Using a measurement that is irrelevant to your goal is likely to provide meaningless or inaccurate information. As a result, we should make sure that the measurements that we take are appropriate for our goals.  The tools and measurements for monitoring progress can span the full range of indicators that measure health, physical appearance/body composition, and athletic performance.  However, we will stick to indicators of physical appearance and body composition because these are the ones that generate the most interest in health and fitness. This article will list some measurement parameters along with their objectivities, accuracies, and with synopses of their uses and limitations.  For the purposes of this discussion, the objectivity of a measurement is defined as the reading’s independence from individual interpretation.  For example, weight is considered to be very objective because if the scale shows your weight to be 145 lbs, it will do so regardless of what you want it to show.  Also, for the purposes of this discussion, the accuracy is defined as the ability to accurately indicate body composition such as fat percentage.WeightTheory: Heavier person is fatter.Objectivity/Accuracy: Very objective but very inaccurate When used by itself, weight gives no useful information on body composition.  However, when combined with percentage body fat measurements, it can be useful in estimating lean mass.  It can also be useful for athletes who compete in weight divisions (i.e. boxers).Body Mass Index or BMI (Weight in kg divided by height2 in meters)Theory: If 2 people are the same weight, then the shorter is fatter.Objectivity/Accuracy: Very Objective but very inaccurate BMI gives no useful information on body composition and it is useless for computing lean mass.  However, its convenience makes it useful for studies of a general population.Girth Measurements with a Measuring TapeTheory: Smaller girth (especially around waist) is leaner.Objectivity/Accuracy: Reasonably objective but slightly inaccurate Girth measurements do not directly measure body composition but they can tell you if your waist or hip measurement is expanding or shrinking.   Girth measurements are very convenient and are useful for monitoring trends.  In addition, using a measuring tape is the best way to see if you will fit into those new clothes.PhotographTheory: If you look leaner, then you probably are.Objectivity/Accuracy: Somewhat objective but somewhat inaccurate The results that you get from a photograph are affected by the lighting, the camera and even photographer technique.  However, if you use constant photography conditions, before and after pictures are very useful for measuring your progress.Buoyancy Measurement in a Flotation TankTheory: Muscle is less buoyant than fat.Objectivity/Accuracy: Very objective and very accurate Buoyancy measurement is the most accurate way to measure body composition on living subjects and is widely accepted as the gold standard.  However, it is inconvenient and it requires a high degree of technical competence from the tester.  Also, trapped gas can affect the measurement.  Regardless, it is the most accurate way to measure percentage body fat for purposes of estimating lean mass.Skin fold Measurements with CalipersTheory: The less you can pinch, the leaner you are.Objectivity/Accuracy: Reasonably objective and reasonably accurate Skin fold Measurements are second to buoyancy measurements in accuracy.  However, it only measures subcutaneous (below the skin) fat and it requires some technical knowledge by the person who is taking the measurement.  Generally, its accuracy increases with the number of places on your body that are measured.  It can be very useful because fat below the skin is usually what determines how well your abs are showing or how you look in a swimsuit.Bioelectrical ImpedanceTheory: Muscle conducts electricity better than fat does.Objectivity/Accuracy: Very objective but slightly accurate This measurement assumes average arm length for height, along with constant hydration and electrolyte levels.  Deviations in any one of these parameters can significantly affect the measurement.  However, it is convenient and easy to use. As mentioned before, we pursue fitness for a variety of reasons and there are a variety of methods for measuring our progress towards our goals.  Whether your goal is to fit into those new clothes, to look great for that photo shoot, or simply to feel better, it is important that the means of measuring your progress is relevant to your individual goal.

Body Fat Scale

Body Composition Scale – Measurement Techniques Part 5 (Types Of Anthropometric Measurement)

Skinfold methods

The skinfold estimation methods are based on a skinfold test, whereby a pinch of skin is precisely measured by calipers at several standardized points on the body to determine the subcutaneous fat layer thickness. These measurements are converted to an estimated body fat percentage by an equation. Some formulas require as few as three measurements, others as many as seven.

The accuracy of these estimates is more dependent on a person’s unique body fat distribution than on the number of sites measured. As well, it is of utmost importance to test in a precise location with a fixed pressure. Although it may not give an accurate reading of real body fat percentage, it is a reliable measure of body composition change over a period of time, provided the test is carried out by the same person with the same technique.

Skinfold-based body fat estimation is sensitive to the type of caliper used, and technique. This method also only measures one type of fat: subcutaneous adipose tissue (fat under the skin). Two individuals might have nearly identical measurements at all of the skin fold sites, yet differ greatly in their body fat levels due to differences in other body fat deposits such as visceral adipose tissue: fat in the abdominal cavity.

Some models partially address this problem by including age as a variable in the statistics and the resulting formula. Older individuals are found to have a lower body density for the same skinfold measurements, which is assumed to signify a higher body fat percentage. However, older, highly athletic individuals might not fit this assumption, causing the formulas to underestimate their body density.

Height and circumference methods

There also exist formulas for estimating body fat percentage from an individual’s weight and girth measurements. For example, the U.S. Navy Circumference method compares abdomen or waist and hips measurements to neck measurement and height and other sites claim to estimate one’s body fat percentage by a conversion from the body mass index. In the Navy the method is known as the “rope and choke.”

The U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army also rely on the Height and Circumference method. For males, they measure the neck and waist just above the navel. Females are measured around the hips, waist, and neck. These measurements are compared to a height/weight chart with age factored in as well. This method is used because it is a cheap and convenient way to implement a body fat test throughout the entire Department of Defense.

Due to different body compositions, those with larger necks may artificially generate lower body fat percentage calculations than those with smaller necks.