BodyFat Reading - Calipers at HOME?

[Gladiola]

I know underwater or 'body pod' are the best ways to measure body fat & then calipers are 2nd best.

How about buying calipers & having my boyfriend do the reading? I suppose if the same person was doing it - then it could be helpful for measuring a change over time?

Or is getting 'high quality' calipers very important?

I still haven't been able to get together with any trainers at the gym & seems like this might be more convenient.

 

[wyst]

I'd love to know the answer to this too, since I train at home. What would pro quality equipment cost?

Wyst

 

[Gladiola]

I'd love to know the answer to this too, since I train at home. What would pro quality equipment cost?

Wyst

I did a quick search online for "fat calipers" & saw a few web sites that had them for sale for about $17 or $20. I wanted to know if getting even mediocre calipers was a possibility before I started the thread.

Honestly, I don't understand how one would need experience to do this properly. You just pinch & pinch in the right place. I suppose if you do it several times over & each time get about the same reading, you've done it properly, right?

 

[Gladiola]

Honestly, I don't understand how one would need experience to do this properly

p.s. I meant to add - I'm sure there is much more to it than meets the eye though & I hope to be enlightened!

 

[smallmovesal]

scrappy and i did each other's measurements with the calipers... it's nothing special. just look up on a website where to measure and then plug in the numbers and it'll calculate it for you. i'd give you a link but i don't have it on me. the important thing is having the same person measure you each time as far as i've heard.

 

[VeggieLifterChick]

I've tried doing internet searches of the type Smalls suggested, but all that comes up is websites to buy manuals or computer programs that calculate your bf for you or accu-measure calipers. If anyone knows the equations, please post!

 

[smallmovesal]

shows you how to take the measurements: http://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk/fatcent.htm

i can't find the calculator we used..

 

[Arioch]

This one looks pretty good.

http://www.enforcergraphics.f2s.com/bodyfat.htm

 

[new@gettinbig]

You can read directions but taking bf w/ calipers is not an easy task...If you want fairly accurate readings I would go to someone that is experienced and knows what they are doing. It takes practice just to learn how to do the pinching of the skin and exactly where to take it etc....I would have someone do it and then have that same person do it every 4-6 weeks for u.

 

[NY Muscle]

Personally I never liked bodyfat % readings, especially when I'd get real low like sub 3%, i mean I dont think these readings are accurate enough once you get that low, you are only going to be dropping maybe 1/10th or so of a %point, for the last few weeks or so of your diet and its just so hard to calculate that unless you have real expensive equipment. What i always found most important was individual readings rather than total body fat %...id just pinch my stomach since thats the only area im concerned about when dieting, and just record mm readings once a week, if i go down each time, then im losing fat, its much easier that way, for me, then these bodyfat% that can be so off at any time of the day...and according to the margin of error they give +/- 3% i would be either 0% or 6%...0%<-- lol come on now.