got my BF tested today............

[fugetaboutit]

and I can't believe my gym doesn't have calipers! ( LA Fitness). They had that machine that you hold onto with both hands, you type in your height, weight, and age and then it spits out your "BF". I don't think these things are that acurate (although it said I was 11.9% Bf and I thought I was around there anyways). But they say it could have a margin of error of 3%. that's a pretty big margin for me though! I mean I could either be 8.9% (which I know I'm not) or 14.9% (which I know/hope I'm not) What do you guys think of these machines? Bogus?

 

[swordfish151]

and I can't believe my gym doesn't have calipers! ( LA Fitness). They had that machine that you hold onto with both hands, you type in your height, weight, and age and then it spits out your "BF". I don't think these things are that acurate (although it said I was 11.9% Bf and I thought I was around there anyways). But they say it could have a margin of error of 3%. that's a pretty big margin for me though! I mean I could either be 8.9% (which I know I'm not) or 14.9% (which I know/hope I'm not) What do you guys think of these machines? Bogus?

Rought Guesstimate i would say...not accurate at all..but its ball park..lol but who wants ball park right..

 

[paridhm]

Your hydration level can totaly change the results. They only give you a ballpark result.

 

[bigmann245]

just make sure you use the same machine each time and try to keep track. even though it might be off a little it might be able to show you a good track if your losing or gaining bf. try it for a few weeks see how it goes.

 

[glover]

My gym has one of those not accurate.

 

[LftHndPwrHouse]

It puts you in a possible ball park...You also have to have a calm heart rate if you use it after a work out your % will be lower.

I will say i deff had inacurate readings from them. I used one about 2wks after a show and it came up like 12%. I went in to the show around 4% or under ( i bet under) I put a few lbs on but i was still eating pretty good because i was planning on doing another show in a month.

Over all i say its a broad ball park.

 

[ippon1]

Anything that asks height, weight, age is guessing. If your fat is measured by the amount of ohms your body has then other information wouldn't be needed.

 

[fugetaboutit]

yeah I figured it was ballpark. I'll keep trying it though consistently and see what happens. My gym needs to invest in callipers. I don't see why they don't have them instead.

 

[italian_gladiator]

What is the best way to measure bodyfat?

 

[dali]

those devices are absolute BS. If you you're heavy, it will say you're fat. If you input your height as being taller your bodyfat will come out lower. Really BS.

 

[littleb]

not all are junk, some good ones out there, my gym has a tanita body composition analyzer tbf-300a it is more accurate then the calipers, of course not as right on as water test, butclose enough for me. on a downside he paid $1600 hundo for it. he charges 5 bucks a pop so i do it every month, right now i am 196lbs bf 13.1 (bulking)
bottom line is if gym dishes out the $ they can get one thats fairly accurate.

 

[slat1]

those things are not accurate. You can use it as a barometer though

 

[perp69]

I have got one of the biometric ones. It does give consistant (not sure how accurate) readings if done at the same time of the day (I do it in the am first thing). I am planning on getting the water test done in a few weeks and will take it with me to compare. I will post the results when I do so we can see just how accurate it is.

 

[gymratforlife]

I have got one of the biometric ones. It does give consistant (not sure how accurate) readings if done at the same time of the day (I do it in the am first thing). I am planning on getting the water test done in a few weeks and will take it with me to compare. I will post the results when I do so we can see just how accurate it is.

How much does the birometric one cost and were did you get it?

 

[monstermmf]

What kind of places do you have to go to.. to get the water test done..

 

[wayneboard1]

Rought Guesstimate i would say...not accurate at all..but its ball park..lol but who wants ball park right..

I want ball parks, they plump when you cook em. But i am bulking too.

I think you should get what has already been said, get dunked man.

 

[monstermmf]

What kind of places do you go to get dunked.. am I being ignored.. I mean in general.. do you go to physical fitness centers? athletic doctors? obesity doctors?.. I live in a town of 2000 people when I'm back home.. Fuck... they don't even know what body fat means there.. I know I'll have to go to a bigger city of course.. but all i want is a general idea plllllllllllllllleeeeeeeeeease

 

[sparetire]

my chiropractor had one of those real expensive bf analyzers that were almost as accurate as getting dunk and when compared to it with a person it was only a fraction off. But with that being said, those handheld ones are crappy. Better to spend about 90$ and get one of those that give a better read out showing your lbm, water retention, etc.

These work well:

http://www.itinscales.com/pbodyfat.htm

I found by typing in for instance that I weigh 162 at 5 8 1/2 , athlete mode, age 33 - I come in at 9.8% (that weight is what i weigh first thing in the morning after going to the bathroom - no food). If I type in my mid afternoon weight of 166, same settings, but eating, drinking water etc, it says that I'm 11.1% bf. I would think that 9% is more accurate than the latter. Anyhow, I'm going to purchase one of those scales from the link above and use that on a consistent basis.

 

[proken]

I dunk at the olympic training center.... I usually come in at 6-7% year round. My Tanita says I'm 15%, way off. I just adjusted the height to match the dunk in the same day, now it's close, but I'd still call it a hydrometer.

 

[monstermmf]

my chiropractor had one of those real expensive bf analyzers that were almost as accurate as getting dunk and when compared to it with a person it was only a fraction off. But with that being said, those handheld ones are crappy. Better to spend about 90$ and get one of those that give a better read out showing your lbm, water retention, etc.

These work well:

http://www.itinscales.com/pbodyfat.htm

I found by typing in for instance that I weigh 162 at 5 8 1/2 , athlete mode, age 33 - I come in at 9.8% (that weight is what i weigh first thing in the morning after going to the bathroom - no food). If I type in my mid afternoon weight of 166, same settings, but eating, drinking water etc, it says that I'm 11.1% bf. I would think that 9% is more accurate than the latter. Anyhow, I'm going to purchase one of those scales from the link above and use that on a consistent basis.

Just a little confused.. those are the ones that send the currents up one leg and down the other correct? If so I just read a rather massive study on those, saying they are not worth the dime they are made for.. and even the best ones are hardly accurate.. I know it's for consistency.. But the consistancy can change because of differant factors..

 

[PsychoPikey]

Just a little confused.. those are the ones that send the currents up one leg and down the other correct? If so I just read a rather massive study on those, saying they are not worth the dime they are made for.. and even the best ones are hardly accurate.. I know it's for consistency.. But the consistancy can change because of differant factors..

yeh you are right, i used to work in a department store and on the back of the packaging for them they state that the bf measurements are not accurate, especially for athletic people.

the only two accurate ways to measure bf are x-ray aborption and magnetic resonance

 

[monstermmf]

and dunking... correct?

 

[perp69]

How much does the birometric one cost and were did you get it?

I bought the Omron Body Fat Analyzer. It ran me about $40 from Amazon. Just do a internet search for best price.