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How to calculate body fat?
- Thread starter Toshendin
- Start date
..so don't consider me stupid
DanielBishop
New member
I see no one else is replying, so I'll do my best.
To tell you the truth, there is no ACCURATE way of measuring your bodyfat as a percentage. I studied this at the University of Western Australia (Sports + Exercise Science department) and that's what was concluded.
There's literally hundreds of ways to calculate your bodyfat as a %, but they all involve taking various measurements and putting them into some sort of mathematical formula. For example, you might take various skin-fold measurements, height, weight and put the numbers into an equation and the answer is supposedly your bodyfat percentage. But there's so many of these formulas that you can find one to give you whatever answer you want.
When we were researching it, we found one used by some Turkish coaches and trainers. When we applied to it our subject, it said he had 16% bodyfat. We tried a different one, and it said he was 3% bodyfat. Our subject was clearly neither.... I'd estimate he was about 9-11%, so you can find a method of calculating bodyfat to match your desires.... if you want to be 3% bodyfat, search for a method which tells you that.
One forumla we tried told us that our subject had negative bodyfat. Impossible.
The reason none of them are accurate is because there's so many variables. In other words, there's too many things to take into consideration. Like when you take a skin-fold measurement, you have to consider:
*Skin compressibility, and consistency of this at various points on the body (because it does differ)
*Subcetaneous water (water under the skin)
*Fat compressibility
*Fat location (fat is stored in different places on different people)
*Muscle and bone density and overall body composition
.... and probably a bunch of other stuff that I can't think of right now.
Considering all of those things, and how all that stuff is different from person to person, how can one method be accurate for everyone? Most methods don't consider those things I just mentioned anyway. And with all that data, taking measurements to very fine details, there's a whole lot of room for human error. And even professional researchers make mistakes.... and one mistake can lead to a big change in the bodyfat percentage. Even things like what sort of skin-fold calipers you use, makes a difference to your final bodyfat percentage.
That's why there's no ACCURATE way to do it. Other things like water displacement theory etc.... aren't accurate either. The best method to use, is the sum of skin folds.... (S8SF).... but even that has it's flaws. And it comes out in a number, rather than a percentage so it's really of no use unless you're comparing your number to someone else's, or comparing your number to what it used to be. When you do it for the first time, that strange number doesn't help you much.
But people like things to be in a nice, simple percentage.
Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that. There's plenty of methods.... like bodyfat monitor scales that you can buy.... but they're not accurate. You might as well guess.
The best way, is use a mirror. Get naked and check yourself out in the mirror.... that's the best way to see how much fat you have. The mirror won't make mistakes, or be inaccurate. Take photos if you want to see before and after results. It's the only way. Anything else isn't accurate.... even if the professionals do use those methods, doesn't mean they're right.
To tell you the truth, there is no ACCURATE way of measuring your bodyfat as a percentage. I studied this at the University of Western Australia (Sports + Exercise Science department) and that's what was concluded.
There's literally hundreds of ways to calculate your bodyfat as a %, but they all involve taking various measurements and putting them into some sort of mathematical formula. For example, you might take various skin-fold measurements, height, weight and put the numbers into an equation and the answer is supposedly your bodyfat percentage. But there's so many of these formulas that you can find one to give you whatever answer you want.
When we were researching it, we found one used by some Turkish coaches and trainers. When we applied to it our subject, it said he had 16% bodyfat. We tried a different one, and it said he was 3% bodyfat. Our subject was clearly neither.... I'd estimate he was about 9-11%, so you can find a method of calculating bodyfat to match your desires.... if you want to be 3% bodyfat, search for a method which tells you that.
One forumla we tried told us that our subject had negative bodyfat. Impossible.
The reason none of them are accurate is because there's so many variables. In other words, there's too many things to take into consideration. Like when you take a skin-fold measurement, you have to consider:
*Skin compressibility, and consistency of this at various points on the body (because it does differ)
*Subcetaneous water (water under the skin)
*Fat compressibility
*Fat location (fat is stored in different places on different people)
*Muscle and bone density and overall body composition
.... and probably a bunch of other stuff that I can't think of right now.
Considering all of those things, and how all that stuff is different from person to person, how can one method be accurate for everyone? Most methods don't consider those things I just mentioned anyway. And with all that data, taking measurements to very fine details, there's a whole lot of room for human error. And even professional researchers make mistakes.... and one mistake can lead to a big change in the bodyfat percentage. Even things like what sort of skin-fold calipers you use, makes a difference to your final bodyfat percentage.
That's why there's no ACCURATE way to do it. Other things like water displacement theory etc.... aren't accurate either. The best method to use, is the sum of skin folds.... (S8SF).... but even that has it's flaws. And it comes out in a number, rather than a percentage so it's really of no use unless you're comparing your number to someone else's, or comparing your number to what it used to be. When you do it for the first time, that strange number doesn't help you much.
But people like things to be in a nice, simple percentage.
Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that. There's plenty of methods.... like bodyfat monitor scales that you can buy.... but they're not accurate. You might as well guess.
The best way, is use a mirror. Get naked and check yourself out in the mirror.... that's the best way to see how much fat you have. The mirror won't make mistakes, or be inaccurate. Take photos if you want to see before and after results. It's the only way. Anything else isn't accurate.... even if the professionals do use those methods, doesn't mean they're right.
I agree with DanielBishop but the following link is a simple calculator:
http://www.ability.org.uk/bodyfat.htm
As an aside, my bodyfat % matches this calculation in the morning (when I'm dehydrated) according to a Tanita scale. In the evening my % drops by 2%. Your readings will fluctuate throughout the day...it's a dark science.
http://www.ability.org.uk/bodyfat.htm
As an aside, my bodyfat % matches this calculation in the morning (when I'm dehydrated) according to a Tanita scale. In the evening my % drops by 2%. Your readings will fluctuate throughout the day...it's a dark science.
regurgitator
New member
--->>>
That calculator is pretty off, according to it you would have to have a 30in. waist at 180 pounds for 6%bf, that is a little absurd. I have 10-11%bf according to my bf calipers and I have a 32-33 in waist...so if I drop my bf percent to 7-8 I doubt my waist will be 30 in...maybe I am wrong but....
That calculator is pretty off, according to it you would have to have a 30in. waist at 180 pounds for 6%bf, that is a little absurd. I have 10-11%bf according to my bf calipers and I have a 32-33 in waist...so if I drop my bf percent to 7-8 I doubt my waist will be 30 in...maybe I am wrong but....
DanielBishop
New member
That's one of the worse ones I saw.... only two points of data??
People have naturally bigger or smaller waists, y'know. Regardless of bodyfat, Ronnie Coleman has a smaller waist than Nasser El Sonbaty.
So, what about a guy 42" inch waist at 5"11, and weighs 200 lbs.... compared to a guy who is 6'3" with a 42" waist and weighs 200lbs.... is the bodyfat expected to be the same?
That's shitty. I wouldn't trust that one as far as I can throw it.
One thing I forgot to mention before, are.... like scales that supposedly use sonar and sound waves and stuff. We didn't do any specific research on those back in at uni (but there was archived data somewhere) but the one at my gym.... one of the trainers explained it to me and it sounded fine. Sends sound waves through your body, different tissue reflects the sound waves differently. So I tried it (in the later half of my cutting phase) and it said I was 16%.... I was a little pissed off, because I thought I was leaner than that. Two months later came back when I had since gone back to a bulking diet, had put on MUCH more bodyfat and it still said 16%.
People have naturally bigger or smaller waists, y'know. Regardless of bodyfat, Ronnie Coleman has a smaller waist than Nasser El Sonbaty.
So, what about a guy 42" inch waist at 5"11, and weighs 200 lbs.... compared to a guy who is 6'3" with a 42" waist and weighs 200lbs.... is the bodyfat expected to be the same?
That's shitty. I wouldn't trust that one as far as I can throw it.
One thing I forgot to mention before, are.... like scales that supposedly use sonar and sound waves and stuff. We didn't do any specific research on those back in at uni (but there was archived data somewhere) but the one at my gym.... one of the trainers explained it to me and it sounded fine. Sends sound waves through your body, different tissue reflects the sound waves differently. So I tried it (in the later half of my cutting phase) and it said I was 16%.... I was a little pissed off, because I thought I was leaner than that. Two months later came back when I had since gone back to a bulking diet, had put on MUCH more bodyfat and it still said 16%.
