Obesity Help



Skinfold Measurement

Share |
Using skinfold calipers to measure your body fat

A skinfold measurement is among the most common and widely used tools for assessing one's body fat composition and health. If you've ever visited a gym or physical therapy center, you've probably seen someone getting a skinfold measurement. This usually occurs through the use of an instrument called "calipers" which measure adipose fat along various places of the body including the thigh, abdomen and underarm.

Skinfold measurement is a popular tool partially because people can use it in the privacy of their home. Many people buy and use home caliper equipment to assess how much body fat they carry. While this test is not 100 percent accurate (there really isn't one that is) you usually get a good estimate of how much body fat you have compared to lean tissue.

Do It Yourself Or Ask For Help?
While you may feel tempted to conduct caliper tests at home in secret, the chances are high you will benefit more by having someone take measurements for you. You can do this many ways, including by asking your doctor or a good friend to measure your skinfolds for you. Ideally, multiple skinfold measurements should be taken at different places on your body, to get the best possible estimate of your overall body fat.

The key is grabbing only the adipose tissue or actual FAT and not muscle or other body mass when trying to measure body fat. This may take some practice if you are doing the measuring yourself or with the help of an inexperienced friend. Usually healthcare providers, physical fitness trainers, nutritionists and other like-minded people are trained specifically to conduct these measurements as accurately as possible.

Once you have your skinfold measurements, there is software you can use which will use this data, and other information you input, to calculate your body fat percentage. (There are many free tools for this available online.) In the best case scenario, you will get an estimate of your total body fat percentage that is likely between 1 and 2 percent of your exact body fat. That's not bad for a small plastic instrument that costs pennies on the dollar compared with other methods.

What Is Subcutaneous Fat?
Subcutaneous fat is the only type of fat measured by calipers. Subcutaneous refers to the fat that resides just under the skin. Because people can have fat in many different places, including within the abdomen, sometimes it is difficult to measure fat exactly in some people.

Most however, consider skinfold testing one of the more reliable forms of fat testing available. It is usually inexpensive and easy to administer. As with other forms of testing including bioelectric impedance testing, skin caliper testing is less likely to provide an accurate depiction of total body fat in certain people, especially among athletes who have a higher muscle and bone density.

In cases as these, a trainer or coach may decide to use several measures and round them to get the best possible estimate of one's overall health and wellness.

How Do I Get Tested?
There are many ways to have your body fat tested using calipers without you having to do it alone. Your doctor for example, can easily administer a caliper test to estimate your bone density and fat. Many gyms also offer this service. If you are not a member you may have to pay a fee.

Many gyms will provide you with a free test once each year if you are a member, so there is no harm in asking. You can also ask your doctor where the best locations are to get estimates of your body fat percentage if your doctor does not provide the service personally.

Most healthcare providers take advantage of health networks, so you should be able to get what you need with little effort.


Related Articles: