BODY FAT

[Sherylea]

Does anyone know an accurate way of measuring body fat? I have heard that calipers are not very acurate and I do not have access to DEXA here in Kelowna!

[Big Tex]

This topic has been discussed in a previous older thread. Search window at top right corner.

But use calipers and tape measurements. Have a partner help you to get a 7pt, 4pt, and 3pt measurement done.

[Big_R]

Does anyone know an accurate way of measuring body fat? I have heard that calipers are not very acurate and I do not have access to DEXA here in Kelowna!

if you are super-anal about it, then getting dunked in a tank is the best way

[Mikehr]

If you aren't competing who cares?

If you happy about how you look in the mirror then you are the right bf lol

If I didnt compete there would be no way that I would check I would just keep tweaking till I looked how I wanted to!

[Sherylea]

The reason mainly I want to know is because im contemplating doing a second CN during the week but Keifer had said in a podcast that this should be done at lower BF levels....im also trying to put some muscle so it would be nice to know if that second CN would help my BF go down

[bobbitt81]

I have a scale that measures it.

It's not super accurate, but it at least gives me a relative measurement (I know where I was relative to the day before, and the week before).

And it's at least ballpark-able. When I see 26.8%, I know that's too damn high. I may actually be 25% or 29%, but the margin isn't the big deal right now.

Just depends on who you are and what you're trying to do!

[Mikehr]

The reason mainly I want to know is because im contemplating doing a second CN during the week but Keifer had said in a podcast that this should be done at lower BF levels....im also trying to put some muscle so it would be nice to know if that second CN would help my BF go down

My issue with this is the reason kiefer uses BF as far as I know is because its the best indicator of insulin sensitivity. Your training, personal insulin sensitivty and food choices will make a much bigger impact.

[Brandon Whitfield]

Getting dunked in a tank isn't as accurate as people think. If you have any gas in your body the readings will be off. The only true accurate way is to get an MRI of it done. But unless you're competing... Calipers will do fine.

[pshannon]

Getting dunked in a tank isn't as accurate as people think. If you have any gas in your body the readings will be off. The only true accurate way is to get an MRI of it done. But unless you're competing... Calipers will do fine.

I can't believe your telling people that getting an MRI for your BF is an option. This is why medicare in the US is fucked.

[Buzweed]

Don't you have the chance to get it measured at the gym?

Mine is using a Futrex 6100 XL and I'm doing a test for fat/muscle mass every 2-3 months to see in which way I have to tweak things .

That's how we do it in Germany

[atorell]

Getting dunked in a tank isn't as accurate as people think. If you have any gas in your body the readings will be off. The only true accurate way is to get an MRI of it done. But unless you're competing... Calipers will do fine.

I can't believe your telling people that getting an MRI for your BF is an option. This is why medicare in the US is fucked.

Medicare won't pay for that purpose (doubt that any other insurance carrier would either), so doubt it would f-up the f'd-up Medicare system. Out of pocket...

[atorell]

I have a scale that measures it.

It's not super accurate, but it at least gives me a relative measurement (I know where I was relative to the day before, and the week before).

And it's at least ballpark-able. When I see 26.8%, I know that's too damn high. I may actually be 25% or 29%, but the margin isn't the big deal right now.

Just depends on who you are and what you're trying to do!

You're talking about one of those electrical impedance scales? Those are notoriously inaccurate... maybe the relative measurement from one measurement to a second on the same person is a little useful... maybe.

I've looked into DEXA and even asked a radiologist friend if they are done around here... nada. Can get immersion and even Bod Pod done for reasonable cost at a couple places. Might out of curiosity but I agree with those stating that how you look is valuable. Take serial photos of a relevant body part (like abdomen for me) every week of the cycle... tape measurements... those are both cheap and easy and useful.

[Reis]

I went to Peak Performance in NYC, a gym that has an InBody 520 machine.  (Printout Attached)

It's far more accurate than calipers, and the sheet it prints out with the breakdown is helpful.  Even with the margin of error as long as I get my bf done on this machine next time at least I have a consistent metric to compare.  I say it's worth it for sure.

[heyjami]

I use this site just to give me a measurement that I can track up and down:  http://www.biofitness.com/bodyfat.html

I've been dunked and surprisingly this site is spot on with my dunk measurement!
But I'm sure there other others whom it wont' be as accurate for - I can just tell you what works for me.

I keep a spreadsheet and it's fun to see over the last 10 years how things have changed.  The spreadsheet has measurements, body weight and body fat % from this site and body fat % from the dunk.

[Mikehr]

I went to Peak Performance in NYC, a gym that has an InBody 520 machine.  (Printout Attached)

It's far more accurate than calipers, and the sheet it prints out with the breakdown is helpful.  Even with the margin of error as long as I get my bf done on this machine next time at least I have a consistent metric to compare.  I say it's worth it for sure.

Same thing my gym has as well there is a few rules you have to follow to ensure accuracy though did your gym tell you them?