Waist: direction of fold is diagonal, and is taken above iliac crest along the anterior axillary line. Thigh: direction of fold is vertical, and is taken on anterior aspect of thigh, midway between inguinal crease and proximal border of patella.

After summarizing the measurements taken from the sites listed above, a chart developed by Jackson and Pollock can be referred to, and body-fat percentage can be noted. As mentioned earlier, readings can also be used to measure progress with having to calculate percentage of fat from the aforementioned equation, or any of the other or-so available equations.

It is generally impossible to achieve a body-fat reading of below three-percent. Even under conditions of starvation, the body will maintain a degree of fat to support vital organs essential fat. It is thought that about three-percent of a man's body-fat is essential.

Women need more essential fat for child bearing and other hormone related functions the average woman's essential body-fat is around percent. Essential fat is stored in the bone marrow, around the internal organs, and in the brain and spinal cord. The average male aged , according to statistical norms, will hold between percent body-fat.

Bodybuilders and other fitness adherents, on the other hand, tend to go much lower, but still generally do not go any lower than four-six-percent to achieve their best conditioning.

The caliper measurement options reviewed below are generally regarded as the best available, as they are easy to use and scientifically tested. As body-fat measurement technology has progressed, calipers have also improved in a variety of ways.

Other types of calipers generally require the services of a qualified professional as they more complex to use, and, as a result, there is a greater possibility for error if self-testing.

The measurement range with these calipers is mm, double that of the Harpenden model. Lafayette's unique skin-fold design also has an adjustable zero-point which allows one to reset the pointer back to zero.

Subject: Natalie Robson. Gender: Female. Age: Height: cms. Weight: 50kg. Results showed a very low percentage of body-fat, according to the universally used Jackson and Pollock table.

To gauge the usefulness of calipers as a fitness testing tool, several experts in their respective fields were contacted, and their opinions asked. With the above in mind, any pair of calipers will work fine. The greatest source of variability comes from how you use the calipers, who takes your measurements, what measurement sites you use you should measure at the same body location s all the time , etc.

The more these variables are held constant, the more likely you are to see a change in the variable of interest, your body fat level. I hope this sheds some useful insight, David. Thanks for considering my opinion!

BMI is only a correlate, and not a direct measure, as it does not factor in gender, age and level of muscularity. A bodybuilder like Lee Priest, for example, would register as obese despite being shredded at 6-percent body-fat, as he is classed as short and he does hold a lot of muscle weight weight is weight as far as the BMI is concerned; it does not discriminate between fat and muscle.

Lee's BMI would be way off the chart, despite low body-fat levels and loads of muscle. Caliper testing is widely recognised as being a superior measure of body-fat compared with BMI testing. Any questions, please ask or search for your answer. To keep up with the latest in sport science and this website, subscribe to our newsletter.

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There are many types of skinfold calipers on the market, which vary greatly in price, quality, accuracy, reliability, and ease of use. Which one do you use, or which one does an assessor use when testing your skinfolds. Here are images of the most popular types, select the one that is used, or a similar one.

There is a description of these calipers on the Skinfold Caliper Guide. If you use one that is not on the list, check 'other' and make a comment. Disclaimer: These polls are not scientific, and only reflect the opinion of visitors to this website who have chosen to participate.

We have over fitness tests listed, so it's not easy to choose the best one to use. You should consider the validity, reliability, costs and ease of use for each test. Use our testing guide to conducting, recording, and interpreting fitness tests. Any questions, please ask or search for your answer.

To keep up with the latest in sport science and this website, subscribe to our newsletter. We are also on facebook and twitter. Check out the other polls in the sections on Fitness Testing , Fitness , Sports and the Olympics. home search sitemap store. The caliper jaws open to 60 millimeters, so if you have a handful and not an inch, not to worry, you've covered!

if your skinfolds are in that range, however, you've got work to do! Harpenden is not just a town in England, it's also a skinfold caliper that has been used since the 's. The Harpenden caliper works almost the same way as a Lange, it simply has a different design.

You could say it's a competitor or alternative to the Lange caliper. Some health and fitness researchers and practitioners call this the gold standard caliper or at least the most prestigious. Studies have compared the Lange and Harpenden calipers and found the results were similar, both calipers being able to accurately measure body fat without error due to caliper design.

Researchers have noted in these comparison studies that both the Lange and Harpenden tended to under-predict body fat when compared to Hydrostatic weighing. As a pro-grade caliper, this one has a hefty price tag considering there's no computer in it.

I have to admit, these do look a bit like "vice grips of death. then hearing the news about your test results might be "painful".

Now we're getting into the consumer-grade calipers and the price difference is so drastic, you'll see why these calipers are called "consumer grade.

Construction is one reason for the bargain price - this caliper is made out of all plastic with a metal spring for the proper caliper grip tension. Years ago, I did my own little "study' and I tested a few subjects with the Skyndex, Lange and Slimguide calipers back to back.

I found the measurements provided by this caliper astonishingly consistent with the much pricier Skyndex or the Lange calipers. Even if the results aren't as high in absolute accuracy, as long as you can continue to get consistent measurements from week to week, that's what matters most and these calipers do a fine job at that.

These calipers are ideal for personal use if you are testing other people at multiple skinfold sites such as with the Jackson Pollock or Durnin Formula or if someone else will be testing you at home.

Click Here for the Slimguide Body Fat Caliper at Amazon. So far you've heard about calipers that are designed for use by fitness professionals or which at least require another person to measure you as in the case of the Slimguide.

Just to be clear, it's possible to measure your own abdominal, iliac, bicep and thigh skin fold, but it's ideal to have someone else measure at those sites for you. When you get to a skinfold like the tricep, it really gets hard to pinch yourself accurately.

And for the subscapular skin fold, which is on the upper back at the lower border of your scapula, you can't measure that one at all, unless you are some kind of human pretzel even then, not so accurate.

What I'm saying is that until the Accu measure caliper came along, skin fold testing was a two-person project. The AccuMeasure changed all that. This is an inexpensive caliper not only created for consumer use, it was specifically designed for self-testing at home.

I was only partially joking earlier about the funny conversations I've had over body fat testing. Some clients are like, "No way in hell are you groping at my fat folds! Fortunately, I suggested an alternative: Get a caliper so you can test yourself at home.

Enter the Accu-Meausure. No second person "fat groper? The Accu-Measure is a one-site skinfold test - the only place you pinch is on your iliac crest above your hip bone which you can easily reach by yourself. Unlike other calipers which use spring tension, the Accu-Measure uses a slide rule, which clicks into place when the caliper jaws have settled onto the skinfold.

Like all body fat testing methods, this one is not without cons along with the pros. When you test body fat at only one site on the body, it's possible you may be losing fat more rapidly at other sites, so you might show less progress than you're really making.

One thing I've noticed among very lean athletes and bodybuilders is that the illiac crest, where you do the Accu-measure pinch, can also get very very lean down to mm while other sites like the abdominal or upper back skinfolds are still rather large.

So for very lean individuals, there comes a point when Accu-measure may lose some of its usefulness and a multi-site test providing more data points more skinfold sites gives you better information.

Some people also wonder if a little plastic gizmo like this could really be accurate. It's possible the margin for error is higher when you're testing yourself instead of having a pro test you, but practice makes perfect.

In addition, a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found the Accu-Measure results comparable to the sum of three skinfolds taken by a professional grade caliper by an experienced tester.

Surprisingly, it's not uncommon for some fitness professionals to say, "Don't bother" with body fat testing or for practitioners to give up on it. This is for a variety of reasons, the biggest one usually being concerns about accuracy and consistency.

It's very true that skinfold testing is only accurate within a few percent and operator error can decrease the accuracy even more. The good news is that accuracy is not nearly as important as consistency over repeated measurements so you can chart your progress over time. If you find a skilled tester, you're likely to get reasonably accurate and very consistent measurements, and with practice, you can master the self-pinching technique if you're testing yourself at home.

Standardized procedures must be followed every time if you want consistent readings. Some people argue that body fat testing is simply not necessary because, while progress should be monitored, it's not mandatory to do so with body fat calipers. This is also true.

At the very least, you should monitor the following:. Your appearance in the mirror or with photos 2. Your total body weight 3.

Your waist measurement 4. Your performance in the gym. Doing this is significantly better than no self-monitoring at all. Also keep in mind that waist circumference is a good proxy for body fat because that measurement correlates well with body fat, and if you're getting fitter and stronger in your workouts, the odds are high that your body composition will be improving.

The most important thing of all is not to get the most accurate measurement or to chase any "holy grail" body fat percentage number, but to keep body composition in your consciousness instead of obsessing about scale weight alone. As I explained in a previous Burn the Fat Blog Post, the scale lies to you.

Simply understanding the distinction between body fat and body weight is often enough to change your behavior in positive ways, even without the body fat test. Some people become as obsessed with body fat tests as they do with their scale weight and as a result, a poor test result ruins their day or entire week.

But long as you don't get emotional over body fat numbers and you simply use them as progress charting data, I believe that the information you learn and the accountability you gain from body composition testing is not only worthwhile, it's priceless.

If you've never tracked your body composition before, doing it at least once for a period of three months or more can be a learning experience you can't get any other way.

You may find that the longer you've been in the game, the better you get at judging your progress in the mirror, eventually rendering body fat testing optional.

It's a lot like counting calories - if you do it for a while when you're first starting out, you eventually "get it" intuitively and you no longer need to track them. But unless you're a fitness pro or until you've got your body in the exact condition you want it, I can't recommend body fat testing highly enough, and the skinfold caliper method is my top choice for regular, practical and affordable testing.

Body fat testing has been a part of my Burn the Fat programs for more than two decades and always will be. Validity of self-assessment techniques for estimating percent fat in men and women, J Strength Cond Res.

Creighton University. Omaha NE. To Discuss home body fat testing methods in the Burn The Fat Inner Circle forums CLICK HERE members-only. To learn more about body fat testing, including other technologies such as Bioelectric impedance analysis BIA , the body fat testing scales and grippers, underwater weighing and DEXA scan, Click Here to read Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle, which has an entire chapter devoted to body composition and how to test it.