Bodyfat - Triathlon Week

stoney · 01-06-2003, 10:13 PM

I am not sure if this is the right place to post this but i don't know where else I would. I was wondering how all of you guys checked your body fat. Do those body fat scales really work? If so which one do any of you have.

trimom · 01-07-2003, 11:59 AM

Hi! I had my bodyfat measured by my coach using calipers that pinch the skin in different areas of the body. He used two methods to calculate my percentage body fat. Soon after, I happened to be at a store that sold the scales that measure body fat, and of course, jumped on to check it out, and the number the scale measured was about 4 percentage points higher than what was calculated using the calipers. (I was also fully clothed, but, took my shoes off). I didn't buy the scale!!!!

eco_phil · 01-07-2003, 01:19 PM

Bodyfat calculation using caliper is the least efficient technique. Scale being the normal and and held device being slithly better and finishing of with the water tank test being the best.

bodyfat % is the fat % of your entire mass. The handheld system send a small currrent thru your body and calculates your resistance. Fat being les resistive.

ColoCycle · 01-07-2003, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by eco_phil
bodyfat % is the fat % of your entire mass. The handheld system send a small currrent thru your body and calculates your resistance. Fat being les resistive.

I have heard that the scales with the current can fluxuate due to the thickness of your skin and electrolites, etc. I don't know if it's true or not. I know that the water tank is supposed to be the most accurate.

Alot of scales have the BF feature now. I went to buy a normal scale and 50% had BF calculators.

trimom · 01-07-2003, 02:12 PM

I didn't realize that the caliper method wasn't very accurate. I knew about the water measurement, however, I'm not familiar with the electric current device. Is this something that is on the scale or is it hand held? Is it something that is available at stores or is it done professionally?

Robert G. · 01-07-2003, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by trimom
I didn't realize that the caliper method wasn't very accurate. I knew about the water measurement, however, I'm not familiar with the electric current device. Is this something that is on the scale or is it hand held? Is it something that is available at stores or is it done professionally?

I think the calipers really depend on the skill of person using them. I've heard that they can be from 4%-30% accurate. The digital ones are the most accurate. The cheap plastic ones at GNC are a waste of time IMO :D

The electrical current devce he is talking about is what is built into the scales, I think. I'm not sure if they make a hand-held model, but I imagine they must. Anyone else know?

Raoul in L.A. · 01-12-2003, 06:23 PM

Hydrostatic weighing is #1.

Also the diffrence in #'s what one should be more concerned with.

Zylo · 09-19-2004, 02:16 PM

Calipers are almost always off 5% either way. They just aren't reliable and don't take into consideration water weight and human error.

Hand Helds and Scales are great. They aren't 100% accurate, but here is why they are great for regular people at home.

You are trying to lose fat yes? So lets say you buy yourself a good quality hand held. You take it home and it measures your Body Fat at 22%. Lets say that's off 2% and you are actually 20.

The point is, the hand held is going to be consistant and always show you are 2% higher than you are. So when you measure one month from now and the handheld shows you are now 19%, you will know you lost 3% bodyfat. Who cares if you are actually 17%. You still know you lost 3%.

Calipers aren't consistant. And that is what you are looking for. For regular people at home. Handhelds and scales are great and serve their purpose.

Just my 2cents.

NYtrigal · 01-26-2005, 08:24 PM

The hand held I tried was pathetic. It has become nothing more then a nice looking clock on my office.

Ric Stern/RST · 01-27-2005, 01:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eco_phil

Bodyfat calculation using caliper is the least efficient technique. Scale being the normal and and held device being slithly better and finishing of with the water tank test being the best.

bodyfat % is the fat % of your entire mass. The handheld system send a small currrent thru your body and calculates your resistance. Fat being les resistive.

Generally, BIA (bioelectrical impedance analysis) is actually the least accurate way of measuring body fat % (but requires the least skill on the part of the person conducting the test). Using good quality metal skinfold calipers such as (e.g.) Harpenden (see for e.g., [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]) which are the industry standard, and having someone qualified at taking anthropometrical measurments ensures a high degree of accuracy.

The current 'gold standard' for measurement is hydrostatic weighing (underwater weighing), but this is also prone to errors. DEXA measurements are now thought of or starting to be thought of as the new gold standard. However, not every university/clinic can conduct hydrostatic weighing, and even less can conduct DEXA scans.

Additionally, it's well known (at least in the primary research in the area surrounding body fat measurements) that all of the measures (excluding DEXA) are or can be prone to large errors due to assumptions that have to be made. There is only one way you can *accurately* ascertain your body fat %, however, it isn't very practical -- as it requires all your body fat to cut off and the mass of it measured separately to your lean body components. in other words, this method is only used with certain cadavers.

Ric