Body fat %

[franks2089]

Ok I'm really confused now. My body fat % based on what my scale says is 14% but then I stepped on another scale same make and model in my parents room it says I have 8% body fat. Is there some way to estimate body fat % without the use of a caliper. Like just with a measuring tape.

Here are my stats if anyone could help me.
Height 5'9
weight: 145
Waist:31
chest:42
biceps when flexed:16
IDK what to post but anyways here is the things probably most relevant.

[fallingupstairs]

my moms a nurse and there sights that can tell u google it

[franks2089]

can u post a link to one of them

[lottaLaX]

There's a ton of sites. here's one:

http://www.he.net/~zone/prothd2.html

They all give you the same answer if you use it right.

[Upintheclouds]

honestly none of those methods are going to be all that accurate. The things where you give your body weight height and all that it doesnt know which is fat and which is muscle so again that wont help you, even the calipers arent all that accurate, i mean they can probably get within 20% but you cant really use that because for a guy it doenst measure anything below the waste so you cant get a true estimate to what your body fat is. There is one way to get pretty accurate but i cant recall what its called ill get back to you and let you know

[franks2089]

There's a ton of sites. here's one:

http://www.he.net/~zone/prothd2.html

They all give you the same answer if you use it right.
Based on that my bf% is 9.

[ragnut]

The best way to use your scale is how your weight and body fat percentage change over time. Don't get hung up on the actual percentage, but concentrate on making the percentage better, always using the same scale.

[lottaLaX]

honestly none of those methods are going to be all that accurate. The things where you give your body weight height and all that it doesnt know which is fat and which is muscle so again that wont help you, even the calipers arent all that accurate, i mean they can probably get within 20% but you cant really use that because for a guy it doenst measure anything below the waste so you cant get a true estimate to what your body fat is. There is one way to get pretty accurate but i cant recall what its called ill get back to you and let you know
What? You didn't click the link. It doesn't ask for weight, just measurements. And I think if the navy uses it, it must be somewhat accurate.

[Upintheclouds]

What? You didn't click the link. It doesn't ask for weight, just measurements. And I think if the navy uses it, it must be somewhat accurate.

ok sorry my mistake but still how is the computer supposed to know how much of those measurments are fat and how much of it is muscle? Like i said before it can be accurate sometimes but it cant possibly be accurate all the time because like i said the computer cant tell how much of what its measuring is fat and how much is muscle

[yeti19]

Another thing to remember is that it's not about making the body fat % as low as you can get it as it can be dangerous and also ineffective if it gets lower than say 5-6%. This is because fats are a store of energy over longer periods of exertion, they replace the fuel that is used up by the muscles.

The calipers can be very inaccurate, this is usually because of errors in technique of using them.... but they can also be effected by changes in the amount of water that your body has in it, which changes over the course of a day, so if you are looking at change, make sure you are taking the measurements at the same time of day to ct down on the error that can be made.

It is important not to look for low body fat, but ideal body fat for your specific sport, average body fat for males is around 15% (females 25%) and there will be a range of different values that different sources will advise for each sport, try to find the most reliable source and work to that

[spenny]

i think there is a highly accurate way to measure BF with water displacement, but dont ask me to explain.

the scales that caclulate body fat need a little programming (at least mine does) you have to tell it if you are male or female, your age and your height. if any one of those things is incorrect, it will throw off the calculations and give you a wrong answer. for example, my wife is 5' 3", i'm 6' 1" if i get on the scale and use the preset for her height and age, it says that i am over 50% body fat.

[franks2089]

i think there is a highly accurate way to measure BF with water displacement, but dont ask me to explain.

the scales that caclulate body fat need a little programming (at least mine does) you have to tell it if you are male or female, your age and your height. if any one of those things is incorrect, it will throw off the calculations and give you a wrong answer. for example, my wife is 5' 3", i'm 6' 1" if i get on the scale and use the preset for her height and age, it says that i am over 50% body fat.
Yea my scale doesnt work very well on body fat. It works just fine with weight though. But for the body fat one day I will be 10% the next day 15% then the next be 12%. It serves its purpose as a scale but it is worthless as a body fat % calculator.

[yeti19]

i think there is a highly accurate way to measure BF with water displacement, but dont ask me to explain.




Yes it is done by measuring your weight in and out of water, and using the density of the water to figure out the density of your body. From that you can figure out your body fat.

It is however very time consuming, it requires use of a pool(a whole one as ripples make it impossible to get a reading) and equipment to weigh yourself submerged in the water.

It is accepted as the most accurate method, but skinfolds and bio-impedence(on the scales) are useful for what you are using it for, you know yourself if you are fit or not, i wouldn't get too obsessed with making your bodyfat% low, there are more important things to making you a good lacrosse player

[KnightsLAXDad]

Yea my scale doesnt work very well on body fat. It works just fine with weight though. But for the body fat one day I will be 10% the next day 15% then the next be 12%. It serves its purpose as a scale but it is worthless as a body fat % calculator.


BF% is greatly affected by hydration. It's going to read higher in the morning
late evening, with the lowest readings around 5-7pm. The idea is that it sends
a small electrical signal through your body and measures the resistance. It
figures out %BF because lean mass and fat conduct electricity differently.
Since water is a conductor, better hydration = lower BF% measurement. As
pointed out before, you have to take the measurement at the same time of day
every day, and look at the relative difference not the absolute number. Those
scales can only be so accurate.

FWIW, my BF% measured in the morning is a consistent 12%, and gets down
to 10-11% if I jump on in the late afternoon. I am 5'9-1/2" and weigh 145.