Finding a consistent method of measuring your body fat is critical if you are serious about reaching your goals. Sadly, many people fall into the trap of using the weight scale as the end all be all to their progress.
A scale does not provide an accurate snap shot of your progress. If all you are doing is looking at a scale, please stop. You need to measure your body composition if you truly want to know whether or not your approach is working.
Also, not all methods for measuring fat are the same.
Thus, here is a primer on how to measure your body fat levels:
1. Skin calipers. Ever see a trainer pinch a client with that claw-like contraption? Well, he is taking some skin fold measurements. The biggest benefit here is ease of implementation and fairly accurate results. The key here is to make sure that you use the same person over and over again for taking the measurements.
2. Hydrostatic testing. Fat and lean tissues have different densities. And this test measures the density of your body to determine how much fast and muscle you have. Unfortunately, the preparation and the number of variables involved that can go wrong make this method not so attractive to the average person.
3. Bioelectrical impedance. I am sure you have seen the little gadgets with handles that you hold in your hands to get an almost immediate reading of your body fat levels. The major drawback? They are usually extremely inaccurate. Why? Because they send an electrical signal through your body and too many things can interrupt the signals path.
4. DEXA. Also known as dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, this technique sends a couple harmless x-rays through your body to measure levels of lean tissue. It is very accurate and requires little, if any preparation. The only drawback here is cost.
Each method for measuring body fat has its pros and cons. For the most part, the biggest factor affecting accuracy will be the professionals skill and experience with taking the measurements. Having said that, you should pick a method and use it consistently so that you can know whether or not your program is working.
A scale does not provide an accurate snap shot of your progress. If all you are doing is looking at a scale, please stop. You need to measure your body composition if you truly want to know whether or not your approach is working.
Also, not all methods for measuring fat are the same.
Thus, here is a primer on how to measure your body fat levels:
1. Skin calipers. Ever see a trainer pinch a client with that claw-like contraption? Well, he is taking some skin fold measurements. The biggest benefit here is ease of implementation and fairly accurate results. The key here is to make sure that you use the same person over and over again for taking the measurements.
2. Hydrostatic testing. Fat and lean tissues have different densities. And this test measures the density of your body to determine how much fast and muscle you have. Unfortunately, the preparation and the number of variables involved that can go wrong make this method not so attractive to the average person.
3. Bioelectrical impedance. I am sure you have seen the little gadgets with handles that you hold in your hands to get an almost immediate reading of your body fat levels. The major drawback? They are usually extremely inaccurate. Why? Because they send an electrical signal through your body and too many things can interrupt the signals path.
4. DEXA. Also known as dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, this technique sends a couple harmless x-rays through your body to measure levels of lean tissue. It is very accurate and requires little, if any preparation. The only drawback here is cost.
Each method for measuring body fat has its pros and cons. For the most part, the biggest factor affecting accuracy will be the professionals skill and experience with taking the measurements. Having said that, you should pick a method and use it consistently so that you can know whether or not your program is working.
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