Bodybuilding.com - Simple Methods To Test Your Body Fat Percentage

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By the time he completes his schooling, the average American has learned of weight training.

Simple Methods To Test Your Body Fat Percentage

When losing fat it is important to know, not just how much weight you are losing, but how much of your body is muscle and how much is fat. You want to lose fat while maintaining or even building muscle. So, you need some way to keep track of your body fat percentage.

The following are two simple methods to determine current body fat percentage and lean mass percentage.

Method Number One

For this test you will need someone's help and a ruler that reads in millimeters (mm).

Step 1

Step 2 - With his/her thumb and forefinger have him/her pinch a fold of skin and fat away from the muscle.

Step 3 - Have him/her measure the thickness of the skin pinched. (Do not rest the ruler against the skin.)

Step 4 - Have him/her do steps 2 and 3 several times and get the average reading.

Step 5 - Find your body fat percentage by using the chart below.

Fat Percentage Chart

Skin Fold Thickness In MM	Body Fat % Men	Body Fat % Women
6	5-9	8-13
13	9-13	13-18
19	13-18	18-23
25	18-22	23-28
38	22-27	28-33

Method Number Two

This test requires a scale and a tape measure. Do the following calculations:

For Men

Lean body weight = 94.42 + 1.082 (nude weight in pounds) - 4.15 (waist girth around bellybutton in inches)

Then:

Body fat (%) = bodyweight - lean bodyweight x 100/bodyweight

Calculate your percentage of body fat
Select Your Gender
Male		Enter Your Weight (lbs.)
Female		Enter Your Waist Size (in.)
Your body fat percent is:

For Women

Lean body weight = 8.987 + 0.732 (weight in kilograms) + 3.786 (wrist diameter in centimeters) + 0.434 (forearm circumference in centimeters)

Then:

Body fat (%) = bodyweight - lean bodyweight x 100/bodyweight

Notes:

To convert pounds to kilograms divide by 2.2

To convert inches to centimeters divide by 0.394

Divide circumference by 3.14 (pi) to get diameter.

Method Number Three

If you don't like doing much work, you can do it the easy way! Like the Accu-Measure Fitness 2000 Personal Body Fat Tester, the FatTrack Digital Body Fat Caliper enables a user to measure (AND TRACK) body fat % by oneself - easily and accurately.

Click Here To Get Your Own Electric Body Fat Tester!

Click Here To Get Your Own Body Fat Tester!

Paul Becker is a natural (steroid free for life) bodybuilder and fitness consultant. He is the author of many books and courses on training and diet, the most popular of which is his book "Truly Huge". For more information on his books, courses & personalized training visit his website at http://www.trulyhuge.com.

As always, if you have any questions or comments feel free to E-Mail me.

muscle@relaypoint.net
http://www.trulyhuge.com
(c) 1997, by Paul Becker

muscle@relaypoint.net