Measure Fat Loss the Right Way!

 

There are many ways marketed to track fat loss.  Many of them are gimics that do nothing more than make the companies selling them a lot of money.  The holidays are a great time for this. 

Before a discussion of some of the more popular gimics, or ugh methods, let’s talk body fat.  Body fat percentage is the most common way to track progress.  The key here is just that, progress.  The actual body fat percentage matters very little.   It is great for argument sake but not much else.  In fact, better forms of body fat measurement have as much as 3% error.  On some one that is 10% body fat that is 30% error! 

If percentage is not that accurate what is?  Actual skin fold measurements taken by skin fold calipers.  Skin fold readings are typically used to generate the body fat percentage.  Changes in skin fold are a simple way to track a loss or gain of body fat.  There are different formulas, 3-site, 4-site, 7-site, and 9-site, to get body fat percentage from the skin folds.  Again formula does not matter, change in the skin fold measurements does. The more measurements, the better change can be monitored.  FitWorkz.com uses the 9-site method.

Popular Methods

Tanita/Bio Electrical Impedance

This one takes the cake for making companies rich and doing nothing to help track fat loss. This method electronically measures fat.  The user stands barefoot on a scale or holds two hand grips.  The impedance is measured and correlated to a body fat percentage.  This method is greatly influenced be hydration and electrolyte (salt, etc) levels.  Users will vary in body fat percentage by as much as 5-8% in the same day and sometimes more based on fluid and salt intake alone. 

  Authors note: I have personally seen my percentage read over 20% when the caliper method has me at 6% or below.  This is pre-bodybuilding contest where visually it is obvious 20% via impedance is way off!

  Under Water Weighing/Hydrostatic Weighting

Equates water displacement to bodyfat.  Have a pool and the equipment?  If so can you exhale all of the air out of your lungs?  This method is one of the best, but few will have access to the equipment so there is little point in discussion it further.  J

 

BodPod (Remember Mork and Mindy?  The BodPod looks like it was Morks)

Equates air displacement to body fat.  Kind of a modern technology applied the old gold standard, under water weighing.  A fast, accurate, and easy test, the BodPod is not readily available.  Some larger fitness clubs have them but not all. 

Skin Fold Analysis

This is probably the best method as it is most readily available..  Calipers for doing the measurement range in price from twenty to a few hundred dollars.  Most gyms will have calipers of one type or another.   The better calipers are green, made of metal and are called Lange Calipers.  Various charts and equations take the sum of skin folds and produce a body fat percentage.  As is stated above the more sites checked the better and the change in the skin fold total is more important than the actual percentage.  Email to schedule a time to get yours checked, info@fitworkz.com.

  To learn more contact FitWorkz.com; Info@FitWorkz.com

*This article is the property of FitWorkz.com and Ergoteknix Inc.  No part may be reproduced with out expressed, written permission and consent of FitWorkz.com or Ergoteknix Inc.