Knowing your body fat percentage helps you in a lot of aspects. Most importantly that’s how you find out to which group you belong – lean, average, overweight or obese.
It helps you craft a more precise daily calorie intake, so that for example if you fall in the category of average people, but you want to move into the upper category – lean, you can determine exactly how much calories you need in order to start losing fat, while still keeping your muscle mass.
That’s all good, but… how do you find your body fat percentage?
Even I, when talking about measuring body fat, have suggested that you ask a fitness trainer at your local gym to help you out. Some times that’s an option, but some times it’s not. After all you may not want to let others know this personal bit of information.
And then there are all the other methods like skin fold body fat testing (in fact that’s the most likely method a fitness trainer would use, a.k.a. pinch test), DEXA scan (dual energy X-ray), Hydrostatic body fat testing, Bioelectrical impedance (TANITA scales, etc.) and on and on…
The thing is all these require either equipment or assistance from someone else, or even both.
But how do you find your body fat percentage alone from the comfort of your home.
Well, there is a method. It’s not the most accurate out there, but if you consistently use it, it will tell you if you are moving up, maintaining or you are losing fat. But most importantly it’s easy to do, you don’t need anyone else, and it takes not more than a minute.
To calculate your body fat percentage this way you will only need a tape measure. If you are a male you will have to take 2 measurements, if you are a female you will have to take 5.
Now, before we continue I want to mention that you will not have to do the calculations manually. I have already created calculators that will help with that, but just for your information immediately below you will find a table with the numbers that the calculators actually use:
| Body Fat Formula For Women | |
|---|---|
| Factor 1 | (Total body weight x 0.732) + 8.987 |
| Factor 2 | Wrist measurement (at fullest point) / 3.140 |
| Factor 3 | Waist measurement (at naval) x 0.157 |
| Factor 4 | Hip measurement (at fullest point) x 0.249 |
| Factor 5 | Forearm measurement (at fullest point) x 0.434 |
| Lean Body Mass | Factor 1 + Factor 2 – Factor 3 – Factor 4 + Factor 5 |
| Body Fat Weight | Total bodyweight – Lean Body Mass |
| Body Fat Percentage | (Body Fat Weight x 100) / total bodyweight |
| Body Fat Formula For Men | |
| Factor 1 | (Total body weight x 1.082) + 94.42 |
| Factor 2 | Waist measurement x 4.15 |
| Lean Body Mass | Factor 1 – Factor 2 |
| Body Fat Weight | Total bodyweight – Lean Body Mass |
| Body Fat Percentage | (Body Fat Weight x 100) / total bodyweight |
Source: bmi-calculator.net
That was the theoretical part. Now, get your tape measure out and click on the link below to go to the body fat calculators page.
Bookmark that page (there is a bookmark option at the top left on each page) and go there as often as you want.