A basic way to measure body fat percentage is by using a soft tape measure like the kind youd use for. Often used by fitness professionals calipers are used to literally pinch your skin folds usually around the. However the measurement also involves measuring the composition of overlying tissue. Summary estimating body fat percentage with skinfold calipers is. Thus it gives the most accurate measurements of the latter. The bod pod taps into adp technology air displacement plethysmography if you want to get fancy which uses air displacement to measure body volume and calculates lean and fat mass.
Dual energy x ray absorptiometry dexa scans. Measurement errors can range from 355 body fat 3. Here is an example of a 7 site skinfold assessment. 6 ways to measure body fat percentage 1. The best and worst ways to measure body fat. Simply known as the dexa method this is a reliable way to measure body composition including fat content.
Measuring your waistline can help complement your body fat scale results. Dexa or dxa stands for dual emission x ray absorptiometry. Its usually used for bone density testing but its also considered one of the most accurate ways to measure body fat 2 this is a verified and trusted source shape. Dexa was originally developed to measure bone mineral mass. A skin fold test is done using a tool called calipers to pinch different areas of your body and measure. Other ways to measure body fat waist measurements.