How to Test Body Fat at Home

Professional bodybuilders typically have to have a body fat percentage of 5% or lower to compete. Though bodybuilding can raise awareness about the importance of maintaining low body fat, body fat is a complicated issue. A body fat percentage of 25% isn't necessarily unhealthy, depending on your age and gender. For women between 20 and 40, 19% to 26% body fat is considered good to excellent. For men of the same age, 10% to 20% body fat is considered good to excellent.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• Internet connection

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Instructions

• 1

  Navigate to a website that has a body fat calculator. Three websites that offer these calculators are Health Central, Health Status and Diet & Fitness Today.

• 2

  Begin one of the home body fat tests by entering or selecting your gender. Some websites will also have you enter your age and current body weight.

• 3

  Measure your waist and hips in inches using your measuring tape. When measuring your waist, stand up straight in a comfortable position and measure the circumference at your navel. When measuring your hips, keep your feet about 4 inches apart and measure the widest part of your hips.

• 4

  Measure your forearm and wrist if asked. Measure the circumference of your forearm by clenching your fist and wrapping the tape around the widest part between your wrist and your elbow. Enter the value in the appropriate box. Measure the circumference of your wrist just below the base of your hand.

• 5

  Measure the circumference of your neck if asked to do so by placing the measuring tape around your neck at its narrowest point.

• 6

  Enter all of these values in the appropriate boxes, and click on the calculator button to see the results.