Body Fat Caliper Measuring Instructions

Skinfold calipers are a popular method among personal trainers for measuring body fat percentage. Based on the idea that most of the body's fat lies underneath the skin, these calipers measure the thickness of the skin at certain key points on the body. This method can give you a better idea of your body composition than methods like calculating BMI, but to measure your body fat percentage with skinfold calipers, you need more than a special set of instruments. For accurate results, you must take and record all measurements precisely.

Things You'll Need

• Skinfold calipers
• Eyebrow pencil
• Pencil
• Paper

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Instructions

• 1

  Identify the location of each site on the body where you will measure the skin. For men, these sites are a diagonal skinfold taken halfway across the chest, at the level of the underarm, a vertical skinfold on the front of the thigh halfway between the hip and knee, and a vertical skinfold on the abdomen one inch above the navel.

  For women, these sites are a vertical skinfold on the back of the triceps, halfway between the shoulder and elbow, a vertical skinfold on the front of the thigh, halfway between the hip and knee, and a diagonal fold taken at the crest of the ilium bone in the pelvis.

  For best results, ask someone to help you record these measurements.

• 2

  Zero the calipers by ensuring the pointer reads at zero before you begin. If the calipers are not zeroed, turn the dial slowly until the pointer reads at zero.

• 3

  Record all measurements on the right side of the body only. Take measurements at each site. Grasp the skin and underlying tissue at each site gently between the thumb and forefingers.

• 4

  Mark the skinfold at each site with an eyebrow pencil, 2 cm below where the skin is grasped. Place the calipers at this marking, perpendicular to the skinfold.

• 5

  Measure the thickness of the skinfold to the nearest 0.1 mm, while still grasping the fold. Release the trigger on the calipers, and after 3 seconds, read the dial to the nearest 0.1 mm. Record each measurement with pencil and paper.

• 6

  Take all necessary measurements at each skinfold site. For accuracy, take at least two measurements at each site, and continue taking measurements until two measurements vary by less than 1 mm.