How to Properly Use Fat Calipers

Fat calipers are a reliable way to test a person's body fat. They are easier (and more convenient) than testing via water displacement or specialty scales. They may be used to track weight loss (or gain) over time, work toward a fitness/body building goal or simply to learn more about one's health.

Things You'll Need

• Body fat calipers
• Scale (optional)

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Instructions

• 1

  Stand up and with your left hand's forefinger and thumb, pinch a fold of skin over your suprailliac site, which is one inch above your right hipbone. Holding the caliper in your right hand, place the arms over the skin fold and let the caliper close, clicking into place. This will not pinch, squeeze or hurt your skin.

• 2

  The caliper's "scale" slides into place to report your measurement. Make note of the number. Repeat the process two more times to ensure proper posture and measuring. If the numbers remain the same, check the number against the body fat measurement chart (included with the caliper)

• 3

  Note that figures for men and women vary greatly. For example, a 41-year-old woman is considered to have ideal body fat with a skin-fold measurement of 12 to 17, translating to 24.6 percent to 27.9 percent body fat. On the other hand, a 41-year-old man is considered ideal with a skin-fold measurement of 12 to 16, which translates to 17.8 percent to 21.3 percent body fat.

• 4

  Calculate body fat lost over time by using the percentage of the body fat measured by the caliper and multiplying it by your actual body weight (use a scale). This is the total amount of fat in your body. Subtract that number from your actual body weight; this is the total amount of lean muscle mass in your body. For example, the 41-year old woman has body fat of 25 percent and weighs 130 pounds. This equates to .25 x 130 = 32.5 pounds of body fat and 97.5 pounds of lean muscle mass. These numbers may be tracked over time to calculate the amount of body fat lost.