How to Check Your Body Fat Percentage

Body fat percentage is the percentage of your body weight that’s from fat, and it's a common measure of your general fitness. You’ll frequently use your body fat percentage to measure your progress in a fitness program. You can check your body fat percentage at home from measurements you can take with a tape measure and bathroom scale. A series of calculations provides your body fat percentage from these measurements according to your gender.

Things You'll Need

• Bathroom scale
• Tape measure
• Calculator

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Instructions

• 1

  Make body measurements specific to females. Measure your hips, wrist and forearm with a tape measure that uses inches. Take all of these measurements at their widest point.

• 2

  Make body measurements for both genders. Measure your waist at navel level in inches. Weigh yourself in pounds with a bathroom scale.

• 3

  Calculate your lean body mass if you are female. Dave Draper provides the following equation to calculate your lean body mass: (0.732 x Weight) – (0.157 x Waist) – (0.249 x Hips) + (Wrist / 3.14) + (0.434 x Forearm) + 8.987.

  For example, assume your weight is 127 lbs. and your waist measurement is 28 in. Your hips measure 37 in., your wrist measures 6.5 in. and your forearm measures 9.5 in. Your lean body mass is (0.732 x 127) – (0.157 x 28) – (0.249 x 37) + (6.5 / 3.14) + (0.434 x 9.5) + 8.987 = 95 lbs.

• 4

  Calculate your lean body mass if you’re male. Dave Draper provides the following equation to calculate your lean body mass: (1.082 x Weight) – (4.15 x Waist) + 94.42.

  Assume your weight is 172 lbs. and your waist measurement is 33 in. Your lean body mass is (1.082 x 172) – (4.15 x 33) + 94.42 = 144 lbs.

• 5

  Convert your lean body mass to your body fat percentage. This conversion uses the following formula: (Weight - Lean Body Mass) x 100 / (Weight).

  Assume your lean body mass index is 95 lbs. and your total body weight is 127 lbs. You have a body fat percentage of (127 – 95) x 100 / (127) = 25.2 percent.