How to Measure Body Fat From Test Sites

Body fat percentage is a more accurate indicator of fitness than body weight. For women, a body fat percentage between 14 and 20 is indicative of athletic conditioning, and 21 to 24 percent indicates general fitness. For men, a body fat percentage between 6 and 13 is indicative of athletic conditioning, and 14 to 17 percent indicates general fitness.

Instructions

Skinfold Body Fat Percentage Test

1

Stand up when taking your measurements. All of the following measurements should be done on the right side of the body. Using one hand, pinch the skin between your thumb and forefinger at each test location. Be sure to pull up all the fat with your pinch. Hold it. With the other hand, use the jaws of the skinfold calipers to clasp the pinch halfway between the crest and base of the skinfold. Read the measurement on the calipers and round the result to the nearest .5mm and record.

2

TEST LOCATIONS FOR MEN:
a. Using a diagonal angle, perform a measurement midway between your armpit and nipple.
b. Perform a measurement roughly 1 inch to the side of your navel.
c. Perform a measurement midway between your knee and the top of your thigh.
TEST LOCATIONS FOR WOMEN:
a. Perform a measurement just above the area where your front hip bone protrudes.
b. Relax your arms at your sides. Perform a measurement at the back of your arm, midway between your shoulder and elbow.
c. Perform a measurement midway between your knee and the top of your thigh.

3

Verify the accuracy of these measurements by repeating them twice more using the same rotational sequence. If you find that no two of your measurements are alike for a particular location, use the median number for that location.

4

Use the skinfold calculator located in the resources section at the end of this article to interpret your measurements.

Girth-Measurement Body Fat Percentage Test

5

Make four columns on your paper.

FOR MEN:
Label your columns: UA (Upper Arm), A (Abdomen), FA (Forearm) and B (Buttocks)

FOR WOMEN:
Label your columns: A (Abdomen), T (Thigh), C (Calf) and FA (Forearm)

6

Pull the measuring tape around the region with the largest circumference of each of the foregoing body parts. The tension of the tape should not be tight enough to produce a skin indentation, nor so loose fitting as to leave gaps between the tape and the skin. Read each measurement, and record the results.

7

Calculate your body fat percentage using the appropriate formula:
FOR MEN AGED 18 to 26
UA + A FA 10.2 = Body Fat Percentage

FOR MEN AGED 27 to 50
B + A F 15.0 = Body Fat Percentage

FOR WOMEN AGED 18 to 26
A + T FA 19.6 = Body Fat Percentage

FOR WOMEN AGED 27 to 50
A + T C 19.6 = Body Fat Percentage