Measure the Body Fat Correctly with a Calliper!

An accurate indicator of your body balance is not your weight-for-height ratio, but your fat-to-muscle ratio. Moreover, this indicator can be determined at home, thanks to such a simple tool as a calliper. Learn more about it and how to use it in the following article.

What is the calliper?

A calliper is an instrument used to measure the volume of subcutaneous fat. To determine it, it is necessary to compare the obtained measurement results with a special table containing information about the ratio of the thickness of adipose tissue to the muscles of the body. Compared to electronic scales, this method is more accurate, since it is based not on average indicators (height and body weight), but on specific measurements of the thickness of the layer of fat located under the skin on several parts of the body.

And when losing weight, it is very important to know the initial body mass index. After all, the very meaning of losing weight is getting rid of excess adipose tissue, with a parallel strengthening of muscles. And the calliper will help to very accurately establish the amount of fat in the body, on the basis of which it will already be possible to choose a specific method of losing weight.

How to make measurements with the calliper?

Taking measurements with a calliper is not difficult and is performed in the following way.

You need to stand still and find some points. There are several such points, and in order to obtain accurate data in the calculation, it is necessary to use all of them.

Pin the skin along with the fat at this place.

Measure the thickness of the resulting calliper fold.

Repeat the procedure at the next point.

Important! To obtain the results that correspond to the real picture as much as possible, measurements with a calliper must be carried out at all points of the body. This is due to the fact that in different parts of the body, the thickness of the fat layer is significantly different.

Data gathering

The measured results obtained in millimetres must be compared with your height and weight. Then, using a special table, calculate the percentage of fat in your body and determine which zone this indicator belongs to: low, medium or high.

What parts need to be measured?

To bring the final measurement result closer to the real one, you need to take readings from all points located in different parts of the body. So, the thickness of the fold must be replaced: in the middle of the triceps, in the middle of the biceps, slightly below the scapula, around the waist.

Let’s take a closer look at the procedure for taking measurements using a calliper.

Triceps. The desired point is located at an equidistant distance from the elbow and shoulder. To measure, you need to form a vertical fold at the back of the triceps.

Scapula. For calculations, you need to form a fold slightly below the scapula, located at an angle of 45 degrees relative to the spine.

Waist. Here, a horizontal crease forms just above the protruding pelvic bone.

Biceps. Measurements of this part are similar to measurements of the triceps, just a fold is formed in the front of the arm.

If you are looking for a calliper visit the My Protein website.

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