Measuring your Fat % is a very good indicator of health. It tells you how much of your body consists of just fat and how
much extra weight the body is carrying round which has an impact on joints and the heart. Fat though is important for
a variety of different functions, providing joint padding, protecting organs, the good fats even burn the bad fats and
the good fats (omega 3, 6 & 9) are excellent for the immune system. It is how much extra fat we carry which is
the problem.

Take a typical man weighing 70KGS with a healthy 14% body fat. 14% of 70Kgs X the calorific value of fat (9 calories) = 135,000 calories. That may seem alot of fat to you but it does have a great deal of importance.



There are many different ways to calculate and here are 3 with the easiest first:

Fat % Scales / Hand Held

Purchasing a pair of scales is perhaps the easiest way to measure body fat. If you buy the hand
held it will measure from one arm to another. Whilst the scales will measure up and down the legs.
So neither is particularly accurate (but normally within 5 -10%) but what it does provide is a
measurement tool to chart your progress against. If you do use either of these factors such as
hydration are important so always use under the same conditions because using post exercise when
not properly hydrated or early morning can lead to inconsistent results.

Fat % Caliper Test
If you go to a gym more often than not they will provide you with a caliper test. There are different
types. The 4 point test will take measurements, 2 from the arm, 1 from the back and 1 from the hip whereas
the 8 point test will also take further readings from the legs and back. Most gyms will perform a 4 point
test and this involves using a tape measure for accuracy, a caliper which graps hold of the skin (and
fat) and returns a reading.

This test is not as accurate as the water weighing but is more so than the scales. Ensure that anyone
performing this test on you uses a tape measure because there are predefined rules that determine
the position the reading should be taken from. If this is not used the results can not be accurately
used to chart progress because without the measurement the exact position can not be found again.

Water Weighing

The body is submerged in water and weighed. This is the most accuate way to assess body fat % but finding
a tank of water and the neccessary weighing equipment is hard.