bf% check

[maccaz]

How accurate is a 4 site caliper test? Had one a month ago, 20% - basically what i expected. Had another one yesterday, by the same person, same method, and got 21.2%, wouldn't argue with that except i am 2-3kg lighter than i was at the last one, and definately visably leaner, bicep veins starting to show, legs a lot leaner, etc + my strength has not gone down at all. Also have been spot on with nutrition so don't think i can have gone up in bf%

will water retention affect caliper tests? any other reason?

Obviously if I had lost the 2-3kg of muscle and fat had stayed the same this would explain it but dont think this is the case.

Also I know 1% either way is splitting hairs but don't want to be going backwards :shock: .

Last test around 10/7 was 20% @ 85kg exactly

Yesterday 2/8 was 21.2% at 82.9kg exactly

any ideas? I guess just wait another 4 weeks do another test and hope things are looking better, and of course go by the mirror as my main guide, but its good to have it in writing too i reckon.

[Phedder]

It largely depends on the person doing the measuring, and how consistent they can be. Did they measure and mark out each site beforehand, or just go 'That looks close enough' and pinch away. Did they take multiple readings and average them out, or just do 1 for each site? It takes me at least 30 minutes to do a good, consistent test, although I use 8 caliper sites + 5 girths, so obviously more time for more measures.

[maccaz]

It largely depends on the person doing the measuring, and how consistent they can be. Did they measure and mark out each site beforehand, or just go 'That looks close enough' and pinch away. Did they take multiple readings and average them out, or just do 1 for each site? It takes me at least 30 minutes to do a good, consistent test, although I use 8 caliper sites + 5 girths, so obviously more time for more measures.

yep marked and measured, but only took 1x measurement for each site so not average of a few tries.

guess i will wait and see how the next one goes, and if i think it's wrong will go somewhere else.

[FellowshipOfTheRon]

things like time of day, what you had to eat in the hours beforehand, how long before the test you worked out & if so how intensely, how hydrated you are all can contribute towards it but in the end i'd just put it down to human error man.

they could even have measured incorrectly the first time which makes comparing the results even more confusing.

if you trust those results then it means somethings seriously screwed up with your diet/workout regime (it's probably not the case though)

85kg @ 20% -> 68kg mass

82.9kg @ 21.2% -> 65.3kg mass

Actual weight loss in that period = 2.1kg although 2.7kg of muscle mass was lost.... implying 0.6kg of fat gain on top of 2.1kg of muscle loss.

Get more cites, do an average rather than just measuring once and try to keep the pre-measuring conditions even to help your chances for better reading.

[tomsammce]

things like time of day, what you had to eat in the hours beforehand, how long before the test you worked out & if so how intensely, how hydrated you are all can contribute towards it

this... go do your 30min check phedder in the morning and do it again in the evening itll be much different.

it really is just an estimate, its impossible to even give a semi accurate bodyfat percentage measurement with skin fold calipers... people can argue all they want but thats just the way it is. its just a guide the figures themselves mean nothing.

[NZresident1]

take as many measurements as you want end of the day its the sum of skinfolds that counts.

don't hang on the % focus upon reduction of the site skinfold thickness.

Example

triceps measure day 1 = 9mm

triceps re-measure day 21 = 5mm thats the goal reduce the fat % will drop and not muscle

To many people get hung up on the percent this is incorrect, the percent only shows the total not whats going on aorund the sites measured.

[tomsammce]

Measured tricep 6am = x

measured tricep 6pm = y

12 hour diff... Lost fat off tricep = lol

so many inconsistencies and flaws it's not even funny.

[Android]

YES sum total skinfolds is more important AND just to confuse the issue even more lol...

5mm +/- sum total skf males approx 0.5kg bodyfat

5mm +/- sum total skf females approx 1.0kg bodyfat

:nod:

Yeah true, if I drop 2mm it's about 1% or 1kg bf for me (100kg+)

Never heard of anyone doing an AM and then a PM test, usually they are 1-2 weeks apart and the results accurately help a nutritionist to rationalise whether a client is on target (they need goals to begin with and the goals are usually bf% not body weight or mirror for BB'ng...I say not mirror because you can't expect a nutritionist to "imagine" your ideal finished look LOL).

Anyway, let's say you don't drop 1%bf one week, you have to make a change and get back on track because you are now 2 weeks out from your goal, you have the new weeks goal to reach plus regain the previous weeks drop as well.

So bf% tests are vitally important for some of us with goals to achieve by a certain date.

[NZresident1]

Measured tricep 6am = x

measured tricep 6pm = y

Nice flexibility Tom are you into yoga

[Dinahlady]

I stopped doing them because found them too inconsistent. One time after a few weeks of dieting it came out at like 14% I was like... well obviously this is wrong and I've been mad at them ever since.

but at the end of the day if you are getting it measured by the same person and each time your mm's are going down then you are winning/getting leaner.

This paired with seeing changes in the mirror and weight decreasing etc etc indicates good changes.

But what Tom said - I find that when I'm dieting doing a refeed once a week, I find that as soon as I get back to my base weight (the weight before I did the last refeed) then i go under, I look a lot tighter instantly and can pinch a lot less and would read less mm's from that... when I clearly havent dropped kgs overnight...

[Mcmass]

Take photos every 2 weeks or so :wink:

[NZresident1]

I find that when I'm dieting doing a refeed once a week

Are you into hyper starvation protocols wtf?

I stopped doing them because found them too inconsistent. One time after a few weeks of dieting it came out at like 14% I was like... well obviously this is wrong and I've been mad at them ever since.

What I said earlier it is the sum of mm of skinfolds stop hating the tester and get your focus away from %.

If you are tighter it may be because you are fuller from your introduction of of food this would not affect a site caliper test as all you should be grabbing is the fat.

Total body fat reading of 14% is a health indicator not where your at if your weight is the same and the sum of sites is less then you have utilised fat stores.

[Mcmass]

[quote name=

Are you into hyper starvation protocols wtf?

Whats a Hyper starvation protocal?' date=' does it work as well as other diets like high protein low carbs?

Total body fat reading of 14% is a health indicator not where your at if your weight is the same and the sum of sites is less then you have utilised fat stores.

What makes 14% a health indicator?, can you be healthy still with higher or lower bf?

[Android]

What makes 14% a health indicator?, can you be healthy still with higher or lower bf?

Yes, if you are 8% then you are 8% healthy

Someone who is 30% is 30% healthy and so on.

Makes sense to me

:shock:

[Dinahlady]

I stopped doing them because found them too inconsistent. One time after a few weeks of dieting it came out at like 14% I was like... well obviously this is wrong and I've been mad at them ever since.

What I said earlier it is the sum of mm of skinfolds stop hating the tester and get your focus away from %.

If you are tighter it may be because you are fuller from your introduction of of food this would not affect a site caliper test as all you should be grabbing is the fat.

LOL excuse me? What did I say in my post - If your mm's are going down then you are getting leaner...

And I meant hating on bf tests not hating on the tester. it was actually my BF so that would be pretty awkward if I've been hating on him since then...

and no I didn't change my diet at all at the point where I reached base and went under and my calipers changed quite dramatically... I'm on a strict comp diet and apart from carb up my diet is the same?

I'm just highlighting previous discussion of inconsistencies - at different points in the week, depending on if I've gone under base or not, my caliper results are very different days apart, I haven't suddenly lost 2kgs of body fat but other factors have affected my overall hydration and therefore skin fold reading changes dramatically quite quickly.

[Riccardo]

Take photos every 2 weeks or so :wink:

This!

Calipers are probably the worst measure of body fat you can use. Honestly you'd be better off posting some pics and asking the forum for an estimate lol. The only reason I'd use calipers is to get a baseline reading and keep track of progress but then again who really cares what % you are. Either you look lean or you don't.

If you want a true reading go get a DEXA scan done. Pricey though.

[student]

how much ~$ for a dexa scan? and where do u go for it?

[Android]

The OP was talking about a regular BF test. Who is going to get a DEXA scan every 2 weeks, or ask a forum of random people whether they are on target?

A good caliper tester can get it right, can determine the loss and estimate the lean mass you've gained or lost since last time, and help with goal-setting for a future point in time.

The problem isn't the caliper test, it's the tester or his tools.

Never had an issue with testing this way and don't use random gym PTs to do my testing with a set of plastic calipers.

Same guys doing my tests are doing the tests of dozens of other bodybuilders so nothing special apart from the experience of the tester.

[Pseudonym]

Agreed. Caliper test do get a bad rap, and sometimes deservedly so. But in my experience, with a good tester, they're accurate enough for a easy progress check.

Just make sure you get an experienced tester, and use the same person each time.