Body fat percentage is an important data for evaluating health in general; it is considered much more useful than weight alone or body mass index (BMI). Fat is deposited in the connective tissue and is referred to as adipose tissue. If you increase the amount of fat by eating more calories than the body can burn, you run the risk of suffering from obesity and other chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, arthritis and some cancers. Determining body fat is a useful criterion for monitoring the progress of a diet and training plan. You can find many tools to measure your body fat percentage; however, their accuracy, accessibility and cost vary widely. Among these, skinfinders are a viable option, although they are not easy to use to obtain accurate data.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Using the Plicometer
Step 1. Get professional help to get reliable values
When it comes to using these types of tools, experience and practice are essential, because the accuracy of the results depends on the accuracy of the procedure. Competent practitioners performed at least 50-100 tests during research with a strict protocol. An expert is more likely to be able to always take measurements in the same point even with the passage of time; by doing so, you can be sure that you are getting reliable values that can help you keep track of your progress.
Step 2. Ask a friend to help you
If you can't go to a professional to get tested, remember that it is impossible to measure the skin folds of certain parts of the body, such as the back, on your own.
Step 3. Learn about how a skinfolder works
This instrument does not directly measure the percentage of fat, but the thickness of the skin folds of different points of the body (from three to ten). This information is fed into a formula that accordingly estimates the amount of fat present as a percentage. The accuracy of the skinfolder depends both on the experience of the operator and on the formula used for the calculation.
Step 4. Choose a well-formulated equation
There are over 100 types of calculations that allow you to obtain the percentage of fat mass through the skin fold test. Each group of people, created with criteria such as age, sex, ethnicity and the level of physical activity, stores fat in different areas of the body. If you enter the same data in different equations, you will get very variable results in terms of percentage points.
- The most used equations are those of Jackson & Pollock, Parrillo and that used by the American naval forces.
- To choose the right formula for you, you need to work with an athletic trainer and use the results as a criterion for monitoring progress. Alternatively, forget the equation completely and use only the real thickness measured with the skinfolder.
- You can find many body fat calculators online too; consequently, it is very easy to obtain data through a few or several measurements of the thickness of the skin folds.
Step 5. Monitor your progress
At the beginning of a training regimen aimed at reducing the percentage of fat mass, you must have a reference data. Keep this information in your personal notes (a training diary or fitness application) and also write down the physical activity you do daily (how many kilometers you have walked, the number of weight lifting reps).
- The healthy range of body fat percentage varies by gender, age, and fitness level. Women with more than 32% fat mass and men with more than 26% are considered obese.
- If you are looking to lose weight, measure your skin folds every week and adjust your training plan to improve results. If you want to maintain your current body composition, monthly checks are more useful.
- Get a set of skinfinders. There are many different models on the market. Ideally, an experienced operator should take measurements using high quality tools. If you want to measure the thickness of your skin folds by yourself, know that the price of skinfolds can vary from a few euros up to a couple of hundred euros. You can find these tools in several stores.
- Consider investing in a high-quality tool, which is obviously more expensive. The cheap ones do not apply the amount of constant pressure required for controlled voltage and reliable results. Some highly recommended brands are Holten or Lange.
Part 2 of 2: Taking Measurements
Step 1. Choose the type of test
To measure the thickness of skin folds, know that there are three, four, seven and even ten sensing points on the body. Using more control points does not guarantee greater accuracy in calculating your body fat percentage. In fact, the result depends mainly on the precision with which the operator detects the data and on the type of formula used.
Step 2. Identify the detection points you want to use
The most important factor is to be constant and always measure the same precise point, respecting the same grip (vertical or horizontal). Generally speaking, the right side of a standing person's body is used. The skin folds that are considered are:
- Triceps: Ask the person to bend their elbow 90 degrees and make a mark at the midpoint between the shoulder and the elbow. Next, measure the vertical crease (the skinfold should be at 90 °) at this point, with the patient's arm at the side in a natural position.
- Biceps: Let the patient extend the arm in a natural position along the side and consider the vertical crease in the front of the arm, halfway between the shoulder and the crook of the elbow.
- Subscapularis muscle: in this area, a diagonal measurement is carried out (the skinfolder must be held at an angle of 45 °) with respect to the back. The exact spot is just below the shoulder blade.
- Thigh: Consider the vertical fold of the leg when the patient is standing. The point of detection is midway between the kneecap and groin.
- Iliac crest: Ask the subject to hold the right arm in front of the body. Grasp the skin fold with a horizontal grip just above the hip bone, lateral to the body.
- Abdominal: in this case, a vertical grip is made about 2-3 cm to the right of the navel.
- Calf: Ask the patient to place one foot on a chair or platform so that the knee makes a 90 ° angle. Consider the thickness of the vertical skin fold that is at the inner point of the calf, where the circumference is greatest.
- Chest: in this case, proceed with a diagonal grip at the center point between the nipple and the upper part of the pectoral muscle, near the armpit.
- Armpit: this area is located in the upper part of the chest. The point of detection must be grasped vertically, exactly under the center of the armpit and perpendicular to the nipple.
- Supraspinal area: at this point you must proceed with a diagonal grip in the area of intersection that is generated between the vertical line between the spinal and frontal lines of the armpit and the horizontal line of the upper part of the iliac crest. The spinal line corresponds to the front part of the iliac crest, i.e. the protrusion of the pelvis bone. In some reference systems, this region is also called the suprailiac point.
Step 3. Pinch the fold and pull it out
If you use the skinfolder on your own body, make a "C" with the thumb and forefinger of your left hand and grab a large skin fold until you feel some discomfort. Afterward, remove it from your body. Make sure you always pinch the same amount of skin and always in the same spot, to repeat multiple readings.
It is important that you do not neglect "pinchable" portions of skin, but that at the same time you do not consider the muscles
Step 4. Hold the skin peeler with your right hand, gripping the upper handle with your thumb and the lower handle with your index finger
Place the clamp of the tool on the skin fold without releasing it with your left hand. With your right thumb, press on a specific spot on the skinny flap until you hear a soft click. This sound indicates that you have correctly measured the thickness of the crease and that the grip of the instrument has automatically stopped around the skin. Repeat the process three times for each survey point to get accurate data. If the data differs (usually by only 1-2 mm), calculate and note the average of the values.
Remember to measure the center portion of the crease between the fingers of the left hand
Step 5. Write down the data on a sheet
Remember to average all three measurements and keep your data organized to avoid confusion when calculating. It's best to use a notebook and save all measurements so you can compare them with time.
Step 6. Only consider the average value of the three measurements for each point when entering the data into the formula
After you get the percentage, write it down in your diary or fitness app.
Advice
- Never use a skin peel meter immediately after a training session.
- It takes time and practice to learn how to use this tool correctly and calculate your body fat percentage.
- Limit yourself to measuring and checking body fat relying only on the thickness of the skin folds and avoid calculating the percentage of fat mass; in this way, you will have more reliable results.
- Always use the same type of skinfolder, always measure the same points on the body and always use the same equation or calculator.
- Body composition varies slightly throughout the day, often due to fluid retention. For this reason, you should always take measurements at the same time of day.
- You can find dozens of tables that help you convert the thickness of skin folds into a percentage of fat mass. However, the most reliable are those that also take into account the gender and age of the person.
- The healthy and normal percentage of fat mass varies according to age, gender and level of physical activity.
Warnings
- There are different models of skinfinders to evaluate the thickness of the fat mass in different points of the body.
- The accuracy of these instruments varies up to a maximum of 4%.
