October 11, 2011

Measuring Body Fat Percentage


Body fat percentage, which is the weight of your fat divided by your total body weight, is a good measure of your fitness level because body fat percentage describes your body composition without regard to your height or weight. You can measure your body fat percentage at home from simple physical measurements. Each gender uses a specific procedure that calculates body fat percentage to an accuracy of about 3 percent.

Body Fat Calculation for Men

1) Measure your waist at navel level with a tape measure that uses inches.

2) Weigh yourself with a scale that uses pounds.

3) Calculate your lean body mass from your waist measurement and body weight. Dave Draper is a noted fitness author who provides the following lean body mass calculation for men: 94.42 + (1.082 x weight) -- (4.15 x waist).

Example: Let’s say your waist measurement are 34 inches, and say your body weight is 182 pounds. You have a lean body mass of 94.42 + (1.082 x 182) -- (4.15 x 34) = 150 pounds.

4) Compute your body fat percentage from your lean body mass with the following formula: (body weight - lean body mass) x 100 / (body weight).

If your body weight is 182 pounds, and your lean body mass is 150 pounds, you have a body fat percentage of (182 - 150) x 100 / (182) = 17.6 percent.


Body Fat Calculation for Women

1) Measure your waist at navel level with a tape measure that uses inches.

2) Measure the circumferences of your hips, wrist and forearm at their fullest points. These measurements must be in inches.

3) Weigh yourself with a scale that uses pounds.

4) Calculate your lean body mass from your waist measurement and body weight. Dave Draper is a noted fitness author who provides the following lean body mass calculation for women: 8.987 + (0.732 x weight) -- (0.157 x waist) -- (0.249 x hips) + (wrist / 3.14) + (0.434 x forearm).

Example: Let's say your waist measurement are 27 inches and your body weight is 128 pounds. Your hips measure 38 inches, your wrist measures 6 inches, and your forearm measures 9.5 inches. You have a lean body mass of 8.987 + (0.732 x 128) -- (0.157 x 27) -- (0.249 x 38) + (6 / 3.14) + (0.434 x 9.5) = 95 pounds.

5) Compute your body fat percentage from your lean body mass with the following formula: (body weight - lean body mass) x 100 / body weight).

Assume your body weight is 128 pounds, and say your lean body mass be 95 pounds.

You have a body fat percentage of (128 - 95) x 100 / (128) = 25.8 percent.


Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/240094-how-to-measure-body-fat-percentage-at-home/#ixzz1a0xw6AIq

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