THE SKINNY ON BODY FAT

Let me again re-iterate that I am by no means an expert, just sharing the little knowledge that I have on this topic....

There are MANY forms of body fat testing these days.  I'll touch on 3 or 4, and give my opinions on which ones I think are good and which ones are OK.

1.)  Underwater weighing (this form tends to be pretty accurate!).  This is where you are totally immersed in water...densities of bone and muscles are higher than water, and fat is less dense than water. So a person with more bone and muscle will weight more in water than a person with less bone and muscle, meaning they have a higher body density and lower percentage of body fat. (www.new-fitness.com)

2.)  Calipers (pinchers).  Not a huge fan of this one.  This will give you a 'round about guesstimate, but there are more accurate forms out there.  But at least it gives you an idea of where you're at.
Normally you are pinched in 3-7 areas, then there is a certain formulation used to calculate your bf.
"Generally speaking, skinfold measurements are easy to do, inexpensive and the method is portable. Overall, results, can be very subjective as precision ultimately depends on the skill of the technician and the site measured. The quality of the calipers is also a factor; they should be accurately calibrated and have a constant specified pressure. Inexpensive models sold for home use are usually less accurate than those used by an accredited caliper technician. The more obese the subject, the more difficult to "pinch" the skinfold correctly, requiring even more skill to obtain an accurate measurement."  (www.new-fitness.com)

3.) BOD POD (Air Displacement) - Based on the same principle as underwater weighing, the BOD POD uses computerized sensors to measure how much air is displaced while a person sits for 20 seconds in a capsule. It uses a calculation to determine body density, then estimated body fat.

4.)  New machines called the "inbody" are now becoming more available at doctor's offices and gyms now to test body fat.  It's basically a scale you stand on, type in all your info, and it calculates lean body mass, water weight, and body fat.  You need to be about 3 hours fasted and have little to no water for this test....





A question I get asked alot...."What's your body fat percentage?"....
My answer:  "I'm not built like you, you're not built like me...."

EVERYONE holds body fat differently.  Some hold in their arms, some in their booty, some in their thighs, etc...Some even hold more fat on their internal organs than they do under the skin!!  (I recently found this out).  And let's face it, women naturally are more prone to carry more body fat than men.

What's a healthy body fat percentage for women?
In GENERAL (from research I've done on the internet and talking to MANY trainers over the years),
a healthy body fat in women can range from 18-25%

I'm going to break it down a little further on statistics I found:

Classification	Women (% fat)
Essential Fat	10-12%
Athletes	14-20%
Fitness	21-24%
Acceptable	25-30%

Again, these are general numbers, but it's always good to get your body fat tested to know where you are at and if you want to improve that number.

Hope this helps a little!  I've been getting asked this question alot so thought I'd touch on the subject!!