How to determine body fat

As a current student in a Master's Degree program for Exercise and Sport Science, body fat testing is something we cover in our coursework as well as in our labs. I want to be clear, body fat and BMI are NOT the same thing. When looking at accurate ways of determining a person's fitness level, a person's weight is the least accurate measure of fitness, with BMI being a somewhat better measure, and body fat % being the best measure.

The problem with a person's weight as a measure of fitness is that you can have a very thin person who has relatively no muscle tone. Or you can have a very large football player who has significant muscle mass, but according to their # on the scale, they are overweight.

BMI is better, as it considers the ratio of height to weight, but again, for the football player, body builder, etc, who has considerable muscle mas, their BMI will indicate that they are overweight or even obses.

Body fat testing is going to be your best bet when determining fitness level. There are multiple ways to do this, with pluses & minuses attached to each one.

1) Body Measurements. You can take tape-measurements of various body parts, enter them into an online calculator, & receive a general prediction of what your body fat % will be. This is nice because you can do it in the privacy of your own home & it's a quick and easy device; however, it's the least accurate measurement.

2) Skin Fold Tests. You can go to a local health club and ask to have your body fat tested. Most likely they'll do a skin fold test which involves "pinching" your skin at either 3 or 7 sites, then plugging the numbers into a calculator and receiving a body fat measurement. When a skilled person performs this test, it can be fairly accurate, but the test is subject to human error, and can be flawed.

3) Bioelectrical Impedence. This is what you see on bathroom scales you can buy at Wal-Mart or Target, etc. Again, it's quick and easy, but depending on the brand can be unpredicatble when it comes to accuracy.

4) Hydrostatic Testing. Most commonly found at Universities due to its expense, this is one of the more accurate measures of body fat. It involves sitting in a water tank, then submerging and exhaling all your air. So, if you're afraid of the water, it probably isn't a good option.

5) DEXA. This is the most accurate body fat testing device. Again, due to its expense it is found primarily at Universities. You basically sit in a pod and have a body scan done that will result in a visual representation of where your body fat is located (kind of like an x-ray).

If you want an accurate measure of your body fat, I would suggest calling a local university and asking if their Exercise Science Department (Kinesiology Department, Physical Education Department, etc.) offers fitness testing. They will have more accurate testing measures and better trained staff to perform the tests.

If that's not an option, any option works fine, especially if your goal is to lose body fat, because it gives you a starting point that you can test against down the road.