Articles

Measuring Your Body Fat % and Bioelectrical Scales

One of the questions we get asked all the time is how to measure your body fat percent.
Well there are multiple ways to measure your body fat, but the most common ways are through:

1.        Hydrostatic weighing (underwater)
2.        Bod Pod
3.        Skin Folds
4.        Bioelectrical Scales (most made by TANITA)
5.        DEXA (Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry)

It seems that most of these body fat measurements have flaws, but if you really wanted an accurate body
fat% reading then your best option is to go and get a DEXA scan.

Most people will not have access to a facility that provides DEXA, but a lot of people we train use
bioelectrical scales to measure their body fat %. How these scales work is by passing an electrical current
through your body and then measuring how much voltage remains in your body after the current has been
passed through. All these scales usually have four metal plates that you stand on, these are called
electrodes in which two of them send the current and the other two read how much voltage remains.

The correct way to measure your body fat using one of these scales is to weigh yourself each time on the
same day and at the same time. It is best to weigh yourself first thing in the morning after you go to the
bathroom. You will want to weigh yourself with no clothes on, but if you do wear any clothes when taking
your measurement then you should wear the exact same clothing each time you check your body fat. You
will also want to take more then one measurement each time. Step on the scale and take your first body fat
measurement then wait a few minutes and take another measurement, now average the two results. If you
measure your body fat% multiple times a week then you should average each measurement for the week
and track your body fat% that way.

These bioelectrical scales are quick and convenient but they do have flaws. They are very sensitive to
changes in your percentage of body water and/or electrolyte content. If your total body water changes so
will your reading of body fat %. We have found through testing multiple clients that your body water% and
body fat% will have an inverse relationship with each other, which will skew your measurements if you body
water changes significantly from one test to the next. Another problem with these scales are the settings.
You are usually able to choose between male, female or athlete. The problem here is that the results will
be widely different depending on whether you select Athlete or Male/Female. Usually if you select athlete
your body fat% will be lower, so in order to be accurate you will need to select one setting and stick with it
the entire time you track your body fat %. Also the accuracy of these scales can also be skewed by
changes in body temperature, skin moisture and how you stand on the scale each time you take a
measurement.

At this point you may be asking yourself why having optimal body fat is important.
Well it’s simple; performance is improved when you have the optimal body fat% for your body. Having to
much body fat can lead to type II diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke or heart disease. Not having
enough body fat can also be a problem especially when you look at women and reproduction. Measuring
your body fat is also a good weigh to track your progress throughout your training.