body fat tester

[dabears8273]

Do the handheld body fat testers generally read a little high or generally are they a little low? I know they are probably somewhat accurate and probably vary a lot from person to person. I was just curious what some of your opinions out there were. Thanks for the feedback.

[Agostage]

whether they are high or low also depends on the person - no single solution is available. best used as a long term fold measurement tool and not a single data point percent calculator.

[dabears8273]

whether they are high or low also depends on the person - no single solution is available. best used as a long term fold measurement tool and not a single data point percent calculator.

Thanks for the input. I used it a few days in a row just to test how much it would vary and the body fat percentage seemed to jump up and down ranging from 18.9% one day to 20.2% the next day and then down to 19.5% on the third day. I tested first thing in the morning every time. But I guess it's fair to say i'm around 20%

[Agostage]

exactly - record the actual measurements too - not just the overall percentage

[dabears8273]

exactly - record the actual measurements too - not just the overall percentage

I want to compete in my first bodybuilding show in october of 2011, in a years time I want to get down closer to 9 or 10%, with a clean diet and continuing to incorporate cardio into my weight training i feel confident I can get there!

[RM281]

they are crap...it showed me being at 9% bf when I was 18% bf

get calipers

[dabears8273]

they are crap...it showed me being at 9% bf when I was 18% bf

get calipers

In that case I hope I'm not 29% instead of 20%!

[Agostage]

they are crap...it showed me being at 9% bf when I was 18% bf

get calipers

I thought he was talking about calipers - if you're talking about anything that's based on electrical resistance - it's very inaccurate - especially at low b.f. - my advice was based on calipers

also - 9-10% is high for contest standards

[dabears8273]

I thought he was talking about calipers - if you're talking about anything that's based on electrical resistance - it's very inaccurate - especially at low b.f. - my advice was based on calipers

also - 9-10% is high for contest standards

Yeah I'm just not sure how feasible it is in a years time to get it lower than 9%. But maybe 13 months is more than enough time....I'm just not sure, that's why I need all the help I can get!

[Agostage]

very feasible

[dabears8273]

very feasible

Alright good to know!

[TheChaseIsOn]

Yeah I'm just not sure how feasible it is in a years time to get it lower than 9%. But maybe 13 months is more than enough time....I'm just not sure, that's why I need all the help I can get!

even if you was 30% you could be down to 9% in a year with very very hard work. Supposing your not 30% and your working very hard then... youll be past 9%.

[dabears8273]

even if you was 30% you could be down to 9% in a year with very very hard work. Supposing your not 30% and your working very hard then... youll be past 9%.

Yeah i think i'm right around 20%, and I have been adding more cardio into my training, thanks for the support!

[TheHeirApparent]

all in all i still think the mirror is the best measurement

[AustrianOakJr]

The electrical impedence scales are not a bad tool as long as you are consistent in your measurments (time, water and carb intake, etc) and looking at the numbers relative to each other. A week before I stepped on stage my scale had me at 9% BF......my friend who is a big guy but was not very close to stage condition at all was measuring 10%. So its hardly an accurate measurement but the information is useful if used in relation to each other. When I started my diet, the scale had me at 19% BF......so 19% - 9% showed a good chunk of bodyfat reduction.

[Agostage]

all in all i still think the mirror is the best measurement

tru - but using only the mirror can screw with your mind

[solid252]

can anyone recommend good calipers? I heard the bb.com calipers in the store are crap and not accurate. Has anyone had experience with a decent brand? I am willing to spend $50 but no more than that.

[dabears8273]

The electrical impedence scales are not a bad tool as long as you are consistent in your measurments (time, water and carb intake, etc) and looking at the numbers relative to each other. A week before I stepped on stage my scale had me at 9% BF......my friend who is a big guy but was not very close to stage condition at all was measuring 10%. So its hardly an accurate measurement but the information is useful if used in relation to each other. When I started my diet, the scale had me at 19% BF......so 19% - 9% showed a good chunk of bodyfat reduction.

How long did it take you to drop from 19% down to 9%?

[ricka182]

can anyone recommend good calipers? I heard the bb.com calipers in the store are crap and not accurate. Has anyone had experience with a decent brand? I am willing to spend $50 but no more than that.

Most calipers are the same as the cheap/free ones they give out as a free gift. I have both those, and the manual Defender brand. I don't like the defender brand, as they are too hard to get a reading. Maybe it's me, but I find the standard Accu-Rite calipers to work fine. Most people don't use them the right way, so they believe the caliper is wrong.

I was thinking of getting a pair of digital calipers, but don't want to drop $30 on them right now...

[AustrianOakJr]

How long did it take you to drop from 19% down to 9%?

I think I had about 18-19 weeks in before my first show last season.

[dabears8273]

I think I had about 18-19 weeks in before my first show last season.

awesome, i'm around 19-20 and want to get it down to 9% or so, I have my first show in 13 months so I should get there no problem! Thanks!

[AustrianOakJr]

awesome, i'm around 19-20 and want to get it down to 9% or so, I have my first show in 13 months so I should get there no problem! Thanks!

As long as you are looking at those number in an arbitrary kind of way. You probably want to be a bit leaner than a true 9%....when I started there is no way in heck I was 19%.....I still had rough abs......and I think I was considerably leaner than 9% in the end. Thats just the number my scale was giving me. Most guys that are at the top of the class are lean enough to see striations everywhere, glute, ham and quad seperation, etc. 19 weeks is a good chunk of time, but if youre coming from much more than a true 15% or so (blurry abs and decent upper body separation), it might be a stretch.

[dabears8273]

As long as you are looking at those number in an arbitrary kind of way. You probably want to be a bit leaner than a true 9%....when I started there is no way in heck I was 19%.....I still had rough abs......and I think I was considerably leaner than 9% in the end. Thats just the number my scale was giving me. Most guys that are at the top of the class are lean enough to see striations everywhere, glute, ham and quad seperation, etc. 19 weeks is a good chunk of time, but if youre coming from much more than a true 15% or so (blurry abs and decent upper body separation), it might be a stretch.

yeah i def. see what you are saying, but i feel really confident I can reach a good number in just over a year. I'll get there or die tryin' i guess

[Sir Flexalot]

Most calipers are the same as the cheap/free ones they give out as a free gift. I have both those, and the manual Defender brand. I don't like the defender brand, as they are too hard to get a reading. Maybe it's me, but I find the standard Accu-Rite calipers to work fine. Most people don't use them the right way, so they believe the caliper is wrong.

I was thinking of getting a pair of digital calipers, but don't want to drop $30 on them right now...

It's also supposed to be important to have someone else do the readings, preferably the same person each time. The rationale is that for whatever reason you're not going to pinch yourself as hard. But I don't know how true it is.

[Autino]

How long did it take you to drop from 19% down to 9%?

I went from 22% down to 10% in about 4 months...
My bortherin law has 2 of the electric BF readers at his gym.
Between the 2 I might be 1% off - measuring within 2 minutes of one another.

Day to day, I might be 2% off.

First time I used them I came in at 9%
Next day I was 13%
Following day I was 11%

I think the key is to use them the same time every day, under the same exact conditions - Water, glycogen etc...
Otherwise they are just a paperweight

[OnTheRoad]

I think you have to use a range of tools to assess your bodyfat

Once a week

-I am caliper tested by someone who has done 1000's over 20years, has measured me constantly over the past year and who uses EXACTLY the same locations every time.

-I follow the same things before I get my bf test eg..I never train before
I am also weighed accurately

-and looked at

and Once a Month

-I am measured (by the person above), every body part, in exactly the same spots

-I also get progress photos done by my girlfriend who takes them with exactly the same camera settings in the same location and with a white backdrop

I believe with those things I can keep a very tight eye on my progress going towards comp...Overkill? prehaps...but my mind is sane and I know exactly where I am at