There’s a reason that you have fat on your body: it’s supposed to be there! But, not in excessive amounts. So, how do you know if you have too much? Well, your doctor can tell you, but so can a simple body fat percentage text. Now you’re wondering How To Calculate Body Fat Percentage, and we’re going to tell you! There are a lot of different ways to calculate it, and it can tell you a lot about your body.
So, today we’re going to go a little bit off path and tell you how to tell if you’ve got too much body fat. It’s really important to know if you’re in a safe zone, or if you’re too far in one direction or the other. And from there you can decide if you need to gain weight, lose weight, or just keep the weight you’re at. So, here are a few easy ways on How To Calculate Body Fat Percentage At Home!
How To Calculate Body Fat Percentage With Calipers
Measuring your body fat is most commonly done with calipers. Those are those little things that you pinch your friends with when the trainer isn’t looking. But, they’re great for calculating your body fat! So, here’s our How To Calculate Body Fat Percentage With Calipers.
You’re going to take the calipers and measure centimeters on specific parts of your body. It’ll differ for men and women, so here’s where you should measure:
- Men:
- Chest
- Abdominals
- Thigh
- Women:
- Triceps
- Suprailiac (inch above your hip bone)
- Thigh
Your calipers should come with instructions too. But, what you’ll do is pinch the fat from your body and measure the centimeters with the caliper. From there you’ll calculate what your body fat is using the How To Calculate Body Fat Percentage Formula your calipers came with. Each set of calipers will be a bit different, so you’ll have to do that part on your own.
Also, it could be helpful to have a friend do the measurements for you. It’ll be easier than fussing around it yourself. And, stick to measuring one side of your body so your results are consistent.
So that’s our easy directions With Calipers. Now, how do you do it without? We’ve got you covered!
How To Calculate Body Fat Percentage Without Calipers
This one gets to be a bit trickier because calipers are literally made for measuring body fat. But, we can still do it. So, here’s our quick How To Calculate Body Fat Percentage Without Calipers guide:
For this method you’ll use just a soft tape measure. There are specific ones that are specifically for body fat percentage, but any of them will work. So, here you are:
For Men:
You’re going to measure your neck and your abdomen in the largest areas. Again, you might want a friend to help you.
From there subtract the measurement of your neck form your abdomen. That’s your circumference value. Then you can use the chart you’ll find below to estimate your body fat percentage.
For Women:
You’ll measure your neck, natural waist, and your hips. Again, in the widest parts. From there you’ll add your waist measurements with your hip measurements, then you’ll subtract the measurement of your neck.
You’ll use the same chart (found below) to see your estimated body fat.
So, there you go! It’s not too hard to measure your body fat without calipers.
What’s A Safe Percentage?
If you’re lost and wondering where your Body Fat Percentage should be here are some quick links for easy math, because nobody likes to do math:
Both of those will help you calculate your Body Fat Percentage.
How To Calculate Body Fat Percentage Final Thoughts
And now you know How To Calculate Body Fat Percentage in two different ways! That’s going to help you know that you’re on the right weight loss path. So, go measure yourself and make sure that you’re in the right areas!
And, if you still want to lose weight, remember that we’ve got all kinds of helpful supplements on Best New Supplements!
Thank you for relying on us for all of your weight loss tips!