What's the most accurate way to measure bodyfat% at home?

[Im Pretty Big]

Didnt know where to put this one.

Ive got a scale thats supposed to do it but it tells me I'm 20% when I have visible abs and barely any fat. How accurate are calipers? What about those electronic calipers?

 

[EasyEJL]

calipers are your most accurate home available test. There are water devices, and an air device

www.bodpod.com

that are near 100% accuracy, but its a good $40+ to get tested.

 

[OCCFan023]

IMO home tests are pretty uneliable as far as true body fat. If take them for what there worth there valuable in that you can still compare results however skewed they are.

BF% is just a number (I know its a big factor of progress though). I prefer to just go by the mirror (most important to me) and tape measurements.

 

[Big BAMA]

1) Get naked
2) Stand in front of full length mirror
3) Realize you are fat

 

[sethroberts]

If you want to track your progress then precision is more important than accuracy (precision being the repeatability of measurment, accuracy being how "true" the number is). Body fat scales may not be the most accurate but they can be pretty precise provided you measure yourself under the same conditions each day. Calipers are ok, but can be time consuming to take enough points to be meaningful and are subject to user bias (you want your fat to be lower so your squeeze the calipers a little more than you should or you keep retesting to get a lower number).

 

[MM11]

Didnt know where to put this one.

Ive got a scale thats supposed to do it but it tells me I'm 20% when I have visible abs and barely any fat. How accurate are calipers? What about those electronic calipers?

i use a electronic scale sometimes. i once took a long piss, dropped 2% on the scale. i would say that (mine at least) is less then accurate. try tape measures, mirror, calipers.

 

[Hank Vangut]

take progress picutres and measurements.

 

[methodice]

just guess. between 10-15% is always plausible but make sure they don't ask for pics

 

[arjun4]

ive found the army tape method to be nearly identical to bioelectric impedance testing.