Calipers vs. Formulas

[Alek]

Ok, so I been measuring myself with the calipers, and they say I'm 17.5%.

My bodyfat formulas say I'm 20%. (navy, using neck and waist tape measurement)

Miror/Photo of my upper body says 20%, but here's the dealie... My suspicioun is that I tend to keep most of my bodyfat in my upper body.



My thigh caliper measurements are 18, and my abdominal measurement is 30.


Is this normal? Basically I'm looking for someone who has normal genetics and uses calipers a lot. Do you find that your legs tend to have much lower numbers than your upper body or?

 

[EasyEJL]

self calipering is always iffy, works much better if someone else does it, particularly if they do it all the time

 

[Alek]

Yeah I should have mentioned that, knowing its the ussual (and very good) advice-have someone else measure it...

I don't have that option. No bodyfat measurements in my country. I might be the only one who even knows what that is.

So that's what I'm asking these questions to make due with what I got.

Any ideas now on the lower vs. upper body thing? Can you be fat on the upper body, and leaner on the lower?

 

[EasyEJL]

sure, disproportionate fat levels are possible, it generally only happens with either a hormone imbalance, or if you were previously very very obese and lost a lot of weight

 

[ozarkaBRAND]

sure, disproportionate fat levels are possible, it generally only happens with either a hormone imbalance, or if you were previously very very obese and lost a lot of weight

I fit here I believe. Every time I enter my caliper measurement into a bf calculator, I come out at around 5%..

I don't think so, lol.

 

[SoCo4Fun]

I fit here I believe. Every time I enter my caliper measurement into a bf calculator, I come out at around 5%..

I don't think so, lol.

I'd bet dollars to donuts your measurements are being done wrong.

to the OP...my legs are always leaner than my upper body (until I get really lean)...

 

[ozarkaBRAND]

I'd bet dollars to donuts your measurements are being done wrong.

to the OP...my legs are always leaner than my upper body (until I get really lean)...

Not so sure about the measurements being taken wrong.. Was done in the FIT lab at my university.

 

[Dadof2]

The only place that I carry a disproportionate amout of body fat is in my torso. My legs look like they belong to someone elses body, as they are much more defined and muscular than my upper body

 

[Alek]

The only place that I carry a disproportionate amout of body fat is in my torso. My legs look like they belong to someone elses body, as they are much more defined and muscular than my upper body

Same here. I call myself a mini tom-platz lol. I have 28 inch thighs and they carry little fat (not competition ready obviously but like a lean person's legs)... plus I exercise them like 5-6 times a year.



I was more asking in terms of the actual caliper measurements. Like, is it normal for the thigh caliper to be half of the ab caliper? Is that to be expected.

 

[lightheavy]

Estimation of body fat by skinfold thickness measurement. Measurement can use from 3 to 9 different standard anatomical sites around the body. The right side is usually only measured (for consistency). The tester pinches the skin at the appropriate site to raise a double layer of skin and the underlying adipose tissue, but not the muscle. The calipers are then applied 1 cm below and at right angles to the pinch, and a reading in millimeters (mm) taken two seconds later. The mean of two measurements should be taken. If the two measurements differ greatly, a third should then be done, then the median value taken.

The equation is from Parillo's Bodystat Maunal. Use calipers and do a 9 point measurement:

Upper pec (horizontal fold)
Subscapular (vertical fold)
Bicep (vertical fold)
Inside tricep (horizontal fold)
Kidney (horizontal fold)
Suprailliac (horizontal fold)
Abdominals (vertical fold)
Mid quad (vertical fold)
Inside calf (vertical fold)
Total all measurements and divide by your body weight. Multiply this total by 0.27. This will be your % body fat.