Accumeasure Calipers.. how do I use these?

[greasygemo]

I can't figure out where the supreillac is.. I've been trying but my readings are all over the place. Anybody have an easy method?

[Davek]

I use the Durnin method. four areas to measure & pretty consistent. Slim guide calipers come w/ a booklet & easy to understand.

[SimonTemplar96]

I use the accu measure calipers. The suprailliac is just above the point of your hip bone. So when your standing up straight feel for the point of your hip bone (the part that sticks out more towards the front of your hip) and then move up about an inch from there. That is roughly where the suprailliac ridge is.

Some people I've read actually recommend marking the spot with a marker to make it easy to find. The key point is not necessarily getting exactly the "right" spot, but rather just getting the same spot every time so you can accurately track your progress.

The one question I really haven't gotten answered yet is how wide is your pinch supposed to be? I gather for skinny or normal people its in the neighborhood of an inch or two maybe? but maybe a little more for heavier people? Not entirely sure there.

[Barry06GT]

According to my findings when I Google "how to use a body fat caliper" one site shows the four or five different places that should be checked and than avg the results. They show the Supraillic (love handles?) tricepts, thigh, and back of delt/shoulder (need a partner you are comfortable being "shirtless" with).

For "heavy" people (is obese PC?) the instructions specify NOT to use a body fat caliper, but rather a tape measure. I guess if you get out of the shower, and your spouse screams in horror, your body fat measurement is not that important.

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[SimonTemplar96]

The accu measure people cited some studies on their product one of which compared the accuracy of one measurement at the suprailliac vs. multiple measurement sites. The study found that increasing the number of sites measured with a caliper did little to increase the accuracy of the reading.

But with the accu measure the real point is simply to track progress, not necessarily to get a really precise measurement (though it is supposed to be as accurate as any other method except under water weighing).

For that you only really need one measurement at the suprailliac.

If I measure and find 28% it doesn't matter that much whether I'm really 27% or 30%... the key is that the next time I measure and find that I'm 27% and then 26%, I know I'm going in the right direction and what I'm doing is working.

You are right about the tape measure that is recommended for obese people. Personally, since I'm on the border line of obese, I started using both. I use tape measure and a formula I found on Dave draper's website which uses a measurement at the umbilicus for men. I also use the caliper and kind of compare the two.

So far, the caliper has been pretty close to the tape measure method, but usually it is a little lower. The tape measure gives me someting like 28% where as the accu measure gives me like 27%. usually they are within 1% or 1.5% for me.

I'm afraid I have no wife so I can't rely on the scream test

[portmaster1000]

I've found a 3 site measurement with the Accumeasure caliper gets me nearly the same results as my gyms 7 site electronic caliper machine. I use the chest, abdomen and quad sites then plug my results into this link:

http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/BodyComp.html

[gantengx]

I got my accumeasure caliper the other day and tried to measure my body fat.. I've got around 10mm (3x taken at the same spot) and i'm 22 yrs old male, based from the chart i'm like 11.6%bf which is the ideal but I think I should have a bit more than that considering the tummy.. What do you guys think? I know i don't need to rely on the percentage value, but to rely on the trend itself. But I'm just curious..



Cheers

[JimStrongLifts]

I have a big belly: 44-1/2" belly, 42" waist, 43" butt, 44" chest. But with the calipers, I only find 1/2" fat at the suprailliac. Do I have fat hidden inside the abs?

[lovestolift]

I have a big belly: 44-1/2" belly, 42" waist, 43" butt, 44" chest. But with the calipers, I only find 1/2" fat at the suprailliac. Do I have fat hidden inside the abs?

Quite likely. Subcutaneous fat is a real problem when it comes to calipers. Keep in mind that the less fat you have, the more accurate the calipers will be, if only because there is less room for error. I have used the calipers, the tape measure method and a hand held bio electric impedance unit, and the range was over 8% between the highest and the lowest. This would be the reason that I am no longer concerned with taking this measure, since I can't be sure which is accurate.

A better method, though totally subjective is how you look in a mirror. If you like what you see, then you are probably okay, since most people don't like the look of high body fat. If you choose to use one of the above mentioned methods, then at least use it only for trend tracking, and assume that it isn't quite accurate.