Body Fat Measurements Are Very Helpful And Easy To DoTaking your body fat measurements when you’re trying to lose fat is very important and doesn’t have to be complicated. When losing weight you want to make sure that it’s fat you’re losing and not muscle. Muscle revs up your metabolism and makes calorie burning much easier and therefore, fat loss more successful. We’ve become so hung up on losing weight that we focus on pounds instead of losing inches. This is way more important. I can’t tell you how many of my female clients have initially complained that the number on their scale hasn’t changed when first starting a weight loss program. Yet, they will tell me that their clothes are fitting better. I explain to them that the fat surrounding their muscles weighs less than the muscle itself. When the fat cells decrease in size, inches are lost. However, the muscle still remains so their weight might not change initially. If they are doing resistance exercises as they should, their muscles might be even heavier than normal. Overtime more fat cells will decrease in size with more corresponding weight loss.
Waist Measurements Measuring the waist is the easiest way to tell if you’re in trouble. Just take a tape measure against your skin and run it through your navel. Don’t cheat and suck in your gut. Just breathe normally. If you are a woman of healthy weight your waist should not read larger than 35 inches. For men, no more than 40 inches. Some studies have suggested that a waist measurement of 33 inches or more in men and women shows a potentially harmful buildup of fat. So at least shoot for no more than 35 inches whether you’re a man or woman.
Calipers We call this one the “pinch test.” This is the most common body fat test that trainers conduct. Calipers are used to pinch the skin together to measure subcutaneous fat. This test is conducted at different body sites. The sum of the readings plus your age and sex gives an estimate of fat %. Bioelectical Impedance (BIA) An electronic sensor from a bioimpedance machine is attached to the finger. The machine sends an electronic signal through the body. It is the measure of the opposition to the flow of that electric current through the tissues that gives an estimate of fat %. Many athletes are surprised to find a higher reading with bioimpedance than they expected. This is because this test can pick up what is called endomysial fat inside the facia (sheath that surrounds the intramuscular areas) as well as subcutaneous fat. These athletes more often than not have a training regimen consisting of high volume and frequency of low intensity, high rep resistance training along with an extremely high caloric intake while performing little in the way of moderate to intense aerobic conditioning. This type of endomysial fat is called, “invisible fat.”
Body Mass Index (BMI)
Someone who has a larger percentage of lean body mass will weigh more in the water and have a lower body fat % versus someone with less lean muscle mass. Someone with more body fat will make the body lighter in water and will have a higher % of body fat.
No matter how you measure it, excess body fat is bad for your health. If it’s around your middle-it can be downright dangerous. Getting rid of this fat can be done but it takes time, effort, commitment and a solid, healthy plan to do so. But what a wonderful difference this will make in your life.
“Just go out there and do what
you’ve got to do.”
|
