A body measurement calculator can be an ideal way to monitor the effectiveness of your fat burning workout plan week-by-week.
However, with so many options available we aim to find out which ones work best and why!
Obviously the most notable way to tell if you’re overweight is by simply looking in the mirror and give yourself an honest judgement that you may be carrying too much weight instead of using a body measurement chart.
Another simple method is by simply taking a look at a weight chart to get a rough idea if you are overweight for your height.
Both body fat measurement methods are simple and straight-forward, however both have their flaws.
Firstly, looking in the mirror day-by-day and being able to notice minute change is almost impossible and secondly, using a weight for your height chart can be alarmingly inaccurate at time because it doesn’t take in to consideration that you may actually be big boned or an abnormal amount of muscle mass.
It is for this reason why is can be a good idea to use other methods of calculating your body measurements. Here are some common body fat measurement calculators you may have seen before;
Skin fold Caliper Method
With the caliper body measurement tracker, you take pinches of your skin at anywhere from 1 to several locations on your body. With this one can calculate the fat percentage from those readings.
Unfortunately this method is not very accurate and can depend a lot on the proficiency of the person carrying out the skin fold test. Calipers are widely available in any good health and fitness stores.
Home Body Fat Monitors
It’s wise that you don’t undertake the skin fold test yourself due to the regions of your body such as your back which you may find inaccessible. However there is another method of calculating your body fat at home in the form of bioelectrical impedance weighting scales.
All you need do is step on the scales and wait a moment till the electrical charge goes through your hands and feet and eventually estimates your body fat.
Obviously there is difference in accurate from high end scales and those lower down in terms of price on the market.
Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA)
With Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis, a body measurement tracker device sends a minute electrical charge through your hands and uses the data to establish how much of your body is fat deposits and how much of you is water.
Typically what happens is that you enter your weight height and gender into the monitor and after a brief moment it returns your level of body fat. It’s important to note that you should not be dehydrated or after a workout when taking the test due to inaccurate readings.
BIA can usually give a very accurate body fat measurement and as a result should be opted for as oppose to the other 2.