Bioelectrical impedance bia bia is one of the quickest and easiest methods for predicting body fat. Body mass index or bmi which takes into account both your weight and height is another good measure unless you are very muscular. While not as accurate as skinfold measurements taken by a trained. However the convienience of this method comes at a price of accuracy. For example the us army uses a body fat calculation that simply requires an individuals age height. Either using a handheld scale or standing on a bia scale a signal passes either from hand to hand or foot to foot.
Then the sensors in the scale measure the. In bia a weak electric current flows through the body and the voltage is measured in order to calculate impedance resistance of the body. The resistance between the conductors will provide a measure of body fat since the resistance to electricity varies between adipose muscular and skeletal tissue. One of the best ways to see if you have too much risky body fat is to simply measure your waist. In part 2 you learned about underwater weighing and in part 3 you learned about the bod pod. You can also find tape.
Most body water is stored in muscle. The nih has this online bmi calculator. When you step on the scale a small electrical current runs up through your leg and across your pelvis measuring the amount of resistance from body fat. A basic way to measure body fat percentage is by using a soft tape measure like the kind youd use for sewing to record measurements of different parts of the body. Bioelectrical impedance analysis bia is a commonly used method for estimating body composition in particular body fat and muscle mass. Use the metric units tab if you are more comfortable with the international system of units si.
Now lets talk about bia. Use a tape measure to determine your waist wrist hip and forearm circumference. Then input your gender and measurements below to receive a body fat index based on average values. In part 1 of this series you learned about how body fat testing is a prediction not a measurement. The body fat index is not an indicator of fitness level since the calculation is made with no regard to height or weight. Measuring the circumference of certain body parts is a simple method of body fat estimation.
The body fat calculator can be used to estimate your total body fat based on specific measurements. Body circumference measurements and body fat scales that use bioelectrical impedance are both methods you can do on your own. To get the best results measure to the nearest 14 inch 05 cm.