What might be the best formula for skinfold calipers?

well, i have been working a while with calipers, but i'm having problems in the moment to select the best formula/method for calculating bf percentage..

i have found several method (9 places, 4 places, 3 places, and others...)

what do you think could be the most reliable method for calulating bf %?

Thanks in advice and grettings from Mexico

I have no idea about this stuff. It to me it seems like 9 places would be best simply because you have more points of the body you are measuring givin you more points of reference.

Seven site. This has by FAR the most data collected, in terms of research that has been done to validate the regression equation (hundreds of thousands of measurements) and will give you the best overall useful data.

It is important that you follow ACSM guidelines, and realize that the sites described are where the CALIPERS go, not your fingers! You'll need to pinch a half inch or so above or below the site to be measured.

Read the instructions carefully, and make sure you know what the anatomical landmarks are and how to find them. Being off by an inch actually does lead to significant inaccuracy.

Joshua Naterman said:

Seven site. This has by FAR the most data collected, in terms of research that has been done to validate the regression equation (hundreds of thousands of measurements) and will give you the best overall useful data.

 

It is important that you follow ACSM guidelines, and realize that the sites described are where the CALIPERS go, not your fingers! You'll need to pinch a half inch or so above or below the site to be measured.

 

Read the instructions carefully, and make sure you know what the anatomical landmarks are and how to find them. Being off by an inch actually does lead to significant inaccuracy.

excellent! thanks a lot Josh, i was relly very confused about which was the best method =)

I know Poliquin and his biosig people have a really good way of caliper testing, but that's probably more than is necessary in this case. I'd say the 7 properly collected spots like Mr. Naterman said will be the best bang for your buck.

Klaudius Petrulis said:

I know Poliquin and his biosig people have a really good way of caliper testing, but that's probably more than is necessary in this case. I'd say the 7 properly collected spots like Mr. Naterman said will be the best bang for your buck.

I have no idea what his validation process was for whatever regression equation he's using, I mean for all we know the 7 regular sites are simply being used like normal, with the other five being used exclusively for predicting hormone imbalances.

Unless he has made a formula that is closer to what DEXA shows, on a consistent basis, on a wide variety of body types and ages, which is very very expensive to do, I'm not sure that we can say the accuracy is any better than any other equation.

Here's the link to a 7 site calculator that uses the equations I suggested:

http://www.free-online-calculator-use.com/skin-fold-test.html

All skinfold regressions are plus or minus 3.8% body fat (compared to hydrostatic weighing). If you register at a 10%, you're somewhere between 7.2% and 13.8%. Using multiple equations, drawing /graphing the intersecting ranges, and selecting the middle point of the overlap is the best way to get an accurate prediction.

You can use the 3 site, 4 site, and 7 site equations, making sure to use the proper sites (if you do a 7 site, you will probably get all the sites you need, but you can also do all 9 sites).

Overall, the 7 site has the most validation that I am aware of, and that's good enough. All you want to do with calipers is track trends.

If you want something a lot more accurate, go to a BodPod or get a DEXA scan. They'll both cost you, but you'll also have a very accurate estimate.

If your fat distribution is very even, you can just plug the 3 site numbers into Scooby's calculator, which uses the 3 site formula and is geared towards males.

If you go online, you can find a lot of calculators that use the Jackson and Pollock 7 site equation, and that is what you want.

http://www.free-online-calculator-use.com/skin-fold-test.html

The 12 site Biosignature uses is because fat is stored based on the hormonal imbalances of the body. There are more sites because they take the sites of each hormone.

Alex Chubb said:

The 12 site Biosignature uses is because fat is stored based on the hormonal imbalances of the body. There are more sites because they take the sites of each hormone.

Right, but are all 12 sites used directly for body fat percentage calculation (a sum of all 12 measurements or other use of all 12), or are some used for both hormonal balance prediction AND body fat assessment, with others just being used as part of a hormonal balance prediction?

Haha very good. Not until technology and research catches up. 10 of them are used for body fat.

Interesting, thanks Alex!

Biosig bf% is pretty accurate, however to get consistent numbers you need tons of practice using the calipers and taking readings on specific sites.  As Joshua mentioned, this is very useful for tracking trends and in Biosig, is very useful for monitoring hormone imbalances.    After getting to around 10%, I've personally found tracking the top 2-3 sites very useful in determining bf%.  Which sites these are will change person to person and may not even be accurate for many, but if this is for your personal progress tracking, then it's worth experimenting with.

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