7 Site Caliper - Tips for Measuring ?

[spatts]

For those of you that do caliper measurements, what techniques do you use to make the reading more accurate? I have noticed that with clients with over 20% bodyfat, it gets very difficult to distinguish hard fat from muscle.

Just wondering what your tricks of the trade are and what formula you use.

Thanks

 

[Citruscide]

I know with people who have a HIGH range of bodyfat... sometimes I have to take measurments of various bodyparts and use homemade equations -- this makes a near obese person feel a little less shitty by not having 3+" pulled off their body.

With people around 20% bodyfat, I can still and do use calipers. I pull the skin back and do a little "wiggle" with it... it's somewhat uncomfortable, but I think it gives a more accurate reading.

C-ditty

 

[spatts]

Do you have then do a relaxed, flexed, relaxed pose before you determine the proper amount to measure? And for certain measurements, like Sub-S, do you have then tuck their arm back, pinch, and then put the arm back down? Things like that...

Thanks, C.

 

[Citruscide]

Well, for the Subscapular, arms should be down at the side, you don't want the arms pulled toward the front of their bodies or even tucked back... it could skew the measurement. Arms should be relaxed... and the body should not be flexed. The measurement should be taken as an oblique fold just below the bottom tip of the scapula.

your body should be relaxed (the person getting the bodyfat test TAKEN lol) when you take the measurements. Some are more trickey than others... the Thigh is a difficult site for me to take measurements on for me.. especially on women.

The triceps, Abdomen, and thigh are all taken at a vertical fold, the sub-s is at an oblique and the chest and illac crest are taken at a diagional fold....

If that helps.

C-ditty

 

[pwr_machine]

I look at the shape of the fold to determine if I have the correct pinch. All measurements are taken relaxed. I do each measurement twice and it must fall within 2 mm. I believe that's what ACSM recommends. For subscap, I'll get the participant to place his or her arm behind their back simply to make the scapula stick out. Mark the spot, relax, then pinch.

 

[Citruscide]

I usually take three measurements and take the average of all three. The more sites you measure from with calipers, the greater the range of error might be.

C-ditty

 

[bignate73]

pwr_machine does the same thing i do for subscap.

i do avg out of 3 grabs. to make sure im not grabbing muscle in some areas, i have the person tighten the muscle and i get a feel for the skinfold from there, then have them relax and grab.

thigh can be really tough in a person with more bodyfat. thats why the upper body measurements are more reasonable. if you are good at the grabs, you should be within 2%, but more importantly if you are consistent, then the mm lost will be more the guage on whether a client is losing bodyfat (and if that method is useful to track results). i prefer to use scale weight, circumference measurements AND skinfold to really get a snapshot of what is going on. at the very least you can keep the client motivated by explaining inches lost if weight is the same, and nail it down with mm lost on the skinfold. its simple to us, but to them its rocket science.

 

[Griz1]

I usually take three measurements and take the average of all three. The more sites you measure from with calipers, the greater the range of error might be.

C-ditty

3 measures & average. Me too. I tend to stick to the 7 site method because I feel it does give me a more accurate reading. Also I usually let the caliper sit (with skin pinched) for about 5 sec before I take the reading.

There are also technical guidelines that you can use to get the location exactly right. Measuring between certain spots with a tape measure (e.g. top of joint A to tip of bone B and 1/2 way down the measurement (mark it with a felt pen)). While I don't have a copy of the technical instructions, I know they exist. I think Health Canada (Fed. govt.) publishes one. Once you've done it a few times you tend to discard the tape measure and felt pen.

 

[spatts]

Thanks everyone.

Yes, bignate and pwr_machine, that initial arm placement to locate the correct site was all I was talking about. Glad to know you guys do that too.

With regard to flexing, maybe I wasn't clear. My tester will, for example on my triceps, pinch an area, asked me to flex and then let go and pich it again and measure it while I'm totally relaxed. He as me do this to better determine what he's grabbing on to. Same for thighs. All the measurements are, of course, relaxed.

 

[pwr_machine]

Gotcha.

 

[bignate73]

With regard to flexing, maybe I wasn't clear. My tester will, for example on my triceps, pinch an area, asked me to flex and then let go and pich it again and measure it while I'm totally relaxed. He as me do this to better determine what he's grabbing on to. Same for thighs. All the measurements are, of course, relaxed.

yep, that works well.

 

[Citruscide]

It's all in the technique.

C-ditty

 

[spatts]

Exactly...and I want to know everyone's technique.

 

[bignate73]

Exactly...and I want to know everyone's technique.

you couldnt handle hearing my technique.....

hehehe

 

[Nonerz]

hear your technique? lucky me...I get the real thing!

<---Nonerz getting the technique...again!

 

[JJFigure]

If retaining water, will the skinfolds increase?