Measuring bodyfat

[Daisy_Girl]

Same reason we keep track of how much weight we increase on the bar, or how many more pull ups we can do, or how many seconds it takes to run a 200m, or how many inches our biceps are... because it gives us something to shoot for while we train. In the process we also learn about ourselves - which areas are the most stubborn for fat loss, what sort of diets and exercise plans thin our skins the most (Oh, if I drink 7-up and do 20 minutes of cardio at level 18 I lose sub-Q fat faster than if I skip the cardio and never take carb drinks),........ also not everyone trains simply for how they look.

I already conceeded that it gives people a goal to shoot for. I see nothing wrong with that - goals are individual and I would never judge someone's goals. For the record, I am not saying BF% is stupid. Hell, I place a lot of value in my BF reading....too much. For me, BF% can be DE-motivating as well as motivating. Especially if it does not say what I was expecting. Just trying to look at it objectively - in reality, it is just another number.

The process of dieting and training DO teach us about our bodies - but that has nothing to do with BF%. If I never got my BF tested I would still know (via clothing and mirrors) if my new diet and exercise plan was working or not. The BF% gives me a number to base that off of - but I could make the decision without it. I can make deductions about my training and my diet without knowing ANY numbers....

I am not sure you can compare all numbers/goals to BF%. I understand your point, and do agree that many people don't train simply for looks. But if I am training for a speed event (say 200m race). I know the record, I know what I need to beat to win. I know what to shoot for. The timed event doesn't differ from person to person - the winner has the fastest time. In a BB comp, the winner might not have the lowest BF or even a specific BF%. In most things, it is an exact number that must be achieved to win. BB is not that way. If you are training for a certain look, you cannot say that at X% BF you will be cut and lean - that % can differ from person to person.

 

[Daisy_Girl]

Oh, and a couple of us told you to check out ACSM for calculations.

 

[Dave949]

Hey Daisy..... don`t feel so bad about your lost gallery. I lost mine too AND my Karma vanished as well !!!

Screw the calipers, screw the mirror and screw the BF %.

I want my gallery and karma back..........................WAAAAHHHHH

Cry on .....

 

[Fonz]

Well, if you're going for a certain look...(Whatever that may be)...genetics are very much against you.

Stubborn fatty areas are almost impossible to get rid off. Even a perfect diet and every topical or oral drug out there that targets the specific A2 adrenoreceptor, responsible for keeping the fat inside the fatty areas(Stubborn fat is normally very, very high in A2 cells). All you'll end up doing for your troubles is losing muscle. Only GH can target stubborn fatty tissue, because it does not interact with the Beta or Alpha adrenoreceptor system, but increases lipolysis equally throughout the entire body by modifying the cellular response to cortisol after attaching itself to the GH receptors.(most of GH's effects are mediated by the subsequent increase in IGF-1 btw)

Fonz

 

[IronJunkey]

I bought a pair of calipers. Does anyone know of a good website that teaches how to do the pinch test - what areas etc?I have done underwater weighing twice but it is expensive and inconvenient so I thought I would try to do my own pinch testing.

head down to a worlds gym have them take yours and note how they do it...iguess you could just also measure about 3 spots and average them...under shoulder blade+Oblique+tri+maybe front of stomach...its only as accuate as you take it...so have someone else

 

[Generic MALE]

The mirror does lie to people with dysmorphia. Women who are anorexic literally see themselves as fat when looking in a mirror.

With all due respect Generic....it is NOT the mirror which is lying. The mirror never lies. It is an ill mind which is misperceiving an (accurate reflection) and distorting it. But it is not the mirror. Sorry.

Pump on .....

With all due respect Dave, and for the sake of argument mirrors always lie. The most accurate mirrors in the world are in space telescopes and the distortions inherent in them make accurate calculations of distant objects very difficult. The innaccuracy of mirrors makes fun houses notoriosuly fun for the distortions of self image their mirrors create. Its true that on top of that , the distortion of perceptions skewed even further by personal bias make accurately observing anything damn near impossible - that is why witnesses of crimes give greatly differing stories, and why fags argue whether the color of the kitchen paint is Navajo white or eggshell.

 

[Generic MALE]

Hell, I place a lot of value in my BF reading....too much. For me, BF% can be DE-motivating as well as motivating. Especially if it does not say what I was expecting.

If your avatar is your real picture I cannot imagine you feeling too DE-motivated.

 

[Bulldog_10]

With all due respect Dave, and for the sake of argument mirrors always lie. The most accurate mirrors in the world are in space telescopes and the distortions inherent in them make accurate calculations of distant objects very difficult. The innaccuracy of mirrors makes fun houses notoriosuly fun for the distortions of self image their mirrors create. Its true that on top of that , the distortion of perceptions skewed even further by personal bias make accurately observing anything damn near impossible - that is why witnesses of crimes give greatly differing stories, and why fags argue whether the color of the kitchen paint is Navajo white or eggshell.

LOL...now we're REALLY splitting hairs.

 

[Generic MALE]

Oh, and a couple of us told you to check out ACSM for calculations.

Oh, and a couple of times I asked for a link. I will just google and look it up. It would have been easier to do that in the first place than asking a simple question, then have it derailed every which way.

I mean that is why people ask questions here in the first place is to save time getting answers - sure everyone could find the answer on their own to every single question that is asked here. But they ask hoping to save some time and making a short cut to hopefully credible accurate information by taking advantage of what other people have already learned. The point of asking questions is to take advantage of the hard work others have already done so one does not have to repave the same road over and over again, reinvent the wheel over and over again,...

 

[Generic MALE]

head down to a worlds gym have them take yours and note how they do it...iguess you could just also measure about 3 spots and average them...under shoulder blade+Oblique+tri+maybe front of stomach...its only as accuate as you take it...so have someone else

Naw, I am too self conscious to let someone else do a pinch test on me. I haven't taken my shirt off in public in over a decade. I have a pretty severe case of dysmorphia and poor self image. I know in my head I am built alright - last time I did underwater weighing I was 6'1", 215 and around 8-9% (I think it was like 8.25% or something without having to go look it up). I hated taking my clothes off to do the underwater weighing in front of one person - certainly not going to let some gym trainer pinch my blubber- especially if it ended up being some hot female.