Body fat percentage shows a lot about your body, including muscles and bones. You should know that high fat levels can cause high blood pressure and risk of diabetes. So you should keep your body fat low. There are many ways to measure your fat percentage.
First method: Skinfold caliper
This device is used by a technician who pinches your skin. It’s used on areas like chest, arms, belly, and thighs. Then the measurements go into the device. This tool is cheap and easy to use, so gyms often have it and you don’t need experts. Its downside is not very accurate, and differences show up only after a lot of training.
Second method: Bioelectrical impedance
We put electrical sensors under the feet. They send electrical pulses through the body and measure how fast the pulses return. This method is also cheap. You can find it in many homes and gyms, but it's not super easy to use so whoever uses it needs a bit of experience.
The percentages on this device vary due to factors like meal times, and reading the fat percentage right after exercise shows a lower fat percentage than reality, so you should follow some tips.
Method three: Hydrostatic weighing
This scale is also called the underwater scale. It compares body weight outside water to weight when fully submerged, then uses these numbers and water density to estimate body fat percentage. It's very accurate and used in many medical studies because of that.
The downside is it’s uncomfortable for some and a bit costly. You need people who know how to stay underwater for some time and can hold their breath for a while. Plus, it’s expensive.
Method four: DEXA
Girls lie on a table while low-dose X-rays focus on the body. It measures body mass and breaks it down into bones, muscles, and fat. It's also accurate but only available at certain centers and is very expensive.
Method five: Air-Displacement Plethysmography
This device is also accurate. Users sit on a small machine. It measures body density. Girls find it comfortable and easy. You can find it in most big gyms. But one downside is it costs a bit more.
Method six: 3D Body Scanning
You can use this device at home. It gives a 3D image of your body. Its accuracy is about 2%. It gets more accurate if you take a scan every day for a week. But it can reduce sleep quality and lower energy levels.
Make sure your body has low fat. Exercising right helps lower fat and boost muscles because muscles are healthy tissue. Try to keep moving, live healthily, eat well, and drink enough water.
