Aqueel wrote:
DC EVO wrote: Harpenden calipers are the best for measuring skin fold sites. They aren't cheap though. About R4000 a set in SA. The skill of the person using them is also a factor in the accuracy of them. You need to get the same person taking the measurement each time otherwise it will be inconsistent. The cheap calipers from Dischem and wherever else, are that, cheap. Cheap equals inaccurate.
Handheld or the BIA (i think they;re called) machines vary from massively inaccurate to incredibly accurate. The accuracy is dependent on how much you spend. The good accurate ones start from about R20k
If someone is taking bodyfat with calipers, personally I'd make sure they were Harpenden. Also ask how many times they've done it.
Fucksakes. I bought one of those digital calipers. Calculated my bf to 6.6% which is around what my trainer calculated 2 months ago. (it was 7% back then). I did it a few times and got the same results. And she was using the normal old skool calipers. So i guess its about right...right?
The key to it is, use the same thing over and over again. Whether it's 5% or 50% off doesn't really matter, it's about tracking progress. As long as the measuring is consistent then the accuracy doesn't matter so much.
And who really cares what bf% you are other than you? You can't win a competition for the lowest body fat, it's done on visual aesthetics. Don't get me wrong I like to know what my bf% is but it's purely an ego thing, plain and simple.
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