BMI

The most accurate way to measure your body fat percentage is with skinfold calipers. You can buy skinfold calipers at most sports and fitness equipment stores.

Take all of the measurements on the right side of your body. Gently pinch and fold your skin between your thumb and forefinger. Don’t grab any muscle. Hold the calipers to the fold and measure. I recommend repeating the measurements three times to get an accurate reading.

Men, measure skinfold at your:

  1. chest, halfway between your nipple and armpit
  2. waist, about an inch to the right of your navel
  3. thigh, on the front halfway between the kneecap and the hip bone.

Women, measure skinfold at your:

  1. triceps, on the back midway between your shoulder and elbow
  2. hip, at the top front of the hipbone
  3. thigh, same as described above

Record the final measurement in your body composition log. Then, use this online calculator to get your body fat measurement:

Skinfold Body Fat (men)
Chest (mm)
Abdominal (mm)
Thigh (mm)
Age
Body Density =
Body Fat (%) =

Skinfold Body Fat (women)
Triceps (mm)
Suprailiac (mm)
Thigh (mm)
Age
Body Density =
Body Fat (%) =

The 3 Site Skinfold for Men

  • SITE 1 – CHEST. A diagonal fold taken one half of the distance between the nipple and the anterior auxiliary. (The anterior auxiliary line is thecrease where the top of the arm, when hanging down, meets the chest.)
  • SITE 2 – ABDOMINAL. A vertical skinfold measurement taken 2.5 cm (one inch) to the right of the umbilicus (navel).
  • SITE 3 – THIGH. A vertical skinfold measurements taken half the distance between the patella (knee cap) and the inguinal crease (the skin creasebetween the thigh and the hip). The leg should be straight and relaxed.

The 3 Site Skinfold for Women

  • SITE 1 – TRICEPS. With the arm resting comfortably at the side, take a vertical fold parallel to the long axis of the arm midway between theprominent bone at the top of the shoulde (acromion process) and the tip of the elbow (olecranon process).
  • SITE 2 – SUPRAILIAC. Take a diagonal fold following the natural line of the iliac crest, just above the hip bone.
  • SITE 3 – THIGH. A vertical skinfold measurements taken half the distance between the patella (knee cap) and the inguinal crease (the skin creasebetween the thigh and the hip). The leg should be straight and relaxed.