Fitness 3000 Body Fat Caliper

After a few test runs at the fitness facility that I train at, I can say that this body fat caliper is as good as any. Of course, it's the user that determines how accurate the measurements are by his/her finesse with the tester, and this one does require a bit of finesse - getting the feel for the "click" that happens when the caliper "bottoms out" takes a bit of practice, but I'm sure anyone can get it figured out as easily as I did. Compared to the hand-held electronic measuring devices available, typically for about $35 or so, this is more accurate, I believe. I've consistently measures clients at about 2-3 percent lower than the electronic devices show. And since I've had experience with a BodPod (the MOST accurate body composition measuring device) and it consistently shows my own body fat lower than the handheld devices do, I like that the caliper always comes in lower as well.Definitely worth the few bucks to get. Just follow other's advice and ignore the instructions that come with it and use the 5 or 7 or 9 site instructions that are available on many sites online.Finally, if you are buying this to use professionally, I believe that it makes you look more professional. Actually pinching and measuring a client's body fat at 7 or 9 sites on his/her body and then doing the calculations takes some skill. Handing the client a $35 device that spits out a number doesn't take any skill - and they know it! PLUS, by getting the opportunity to really examine WHERE a client's body is holding fat stores, using the caliper, you gain valuable knowledge beyond numbers on a digital readout about just where the client is in their quest for health and weight loss. That's worth a lot.By all means, bet yourself an Accu-Measure. No regrets at all for me.

SKINFOLD METHOD. This little plastic caliper works great. This brand is pretty much the standard. This is the thing you need to get to measure your body fat before starting a fitness program. Make sure you read the instructions. They are simple but need to be followed and I think what I am telling you here is really going to help you use it. Basically you move a little slider to a high point on the device. The slider moves as you squeeze the caliper until you hear a little click. Then you let it open at the click. Then you look at where the slider moved to. Using that number and a chart they give you you determine your body Fat. Now what might happen if you don't read this and the instructions? You will think the caliper is supposed to stay locked when it clicks, not even realize how the slider works, and clamp down so hard you poke dents in your skin. None of that is supposed to happen, it is so easy! If you happen to be obese using the caliper is a waste of time you need another method. Think, you are pulling your skin out, then measuring the thickness with the little caliper, if you have a very high % body fat it just ain't gona work and you should not be doing some program like the P90 or Insanity series you need to lose weight by first with better eating habits. No soda (any kind) , no sugar, no fast-food, cut-carbs etc etc.Note that is one method to estimate the body fat. You can also do it by simple calculations that you can find online and even a calculator on line. Special scales can do this too. I think this is worth the few dollars because it is easier to see results and keep you motivated, partly because you are actually measure your love handles.

Context:I am a adult male, 5' 10", ~175lb, with about 10% body fat. I've been tracking my physical measurements for about five years now, just to keep tabs on things. Since I have low body fat and high muscle mass, BMI isn't a great indicator of healthiness, so instead I've been using the Navy body fat formula -- BF% = 86.010 x log10 (waist - neck) - 70.041 x log10 (height) + 36.76 -- for measurements in inches, or -- %BF = 495 / ( 1.0324 - 0.19077 * log10( waist - neck ) + 0.15456 * log10( height ) ) - 450 -- for centimeters. This has given me consistent and what seem to be reliable results, +/- 3%, but it is sensitive to small changes in measurement (i.e. 1/8" variance is equal to about 0.3% BF) and I wanted to test the outcome against a second method to see if they were accurate in addition to being precise.Use:The Accu-Measure Fitness 3000 calipers are easy to use; they have a simple, functional design which will work for most people. The way it works is that the calipers have a slider, which you reset before the measurement. When you take the measurement, you squeeze the caliper together - thus pushing the slide along its rail - until the tab of the little arm clicks into its socket. When you release the pressure, the caliper returns to its open state, but the slide stays put, and you can read the measurement off the rail. All the calipers do is measure the thickness of the skin-fold inserted between the caliper pads, in millimeters. An included chart allows you use that measurement to estimate your body fat %. You can take one measurement - at the suprailliac (supra-illiac) right above the hip-bone, or four from the suprailliac, abdomen, triceps, and thigh, or even more, and use a calculator online to determine body fat % from that. You should probably take the measurement before any exercise or meals, to reduce the possibility of interference from transient factors.Review:I found the calipers very easy to use, though it is still tough to take some measurements without a partner. The suprailliac is easy, as is the abdomen and the thigh, but the triceps is tricky, as is the subscapular measurement on the back. Also, while this is still usable for someone with my body fat content, it's already a little marginal. Taking one suprailliac measurement returned a bf% of 11%, but taking four returned 8%, and a different four returned 5%, which is definitely wrong. So you need to take a few measurements and average them out. If you watch a couple videos on the subject, you'll understand how it works very quickly. The slider/rail system, paired with the click-arm, means you can get consistent results and takes a lot of the guess work out of use.So I think I'd recommend this for general BF% tracking, maybe in conjunction with the Navy formula, which is easier to calculate for oneself.