Body Fat % - Scales or Calipers?
I heard that calipers are much more accurate, but is the margin of error significant-- even amongst the higher end scales? I'm not overly intense about the measurements, I'm just a very goal-oriented person and it keeps me motivated. I know if I'm not trained to use calipers I shouldn't, I'm just trying to see if technology has finally caught up in the scale department so that I could potentially buy one? Any recommendations on what scale to buy? (Or types of calipers?)
Public Comments
- scales are more accurate
- It's been my experience that both can give you a good general idea of body fat, but neither are expectionally accurate. Calipers can be more accurate, but are more prone to user error. Scales use a simple algorithm that will always yield the same result, but aren't as good at taking into account nuances about a person's proportion. The most accurate method seems to be a buoyancy test. A person is weighed on land and in water and the difference indicates the percentage of body fat. If choosing between calipers and scales, however, I'd choose the scale. Even if it is off a little bit, subsequent measurement should be off the to the same degree. That would allow you to more closely follow trends.
- Calipers are more accurate in the hands of a trained technician. I have a Tanita scale, and found that the fat % measurement is all over the map (6%-8%) depending on God knows what, even if my weight is the hasn't changed. I don't really care, I just got it out of curiousity. Its a very good accurate scale for weight purposes, but the body fat % is certainly questionable. If you really need to know for some reason, the immersion method is without doubt the best.
