When clients say they want to trim inches, lose weight or tone their muscles, they are essentially saying they want to decrease body fat.

There are numerous methods available to measure body fat. Some are inexpensive and easily accessible. Others are expensive and not readily available to most people. Here are the more common methods.

Bio-electric impedance analysis: BIA requires the use of a handheld device that sends a signal through the body. This signal is conducted by the various tissues of the body but water is the main source. The client feels nothing during the test. This method is easy and a basic device is relatively inexpensive (under $100). However, the test is affected by the client’s hydration level and doesn’t show where fat is distributed throughout the body.

Calipers: Calipers can be used to pinch fat on the body. Fat levels are estimated at various locations and it can be done fairly quickly (10-15 minutes). However, results can be affected by the technician’s experience, the quality of the calipers and client size. More fat makes accurate readings more difficult. The last limitation is the comfort level of the client. I have not met many inactive, overweight people who enjoy having their skin pinched.

Underwater weighing: This is considered the most accurate measurement of body fat. The client is weighed twice: out of the water and in. The difference between the two measurements is used to calculate the percentage of body fat. However, the equipment is very expensive and isn’t widely available.

There are limitations with any test. The reality is that we are most concerned with body fat around the stomach. Research has clearly shown that increased fat level around the waist is associated with higher levels of cardiovascular disease and premature death. While extra fat on the arms and legs may not be attractive, there are no major health risk associated with it.

My clients are constantly asking what their body fat levels should be and how they compare to the general population. These figures are quite outdated and not very useful if the original testing method is not known.

My suggestion is to use body fat tests to gauge personal progress, not to compare to others. The numbers should only be used in conjunction with other tests, like body mass index and waist girth. Looking at any test in isolation is missing out on the big picture and ignoring other factors that might actually be more important.