Many methods are available for assessing body fat percentage. Generically, these methods are categorized as being either laboratory methods or field methods. Laboratory methods tend to be more accurate, expensive, time-intensive, limited in availability and reliant on skilled technicians. These include Underwater Weighing (UWW), Air Displacement Plethysmography (Bod Pod), Whole-body Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA), Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) to name a few. Field methods, on the other hand, provide quick and are relatively easy to use, although they may not be as accurate. Examples of field methods include Skin-fold Measurement, Anthropometry (height, weight, circumferences, BMI) and segmental (upper-body or lower-body) BIA.

Hydrostatic (Under-water) Weighing

Of all commonly known tests, this one is the most accurate. Hydrostatic Testing (Underwater Weighing) has become universally regarded by industry experts as the "Gold Standard" in body fat testing. The way the test goes is that first, your body weight is measured on land, then your entire body is submerged in water while you sit on a scale in a tub of water. All of the air in the lungs is blown out to give the most accurate reading. This test takes your underwater weight, and from that number your body fat percentage is calculated.

Clinically speaking, the hydrostatic testing method has been around for over 50 years and is based on Archimedes principle which states "that when a body is submerged in water, there is a buoyant counter force equal to the weight of the water which is displaced". By obtaining your land weight and water weight (based on buoyancy), a specialized computer program can 'scientifically' calculate your body fat as a percentage of your total weight. Because lean tissue, muscle, connective tissue, bones, etc. are denser than water, a person with a larger percentage of lean body mass will weigh more in the water and ultimately have a lower body fat percentage versus someone with less lean muscle mass. On the other hand, body fat floats and a person with more body fat will be lighter in water.

While the density of your body is usually a good measure of how much fat mass you have relative to lean body mass, it isn't 100% reliable. The problem is that Densitometry measures only body density, as the name implies, but doesn't measure the exact amount of muscle mass or body fat. Fat is just fat, lean body mass is made up of bone, muscle, and connective tissue, with bone being denser than muscle. For a typical young Caucasian healthy individual with an average predictable amount of muscle relative to bone Densitometry may work, however not everybody falls into this category. Older people with osteoporosis don't have as much bone mass weighing them down, thus they sink less than expected, so Densitometry will overestimate their body fat percentage. Bodybuilders have a lot more muscle mass, and muscle are lighter than bones, so the overall body density may also be lower. Thus, the under-water weighing technique will show an exaggerated body fat percentage. African-American women tend to have denser bones than the equations assume which is why Densitometry underestimates their body fat percentage. Male African-American athletes with lots of lean mass and heavy bones may even come out with negative body fat percentage. In reality this is impossible, but not according to the formula used in Densitometry (unless a special equation is used).

The other limitation of this testing method is finding a facility (University, major gym or fitness center) which has a hydrostatic weighing tank. Then, the procedure is not cheap.

The Bod Pod

One of the newest forms of body composition testing involving state of the art technology, developed by Life Measurements Instruments, Concord, CA, is called Bod Pod. Like underwater weighing, it determines the amount of body fat by using body density (weight and volume of the body). But instead of using water to measure body volume, the Bod Pod uses air displacement to measure body volume (in liters). The amount of air displaced by your body is estimated by changes in air pressure within the Bod Pod.

There are many advantages of using this method. You don't have to get wet or dive into a tub like in under-water weighing. Measurement time is short - takes roughly 5 to 8 minutes per individual.

Then, it is well suited for all populations, including children, obese, elderly, and disabled persons. While the Bod Pod has all the same limitations as under-water weighing because it also uses density, it's almost unbeatable for accurately measuring changes in fat over time. If each test is performed correctly according to the recommended guidelines, there is a ± 3% error. Although the device is expensive ($30,000 - $40,000), many facilities now have a Bod Pod since it's somewhat more portable than an underwater weighing tank. Be prepared to pay around $40 - $65 per each body fat testing.

Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry

At present, the most precise technique appears to be Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry, or DEXA for short. Originally developed for measuring the density of bones, this non-invasive procedure gives you a chemical breakdown of your body's contents lipid (fat), bone mineral, water and so on, and uses these data to estimate how much fat vs. muscle you have. How does it work? The software determines the density of all parts of the body, including fat, bone mineral, and non-bone lean tissue, through a total-body X ray using extremely low dosage energy beams. You stay fully clothed throughout the process, and the non-invasive scan is completely pain free.

Although DEXA is relatively quick and painless, its cost and complexity of equipment are hard to justify for an average Joe - one screen can cost as much as $60 - $100 and is only available at many hospitals and health centers. And while a full body DEXA scan is as simple as lying on a table for around 3 minutes, getting an appointment and time-slot can take weeks. Also, since this method requires a whole body X-ray, you need a physician's referral.

Skin-fold Measurements

This test estimates the percentage of body fat by measuring skin-fold thickness at specific locations on the right side of the body. This is probably the most accurate and least expensive method of checking body composition. Can you pinch your skin at the back of the upper arm, on the belly or on the upper thigh muscle? Of course you can. But can you feel the muscles underneath each skin-fold? This is how deep you need to go to actually take the accurate measurement. The full thickness of these folds is a measure of the fat under the skin, also called subcutaneous adipose tissue.

All you need is a good reliable person who knows how to do the procedure properly and a simple device called skin-fold calipers which can measure the skin-fold thickness to the precision of millimeters. Let the professional trainer do the job for you. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, when performed by a trained, skilled tester, skin-fold measurements of body fat are up to 98% accurate. For this reason, it's important to find a qualified expert and the high-quality type of calipers which could cost well over $100. You can buy a pair inexpensively for about $20 with a respectable amount of accuracy.

The tester should pinch the skin at the location site by pulling the fold of skin away from the underlying muscle so only the skin and fat tissue is being held. For best results, two measurements are recorded and averaged. The measurement sites vary depending upon the specific skin-fold testing protocol being used, but typically include the following 3, 5, or 7 different locations on the body:

1. Triceps - A vertical fold on the back of the upper arm taken halfway between the shoulder and elbow, just forward of the armpit.

2. Subscapula - A diagonal fold 1 - 2 cm from the inferior angle of the scapula (shoulder blade).

3. Abdomen – A vertical skin-fold taken 2 cm lateral to the belly button.

4. Suprailiac - Just above the iliac crest of the hip bone.

5. Thigh/Quadriceps - A vertical skin-fold taken midway between the hip and knee joints on the front of the thigh.

6. Chest - A diagonal skin-fold taken midway on the anterior axillary line (crease of the underarm and the nipple).

7. Mid-axillary - A vertical or horizontal fold on the mid-axillary line that runs down from the armpit at the level of the xiphoid process of the sternum (just below nipple).

Of the many equations for estimating body composition, Jackson and Pollock (1985) have developed the formula with the smallest margin of error for the general population. These equations are based on the sum of measurements taken at 3 sites. Since men and women differ in their patterns of storing body-fat, different anatomical sites are measured between the sexes.

For men, the skin-fold sites are:

• Chest

• Thigh

• Abdomen

For women, the skin-fold sites are:

• Triceps

• Thigh

• Supra-ilium

Once you know the skin-fold measurements, you'll need to convert these numbers into a percent of body fat. Skin-fold thickness results rely on formulas that convert these numbers into an estimate of a person's percentage of body fat according to a person's age and gender. There are as many different formulas and calculations as there are ways to measure skin-fold thickness, but the easiest way to calculate the percent of body fat is to use a software program. If you purchase your own calipers, the manufactures often provide with a reference table of the sum of all measurements (in mm) indicating how much fat you have under your skin.

After the professional has obtained satisfactory measurements for each of the 3 sites, the sum of the measurements is added up from which the body fat percentage is found from the tables created specifically for each gender.

Here is how you can use this information. You are a 40-year-old male with skin-fold average measurements of 15 for the chest, 20 for the abdomen, and 15 for the thigh. The sum of the measurements is 50. In the table for men above, find the intersection of the row corresponding to the sum of the skin-folds (50) and the column corresponding to your age (40). Your estimated Body Fat is 16.5%.

A review of scientific literature reveals that skin-fold method has its origins in 1900s when pioneering investigators observed that the thickness of the skin-folds varied from one anatomical site to the next. Later it was revealed that there was a relationship between the amount of pinched skin to body density derived from Underwater Weighing. The first skin-fold equation was developed in 1951 which has undergone more than 50 years of usage by practitioners and scrutiny by researchers.

Skin-folds are a useful gauge of how well a diet and exercise program is working because they can detect gain or loss of fat in the same individual over time. However, since the measures vary tremendously depending on where they are taken, it is very important to be consistent and measure exactly the same spot each time - even one centimeter off can make a significant difference.

The limitation with using calipers is that they allow you to pinch the surface subcutaneous fat only under the skin, not deep fat such as that found within muscle. Skin-fold measurement is based on the belief that approximately 50% of total body fat lies under the skin. As you get older, more fat is stored inside the muscles and also deep in the stomach area – the omentum fat which surrounds the internal organs of your digestive tract. You can't pinch this adipose tissue. To avoid underestimating total body fat, use a skin-fold equation that takes age into account.

Body Mass Index (BMI)

Body Mass Index (BMI) is often used to quantify an individual's obesity level. This is the simplest of tests which is calculated using the formula:

Your height squared, divided by your weight.

The result is looked up on a table developed by simply using data based on population studies. This test takes only an individual's height and weight and no indication of actual lean or fat mass can be determined.

For adults, a figure of 18.5 to 24.9 is normal; less than 18.5 is considered underweight and may indicate malnutrition, an eating disorder, or other health problem. If your BMI is 25 to 29.9 you're technically overweight, and anything over 30 is categorized as obese. These range boundaries apply to adults over 20 years of age.

Originally, the Body Mass Index is a statistical tool primarily designed for public health studies to determine whether obesity was a correlate in health outcomes. Now some researchers from the Mayo Clinic are saying the BMI is just too blunt to be trusted. A study found that overweight patients had better survival rates and fewer heart problems than those with a normal BMI low, and patients with a low BMI had a higher risk of death from heart disease than those with normal BMI.

Also, this has shown to be a useless method as far as body composition is concerned. Although the BMI calculations are fairly accurate for someone who lives a sedentary lifestyle, the calculations really should be avoided by anyone with a muscular physique. Since BMI does not take into account a person's body fat percentage, it is possible to have an above average body weight and high BMI, but not be obese. A lean and extremely healthy bodybuilder who weighs 90 kilos and is 180cm tall, for example, can have a BMI of 27.8. The Body Mass Index number would mean that he is theoretically overweight, has a high risk of heart disease, Diabetes, and should lose weight. Now, if this same person has only 7% body fat, then there is not much to lose at all – in fact, he must gain some body fat to be considered 'healthy'. An extreme example is that in his prime, as Mr. Universe, Arnold Schwarzenegger's BMI was 33. That's not just overweight but obese. The best recommendation for getting a good indicator of your health is to invest in something that actually tracks your body fat percentage.

Fat-Free Mass Index

If you are really interested in giving yourself a reality check, consider the Fat-Free Mass Index or FFMI. It takes into account the amount of muscle mass a person is carrying and relates that to their height. One inconvenience is that you have to know your body fat percentage first before you can many calculations.

The equation is your weight (in kilograms) divided by your height (in meters) squared.

It is not necessarily a superior index, but it does factor in different parameters than simply total weight. The method has been used in other research studies and norms even exist for different age groups.

A study of elite athletes combined with an analysis of 20 Mr. America contest winners from the 1939-1959 era, determined that a fat free Body Mass Index of 25 was pretty much an upper limit, 19 was the average and 28 was the highest FFMI value. Bodybuilders may particularly benefit from this information - 84 of test subjects were admitted steroid users and 74 have reported to not using any performance enhancing drugs. Also, the Mr. America winners came from the pre-steroid era (1939-1959), although some of them exceeded the 25 mark.

If we look at FFMI of two of my favorite bodybuilders from the 1970's, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Frank Zane, we know that they both looked terrific during their competition. The natural aesthetic look of the body that is pleasing to the eye can be confirmed by this great new screening FFMI tool. You can find on-line calculators on many fitness web-sites now. Just for the sake of fun, I wanted to know what would the numbers be for the legends, provided their hypothetical body fat percentage was 8. For Frank Zane (hight 5'9", weight 180 lbs), the FFMI was 24.6! For Arnold Schwarzenegger (at 6'2" and 235 lbs), the FFMI was 28.1!

Based on the data, it can be said that anyone with a FFMI over 25 is genetically-gifted natural bodybuilder.

Near-Infrared Reactance

This method of assessing body fat is based on the principles of light absorption, reflectance, and near infrared spectroscopy. Here, a computerized spectrophotometer that has a scan and probe is placed onto a selected body site such as the biceps. The device emits an infrared light which passes through both fat and muscle and is reflected back to the probe. Density measurements are obtained and incorporated into the manufacturer’s prediction equations where data such as height, weight, sex, age, frame size and activity level are taken into consideration. A digital read out including percentage body fat and lean tissue are displayed.

Advertisements try to sell Near-Infrared Reactance (such as Futrex 5000) as a safe, non-invasive, fast and convenient way of body fat measurement, which is true. One thing they won't tell you is that it is reliable and accurate. The consensus among scientists and government health agencies alike is that NIR offers little or no added accuracy over equations using height, weight, gender and activity level. Researchers found that it underestimated body fat by more than 4% in subjects greater than 30% fat and overestimated body fat by 4% in subjects less than 8% fat.

Body Fat Scale: BIA

(Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis)

Since we are fighting an eternal battle against the bulge, we all want to know the cellulite update. How can we measure body composition accurately and inexpensively? Now there is an easy way to reveal all your body changes. A simple weight scale takes the sum of everything in your body - fat, muscle, water, hair, nails - and gives an absolute weight measurement, but can't determine the lean-to-fat ratio of that weight. If you have a scale hidden in your bathroom, throw it away, or, better yet, give as a Valentine Day gift to your girlfriend. New generation has been blessed with an affordable body-conscious-friendly gadget – Body Fat Monitor.

What an incredible machine – now you can find how much fat, muscle, water your frame captures at any given time. Some models can even reveal the bone mineral density, especially important for all those aging folks who want to avoid osteoporosis. Still young and don't worry about your bones yet? You should, not only because you start loosing them after the age of 25, but because you are a bodybuilder. Just like every muscled man, you probably gobble on protein, most likely are lactose intolerant and stay away from the best Calcium source – dairy, leafy greens don't top your menu plan, and go Caffeine-crazy at times. All these are known to leach minerals from you skeleton, making you weaker and weaker every day. So, you may want to check the health of your bony frame with the help of Body Health Monitor.

A device that looks and feels like a regular digital bathroom scale, Body Fat Monitor (BFM) works through a method of Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA). In conventional BIA, before a person is weighed, his/her height, age and gender are entered in the system. The device provides electrodes that are attached to various parts of the body, such as feet and palms of your hands.

Once you come in touch with the metal receptors, a very low level electrical signal is sent through the body checking the contents of all cells. Water is an excellent electric conductor, while fat is not. Therefore, the signal travels quickly through thin water-containing lean tissues and gets stuck in the thickness of fat.

How accurate are the results? Let's see. You are made of water: 100% of your sweat and tears, 80% of your brain, 80% of your blood and 70% of your lean muscle. It effects every function of your body, especially when it comes to gaining mass and keeping it on. Total Body Water (TBW) is an estimate of total hydration level, including intracellular and extra-cellular water. Intracellular Water (ICW) is the water you hold inside the tissues, while Extra-cellular Water (ECW) is water in tissues and plasma. In BIA it is assumed that the current path is only extra-cellular at the lowest frequencies and that it is both extra- and intracellular at the highest frequencies. Depending on the speed of Bioelectrical Signal, the device calculates the percentage of lean mass vs. fat using all the previously input individual measures. The more muscle mass you have – the more body water you hold. So, the slower the electric response, the more adipose you carry, the greater the number of fat percentage will be shown. In other words, the monitor just senses the hydration level of all body tissues.

Now get your brains working. In BIA, it is assumed that the current path is only extra-cellular at the lowest frequencies and that it is both extra- and intracellular at the highest frequencies. This is where the intricacies of of a Bioelectric Impedance Analysis (BIA) may be biased.

It is known that bodybuilders are almost always in their hypertrophy phase and have more intracellular water, or water inside each muscle cell. Additionally, if you drink Creatine, eat salty or sugary foods, or simply constantly drink more, you hold additional body water. Your magic scale will tell you that you have a lesser body fat percentage and more lean mass.

This sounds great if you are in a growth phase. But when you dehydrate yourself for competition, you may be disappointed – fat levels increase proportionally to the water weight lost. Even simple natural foods you may have every day (like caffeine, dandelion root, increased dietary protein, potassium and alcohol) will strip your body of the water. You may feel lighter, but not tighter – flabby fat will not be gone. Again, the Body Fat Monitor will say you lost your muscles and now have more fat. Uneven fat distribution (for example, hip fat vs. arm fat) may further hurt BIA accuracy, as handheld BIA devices only assess the upper body, BIA scales only assess the legs and neither looks at core body fat Additionally, the fitter you are, the less accurate the test. Some BIA devices have an "athlete" setting that helps overcome this problem; without it, results can be misleading. Last but not least, women should not take the readings too close to heart – every number will depend on their monthly cycle. So, beware of when you measure yourself. Even scientists have put a warning: “ Prediction equations based on impedance may be flawed in extremes of body composition, particularly if tissue hydration is abnormal”.

Throw away your Body Fat Monitor! It's worthless! Have I got your attention? Hopefully, as I just don't want you to get too optimistic. Several studies have compared the Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA), skin-fold thickness measurement (STM) and Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA). Generally, BIA had better agreement with DEXA in the assessment of fat free and fat mass suggesting that “BIA prediction equations, chosen with care, can improve the performance of equations based upon anthropocentric measurements (height, weight, gender, age) alone in the assessment of body composition”.

But to balance the debate, consider this: When 16 obese women were checked before and after a weight loss of of 11.7 +/- 7.4 kg, their body composition was assessed by Dual Energy X-ray Absorptivity (DEXA), and total body potassium counting (TBK). These measurements were compared with BIA by applying 11 predictive BIA equations published in the literature. Here comes the problem - the results of the BIA equations showed that these poor food-lovers and exercise-haters had more lean mass and less fat both before and after weight loss. So, if you carry layers and layers of lard under your skin and want to know its exact weight, your Body Fat Scale is worthless. On the other hand, doctors still say that the device “may be used to indicate whether FFM is lost or preserved in groups of obese subjects.”

Other studies have tried BIA with catabolic patients constantly loosing lean mass as a result of metabolic condition, such as with AIDS, liver disease, anorexia or aging. These patients usually have poor cell membrane transport, so they may have different fluctuations of Intra- and Extra-cellular compartments, and BIA was not able to detect that accurately.

There were quite a few studies showing that significant difference in the body fat percentages measured by BIA and DEXA. Guess what? BIA generally gave a much lesser reading than DEXA, and what raised my eyebrows was the fact that “underestimation of body fat percentage was 3 times higher with overweight boys than with girls.” Maybe you don't fall in this category, but at least you should get a clue that BIA is far from perfection in predicting how many grams of fat or muscle you gain day in and day out.

If you are obese, anorexic, elderly, or have any kind of muscle-wasting disease, don't get fooled by the heartening reading of Body Fat Scale and save your money. The numbers on the monitor may be too good to be true. All men in white coats found this “very important because BIA technique is a routine technique for clinical purposes”. But if you a healthy dude, just want to see how well-hydrated your muscular striations are, or wonder if that six-pack beer you had last night did any damage to your six-pack abs, consult your diet diary and check up with the scale in a few days after the digestive system settles down. Most of the time, you will find humongous differences in readings depending on your waste products status.

Overall, considering all studies done on Bioelectrical Impedance, I have to concur with professionals: “The minor disagreement between different body fat measurement techniques may be too large for clinical measurements, but good enough for home use.” Measuring BIA serially would do much better than skin-folds to track short-term changes, since it takes many weeks or months for skin-folds to change, while visceral fat will turn over faster and cannot be estimated by skin-folds Apart from your stressful condition to see the horrifying numbers, there is no danger in getting the fat revealed. Besides, it's easier to use one of the BIA devices than to have someone conduct a skin-fold test on you.

So, big boy, if after your regular morning weight check-up the inspiration of sizzling fat lets you eat doughnuts for breakfast, you may want to stick with fat-pinching and just hit the gym more often. But if you have enough willpower and keep up with your fat-melting plan, miracle monitor will keep you updated.

If all you need is a reference check of which cell type in your body is growing, or shrinking – fat or muscle - get the latest model of Body Fat Monitor from a respectable maker. Any consumer magazine with at least one article on weight-loss would run an ad on how to measure the bulge. Personal Trainers may also have a simplified gadget from the previous generation. The best place to shop would be an internet where you can read the reviews of users. Individual distributors and specialty sports shops carry some brands - some of them being more accurate and expensive. Others may be less accurate and still expensive – someone has to pay for all the marketing after all, so let it be you! Clinical-type models are usually bulkier and include several pieces.

If you haven't had a BIA done before, it is important to be prepared. Consistency in measurement times, diet, sleep patterns and training will give you a better idea of the readings. The ideal test time is in the morning before breakfast at least 4 hours since the last meal. Avoid any activity that would make you sweat at least 8 hours before your test. Also, stay away from caffeine or alcohol in large quantities 12 hours before the test. Remember to go to the bathroom before the test to get rid of any waste products. All metal jewelry should be removed. Although you won't feel anything, metal removal improves accuracy. One word of caution - although, the electrical current is so small that it is undetectable, if you have a pacemaker or automatic implantable cardiac defibrillator (AICD), you should not have a BIA done.

Waist-Hip Ratio

Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is a simple but useful measure which looks at the proportion of fat stored on your body, not your body composition. WHR is calculated by dividing your waist measurement by your hip measurement (the widest part of your butt). To measure your Waist-to-Hip Ratio, wrap a tape measure around your middle at the level of your belly button, then measure your hip circumference at the level of the two bony prominences felt in the front of your hips. Divide your waist circumference by your hip circumference. Ideally, women should have a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.8 or less, while men should have a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.95 or less.

Why is it important? Because, as experts are finding out, your health is not only affected by how much body fat you have, but also by where most of the fat is located on your body. Most people store their body fat in two distinct ways: around their middle (apple shape) and around their hips (pear shape). Apparently, those people who have more abdominal fat, known as "apples," are at greater risk for obesity, Diabetes, Coronary Heart Disease and high blood pressure, than "pears" who have more hip fat. The risk of disease increases if your waist circumference is more than 88 cm or 35 inches for a woman and more than 102 cm or 40 inches for a man. This means, if your belly has bulged out enough to catch up to the size of your hips, you should start worrying about your health.

Turns out that fat on a woman’s hips doesn’t seem to increase risk, whereas a beer belly does. That’s because fat that accumulates in this abdominal area, called visceral fat, is metabolized by the liver, turning it into cholesterol and circulating that through the blood and is more likely than fat stored in other spots to lead to changes in hormone levels. Visceral fat is dangerous because it can cause inflammation, which in turn leads to clogged arteries, imbalances in regulating blood sugar levels and overall disturbances in metabolism.

Body shape is something you inherited, and have had since birth. As long as you avoid excess weight, being an apple shaped body or a pear shaped body doesn't put you at special risk - it's just one of those things to keep in mind. “Apples” may need to take special care to keep their weight at a healthy level, eat nutritiously, exercise, and maintain other healthy lifestyle habits. But “pears” should also take particular care to keep their weight within normal limits to avoid the health problems associated with obesity. It’s quite possible to be thin, lean and have an acceptable BMI and still have some belly paunch. Certain groups of people - those from Japan and south Asia, for example - tend not to become obese but can have an increased risk of heart disease from storing small amounts of fat around their waists. Many bodybuilders who used to take anabolic steroids may also deposit more fat around their bellies due to hormonal changes.

Unfortunately, as people gain weight, both their waist and their hips grow. This is the basic defect of the Waist-to-Hip Ratio - a big butt cancels a big waist. And while it can be useful in some aspects, body composition is much more accurate and a better determination of overall health and aesthetics.

Suggestions and Healthy Ranges

The absolute perfect body fat percentage does NOT exist. Age and gender make a big contribution to the ideal value, but most importantly - everyone is an individual. Some people might feel and perform better at a higher or lower body fat percentage than others of the same age and sex. While we are on the subject, note that athletes also vary in how lean they need to be. This is why I included the following tables so that you can compare the statistics (and look at yourself and others from a different angle).

It is important to keep in mind that there are two sides to the range of healthy body fat percentages. It’s dangerous to be over the percentage, but it’s also very dangerous to be below your range. Basically, if you fall anywhere inside the range – you are doing well. Staying below the upper limit should be your target but as you'll soon see lower is not necessarily better. Women require more body fat than men due to hormonal and child-bearing requirements, so falling below your range can effect pregnancy.

While it's tough to know what your real percentage body fat is, tracking it with the latest methods is a great way to learn how you're doing in the war against flab. For people looking to lose weight, it is very important that the weight you lose does not put you under a healthy body fat percentage. Because it takes time to lose fat--you should lose no more than 2 pounds (or 1kg) a week. Track your results by testing body fat just once every 2 weeks and remember to stick with the same measurement tool, or your numbers might vary widely.

Knowing your healthy body fat percentage range will give you a goal that will maximize your efforts!