It is incredibly important, especially if you are looking to make any personal fitness advancements, to understand about body composition and about the significance of calculating body fat. Most people just go by the number that they see on their regular bathroom scale, but you need to realize that this is merely your total body weight, and because your body includes much more than just fat, such as bones, muscle, organs, blood, and so on, this reading is really not that accurate.
The most important difference is that between the fat and muscle in your body. You could weigh more than someone else who is the same height as you, but if you have more muscle, it does not matter that your total body weight is higher, because you are actually healthier. In fact, muscle, because it is denser, weighs more than fat, and this just goes to show even more why your total body weight measurement is so basically irrelevant.
Calculating Body Fat
There are actually several different methods that you can use when it comes to the process of calculating body fat. The first, and most common, involves a pair of measurement calipers and the taking of skinfold measurements. These measurements are made by grasping the skin and underlying tissue, making sure to shake it before actually clipping it between the jaws of the calipers, so that any muscle will fall off. This is one of the most accurate methods, although there is one even more accurate than this and that is underwater weighing.
Although this method of calculating body fat is less convenient, because it is more accurate it is very commonly used. The purpose of this method is to measure the density of the body, and from this figure calculate the actual percentage of body fat on the body. Needed for this method are several pieces of equipment, including a hydrostatic stainless steel weighing tank, including an underwater mounted chair and scale, and a weighted belt and nose clip. It can be difficult to find all of this equipment, not to mention costly, and so often the best idea is to have it done professionally.
First the dry weight of the subject is taken, so there is a measurement to compare to, and then the subject sits on a specialized seat, expels all of the air from their lungs, and is lowered into the tank until all of their body parts are emerged. As long as the person remains as motionless as possible while the underwater weight is being recorded, then the results should be incredibly accurate. Importance of Calculating Body Fat
Calculating body fat is incredibly important, because you should be going by your body fat percentage and not your total body weight in order to measure your fitness success.
