Calculating bodyfat percentage

Artificial Emotion

Artificial Emotion

Bluelighter
Joined
Jan 19, 2009
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I understand using skinfold calipers is a pretty good way of estimating bodyfat percentage but professional skinfold calipers are way out of my price range. So I was wondering, are the cheaper plastic ones still a good way to estimate bodyfat percentage or not considering I don't have endless amounts of money to spend on equipment?

Also when you're calculating macronutrient ratios and you want to get the percentage of carbohydrates, do you just multiply the number of grams of carbs by 4kcal/g, divide this by the total no of calories and then multiply by 100?

One last thing - when you're lifting weights how much time per rep should you give? I usually give the positive rep two seconds and the negative rep three seconds but what would you recommend?
 
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Artificial Emotion said:
I understand using skinfold calipers is a pretty good way of estimating bodyfat percentage but professional skinfold calipers are way out of my price range. So I was wondering, are the cheaper plastic ones still a good way to estimate bodyfat percentage or not considering I don't have endless amounts of money to spend on equipment?

Also when you're calculating macronutrient ratios and you want to get the percentage of carbohydrates, do you just multiply the number of grams of carbs by 4kcal/g, divide this by the total no of calories and then multiply by 100?

One last thing - when you're lifting weights how much time per rep should you give? I usually give the positive rep two seconds and the negative rep three seconds but what would you recommend?
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1. I don't want to be that guy here and not answer your question, but in my personal experience focusing on bf% can really be hindering to overall progress, it's a super gradual process. A better way to measure is just by taking pictures weekly/biweekly in the same light/position/background. Easy to do in the bathroom with your phone, quick and easy. Weigh yourself after the morning dump and record it, ezpz.

2. Some might argue with me on this, so anyone please chime in. There's so much research in the past few years really moving towards covering proteins>fats>carbs. So let's say you're looking at 1.2g/lb protein, 0.4g/lb fat, you're 200 lb male. Just for the sake of ease let's say on a 2000 calorie diet, 10x weight. that's 240g protein, 80 fat.

240(protein) x 4 = 960
80(fat) x 9 = 720

960 + 720 = 1680
2000 - 1680 = 320

320/4 = 80(carbs to fill out day after protein/fats are achieved)

(I can get into a more ideal distribution of calories throughout the day, but that's super micro. when you work out, 2 or 8 meals, blah blah blah. Research is leaning towards not really mattering at the end of the day. )

3. REPS : In lifting weights you have to realize there's tons of styles and frequencies you can train with, some are sustainable and some aren't(but all are in the toolbelt). Depending on the lift you're executing it's going to vary, how long you're into the workout, and while maintaining ideal form. What you are trying to achieve has a lot to do with these, sets, reps, style, hand position. TUT(time under tension) is king - which is the negative in most traditional lifts you're probably used to). *Google time under tension*

PS: If you aren't already very familiar with these concepts, I would STRONGLY advise not touching any enhancing substances, you've got a long way to go.
 
Thanks for the advice. Yes I have actually taken some 'before' photos to go with the 'after' pics I take when I reach my goals.

I'm curious, how many meals do you have throughout the day? Also is that the amount of protein you would suggest one takes i.e. 1.2g/lb or is that just an arbitrary figure used to demonstrate the point you were trying to make?
 
That's great, i'd suggest upping the frequency. There's nothing better than progressively seeing the change in yourself at the end of the day. Plus if you're really diligent about tracking you can connect stress to your overall look, posture ext. But I nerd out on finding those little data pieces in myself.

How many meals per day -

So two schools of thought on this, one being that you need 6-8 to maintain an active metabolism..I'm sure people still follow it and get results, i'm not a huge proponent to this logic. Not only is it unsustainable for 99% of the population, but to adhere efficiently to it you need to make some large lifestyle changes(for most).. and 90% of the battle to a diet of any type is truly adhering to it.

More and more research has come out to find that it's ultimately irrelevant to how many meals you have per day, and not only does having 3 meals a day increase overall satiety, but adherance as a whole. Whatever is easier to fit into your lifestlye is most efficient. It's like with workouts or anything in life, the best plan is the one you will do.

Protein suggestion -

It depends on your weight, occupation, activity level, workout intensity, ext ext. To make it super simple, most people suggest at the least 1.0g/lb. Most research i've read runs around 1.2-1.4, protein is literally the building block of the body. Fat is slow burning energy, and hormornal regulation. I suggest you do your own research on diet and nutrition when it comes to sport performance, you have to start somewhere but you'll always grow more when you know the facts and numbers, instead of what someone told you. (Not to sound gruff, happy to answer any questions :)
 
Oh that is such a relief that I don't have to go carrying lots of separate meals around with me! I'm pretty dedicated to losing weight but 6-8 meals just seems over the top. I'd done my own research and read the same but it is nice to confirm what I'd already read, so thanks :)
 
Let's say that my numbers and up to 50g fat, 150g protein and 250g carbs. That is 50x9 + 150x4 +250x4 = 450+600+1000 = 2050 calories for that day. Then do 1000/2050 x 100 to get the percentage that is carbs.

If I also have a column for calories, the calories that I add up will almost always be different from the ones I calculate as above. Labels round or are incorrect, when I guess I don't always make the math work, etc. If I want to eat 2000 for the day, I count labels and eat to 2000, but then I also calculate what I call my "effective calories" as described above. Usually they're within 5% on each other. I hope this makes sense.

Try not to use percentages as your goals, though. This only would work if your bodyweight never changed. In reality, if you gain or lose 15lbs, you want to adjust protein intake to reflect the new weight, and percentages alone cannot do this.

I do 1g per 1lb when bulking and 1.25g per 1lb when cutting.

As for the time for reps, just try various things out. Slow negatives become important as you get more advanced. Speed reps also have utility. For me, I like to warm up with speed reps. So for example on squat:

45lbs speed triple
95lbs speed triple
135lbs speed triple
185lbs speed triple
WORKING SETS
185lbs one set with four second negatives and bottom pause

I don't really think a ton about rep speed during my working sets. If you're progressively overloading and getting stronger, that will be the bulk of your growth (unless you're running lots of AAS/HGH, then there are other strategies guys use)
 
So how would you calculate the number of calories to eat during the day for fat loss if you don't know your bodyfat percentage?

RedLeader when you say triple do you mean three reps? Are you training for strength rather than size? Isn't four sets to warm up a bit excessive? I only do one 15 rep set to warm up myself.

Also I wanted to ask, say I do back exercises (bent over rows, upright rows and deadlifts) one day, is it okay to do cardiovascular exercises involving the back the next day like using the rowing machine at the gym or should I avoid that and go on an exercise bike instead for example?
 
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There are calculators online designed to estimate your caloric needs. They will ask for stats pike height, weight and age and then also questions about how active you are. I don't put too stock in then because there's so much genetic variation (I need more than such suggest I do because I have a fast metabolism). But it's a starting point.

But honestly, count your calories each day for a week, and also weigh yourself. Don't go too fast. Try for a half of a pound change each week depending on whether you're bulking or cutting. And look at the trend, as we fluctuate daily due to water. That's how I do it. If 3200 calories per day for two weeks sees me gain about a pound, then I know it's a good amount for a bulk. If you want to, you can write down your calories and your weight each day for a week or two and PM it to be and I will tell you how I would modify it.

Yes, triple means three reps. Sorry to confuse. And I train with a mix of strength and size (powerlifting and bodybuilding). Those elaborate warm up sets are mainly just for bench, squat and deadlift, which the way I warmup does affect how heavy I can go on my working sets. It's rather individual and you just kind of figure out over time what works. I warm up for squat a ton more than deadlift. If I were competing, I would warm up maybe 4 or 5 reps on DL before my attempts, but probably 10 reps for squat. And the speed reps just kind of wake me up.

And yes, it's fine to row the day after back day. There are three things - volume, frequency and intensity. Volume is (reps x weight x sets), so basically how much was work you do in a workout. Frequency is how often you work that muscle out. Intensity is how close to your max do you push it. The science seems to suggest that for guys who are not on drugs, or on smaller doses, that low-to-medium volume, high frequency and undulating/varying intensity is the best way to do it. Say one is just squatting. This could mean squatting five days per week (high frequency), for 20-30 reps each time (moderate volume) and some days doing a 5x5, some a 3x10, some an 8x3, changing the weights accordingly (undulating intensity). This is my approach to the big lifts.
 
RedLeader said:
There are calculators online designed to estimate your caloric needs. They will ask for stats pike height, weight and age and then also questions about how active you are. I don't put too stock in then because there's so much genetic variation (I need more than such suggest I do because I have a fast metabolism). But it's a starting point.

But honestly, count your calories each day for a week, and also weigh yourself. Don't go too fast. Try for a half of a pound change each week depending on whether you're bulking or cutting. And look at the trend, as we fluctuate daily due to water. That's how I do it. If 3200 calories per day for two weeks sees me gain about a pound, then I know it's a good amount for a bulk. If you want to, you can write down your calories and your weight each day for a week or two and PM it to be and I will tell you how I would modify it.
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I was actually planning on losing 2lbs per week. Do you think this is excessive? As my weight goes down and my bodyfat percentage decreases the fat loss/weight loss will taper off but I thought 2lbs per week is sustainable although I am open to criticism.

RedLeader said:
And yes, it's fine to row the day after back day. There are three things - volume, frequency and intensity. Volume is (reps x weight x sets), so basically how much was work you do in a workout. Frequency is how often you work that muscle out. Intensity is how close to your max do you push it. The science seems to suggest that for guys who are not on drugs, or on smaller doses, that low-to-medium volume, high frequency and undulating/varying intensity is the best way to do it. Say one is just squatting. This could mean squatting five days per week (high frequency), for 20-30 reps each time (moderate volume) and some days doing a 5x5, some a 3x10, some an 8x3, changing the weights accordingly (undulating intensity). This is my approach to the big lifts.
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I remember reading about something called periodisation which is the 'systematic planning of physical training' and it sounds a lot like what you're recommending. I think it sounds like a great way of pushing past a plateau of gains and it's something I'm willing to try. At the moment I'm doing 8-12 reps since this rep range is best for hypertrophy but I'm willing to shake things up a bit and vary the volume, frequency and intensity like you suggest.

Thanks for the tips, you've been really helpful RedLeader!! :)
 
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2lbs per week is a lot unless you are starting off very obese or are using serious drugs to assist the fat burning. What can happen is that a guy will cut carbs significantly to start a cut and then lose MORE than expected the first week because fewer carbs will lead to you holding less water and most of that weight loss is water loss. Water loss like that isn't sustainable, so it's false confidence. And if you cut too fast, you may also lose muscle (and in turn strength). Maintaining your strength through the cut will help you keep a more dense look to you.

So again, it's all so specific to you and your own genetics that it's foolish for me to even suggest a specific goal. But try to lose hetween 1-2% of your bodyweight per week without losing any strength. I think it's something like 3500 calories not consumed per week is roughly a pound of fat loss, 500 below your maintenance per day as a starting point. Once weight loss stalls for a week or two, reduce by another 100-200. Note that 100 calories not eaten is essentially the same thing as 100 calories burned through additional cardio, so it's personal preference. I know I absolutely would rather not eat then do a lot of cardio.

As for 8-12 for hypertrophy, well that gets thrown around a lot, but it is also not an iron law or anything. The best way for a lot of people, myself included, is to go lower, perhaps 3-6 reps, on all the compound barbell movements (bench, dips, squat, front squat, deadlift, rack pull, bb row, overhead press, weighted pull/chinup) and get as strong as possible on them. Aim for the best three rep max on those lifts. Then other stuff (dumbbell compound movements, cable stuff, isolation stuff) do in the 6-15 rep range, trying out pyramids and reverse pyramids and just going with preference. If you build that strong base from the above low-rep stuff, it will absolutely carry over to the higher rep stuff and your starting points will be significantly higher. For example, if you work your way up to 275x3 on flat barbell bench through low rep training, you could probably sit down on an incline bench and do sets of 8-12 with the 90lb dumbbells. Build a strong base and then polish the physique off and fix weak points with dumbbells, cables and machines.

And yes, I was describing periodization earlier. I use it a lot for powerlifting. Like on if I follow the "as soon as I can do five sets of five, increase the weight by 5lbs" approach, I eventually hit a wall and get stuck for months. But if I periodize, I can go a bit higher over the same time period. Typically I try and hold two of the big three lifts constant and periodize and go hard on the third one. It's exhausting and not ideal to try and use advanced periodization on too many different lifts simultaneously.
 
Some good responses. In answer to your specific first question, the cheapo plastic calipers are perfectly capable of capturing fatloss to a reasonable level of accuracy. I've relied on these Accumeasures with some clients for years, to great effect (relative to DEXA, for comparison):

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I'd typically combine a 3/5/7-point caliper measure with simple waistline measurement. It gives a good guide to progress, which is far more important for most people than getting the % number absolutely correct.
 
The only thing I really care about is the trend of my progress rather than getting an accurate percentage so that seems like something I could use. Thanks.
 
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