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Body Fat- Abs

Reply 20

17

You're about 15%, your gym instructor is an absolute ****** and I wouldn't listen to a word he says from now on.

The reason you got a reading of 5% is because he used some sort of impedence measurement which is stupidly innaccurate.

Reply 21

DENNIS_MENACE

OP

Remember i'm only just 18, still probably growing and i've got a very high metabolism

Well i think i'll go and get another test done(going there tommorrow) but i doubt it will be wrong.

Reply 22

zav

14

Your not 5% BF. By looking at the picture it states that.

Reply 23

Barny

17

It IS wrong, its as simple as that, you're not 5% bodyfat.

Reply 24

Chi3f

1

^ditto

no point doing the test again

Reply 25

DENNIS_MENACE

OP

ok thanks guys- i feel a bit more normal now. I was only going to get it done again because i felt that if it was wrong i could complain to the head gym manager.

Reply 26

robby88

1

does it actually make any difference and does anyone actually care?

Reply 27

DENNIS_MENACE

OP

robby88- in a word- YES

f the guy has measured me wrong then i'm going to give him a smack in the mouth. Body fat %, i believe, helps you show how successful you have been at the gym etc.

Reply 28

Chi3f

1

what gym do you go to?

Reply 29

davey_boy

9

Yeah I think the impedence test gave an estimate that was on the low side. The US military result looks more realistic to me.

The problem with all these body fat %age tests are that they are just estimates based on the average person. The impedence tests assume you have an 'average' adult body make-up in terms of fat and muscle distribution. At 18 its pretty likely that that assumption isn't really valid.

The military test is surprisingly accurate - all it assumes is men store fat in certain places, and the bigger the circumference in those places the more fat's there.

As far as I know, all these tests become less accurate as you get less fat - the only way to get a realistic value if you're 10% or below is to get a professional to measure things with a set of callipers - but with you there's not a lot of point, does it matter if you're 8.1% or 9.3%???

Reply 30

davey_boy

9

DENNIS_MENACE

robby88- in a word- YES

f the guy has measured me wrong then i'm going to give him a smack in the mouth. Body fat %, i believe, helps you show how successful you have been at the gym etc.

The guy's not measured things wrong - the machine he's using is just not accurate.

If you use the same machine you'll get the same answer.

Reply 31

Sithius

16

No bloody way is that 5% mate. I've seen something like 5% before and the tendons + bone are visible.

Reply 32

Sithius

16

robby88

does it actually make any difference and does anyone actually care?

Believe it or not but some people will be interested in different things as to you. If you aren't interested then don't post in this thread.

If no one was interested, why would this thread be here?

Idiot.

Reply 33

DENNIS_MENACE

OP

It's called Ramada gym and is associated with Seb Cohen i think.

What i don't understand is how the device can be that wrong? Surely they would stop using it if it is that askew

Reply 34

davey_boy

9

DENNIS_MENACE

It's called Ramada gym and is associated with Seb Cohen i think.

What i don't understand is how the device can be that wrong? Surely they would stop using it if it is that askew

Its just that it makes certain assumptions regarding body composition. These may not be correct for any individual person. Hence if someone else used the machine and got the same reading as you, they may not have the same body fat %age as you. However, if *you* use the machine at some point in the future and it says you have more or less fat than you do now, then you have more or less fat than now. Follow?

Reply 35

DENNIS_MENACE

OP

yh i see daveyboy-more of a guideline. Still it did kind of freak me out

Reply 36

davey_boy

9

DENNIS_MENACE

yh i see daveyboy-more of a guideline. Still it did kind of freak me out

Yeah exactly. If you go back in a month's time and you're 10% according to that machine, then you've put on fat (probably). Another problem with it is its very sensitive to how hydrated you are, hence can change massively during the day. It will give an especially low reading if carried out after exercise (because you've lost water through sweating) or if you've been out on the beers (dehydration through alcohol).

If I was you, I'd look at exactly what I want to achieve at the gym (increasing stamina for football / developing a 6 pack / losing weight i.e. fat / increasing the size of my arms / whatever) and then work out how I can measure and keep track of that. I would suggest that focussing on body fat %age isn't much use to you at the moment and you should look to be measuring something else.