However, our physical fitness test has changed we have to allow our body composition standards and testing to change as well. When Soldiers were only required to perform push-ups, sit-ups, and a two-mile run to pass the APFT, it was understandable to expect them to conform to a leaner body type. Culturally, we are still living with the mindset where being skinny automatically equals being fit and having a muscular build equates to being in the height/weight “danger zone.” As it stands right now, muscle mass is not conducive to the current tape test which historically favors the thinner aesthetics you would see in a distance runner’s body. Simply stated, the DoD’s tape test to measure service members body fat composition no longer reflects what we are demanding of our Soldiers’ bodies.īody composition and physical expectations have changed over the decades (especially with the implementation of the ACFT) Soldiers are more focused on strength training than ever before. In the United States Army, one method by which these standards are upheld are physical fitness and body composition tests, but at what expense? These regulations are in place to ensure Soldiers are physically in shape, but also ensure they are presentable as members of the armed forces. It will give those with particularly thick (well-developed) abs, or a bloated abdomen higher readings than reality.It’s no secret that the Army has a long lasting foundation of standards and regulations.It will be best to estimate from pictures or use calipers. Therefore, if you’re already very lean, this won’t work well for you. Past the point of 10% body fat, the mid-stomach measurement (that at the navel, which the equation uses) will change very little as the person gets leaner because most of the fat is coming off from the lower abs and back at this point. Excess fat comes off of the stomach/torso generally from the top down.Two important things to point out in regards to this: Notice that the reading is heavily determined by the measurement at the navel. The US Navy body fat calculator wins out on convenience and cost, this is what I’d recommend for most people. Things To Watch Out For When Measuring Body Fat It would be much better to track body measurements and scale weight. Remember, the accuracy of this Navy body fat calculator is ~3–4%, so while it’s a good way of gauging roughly where you’re at, I don’t recommend you try to track your progress in this way. Measure three times for each and average the three. Neck – Keep your head straight, look forward.Have a relaxed stomach, exhaled but, don’t forcefully push it out! Height – Get someone else to do it for you if possible.MEASUREMENT GUIDELINES For The Calculator Take a look and then we’ll get into some practical recommendations. Here’s that US Navy body fat calculator formula. This is the difference between being useless and helpful. If you use the US Navy body fat calculator and get a reading of 20%, your actual body fat could be anywhere from 17-23%. So, if you use a BIA machine and get a reading of 20%, your actual body fat could be anywhere from 12–28%. These have the highest degree of inaccuracies. Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) machine accuracy.Body-fat caliper measurement accuracy. - Skilled practitioner, ~3%.BodPod / Underwater weighing - Up to 6% ( Expensive, inconvenient.).The US Navy Body Fat Calculator accuracy - ~3–4% (Convenient, free.).The numbers given are the individual error rates that have been observed: Here’s a rundown of the methods we typically have available to us for measuring body fat, from most to least accurate. The Issues Of ESTIMATING BODY-FAT PERCENTAGE This guide US Navy body fat calculator combined with my new visual guide to body fat percentage fills that void. On the other hand, I use body-fat percentages in my guide to helping people decide when to cut and bulk. On the one hand, I recommend that people do not try to track their body-fat percentage because of the errors of all the devices we have available to estimate it. The lack of a guide on this site to help you find this has been something that has bugged me for some time. They’re all marketed as being really accurate of course, but that’s just because people are after your dollars. The methods that we generally have available to measure it range from being ‘acceptably accurate’ to ‘very poor,’ and they are nearly all useless for tracking changes over time. Finding your body-fat percentage is an imprecise endeavor.
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