Body fat with a tape measure.
The US Navy's tape-measure method for body fat: where to measure, the formulas the page uses, and how far off an estimate like this can be.
By Suraj Kumar2 min read
A tape measure and your height are enough for a fair estimate of body fat, by the method the US Navy uses.
Where to measure.
A man's waist at the navel and a woman's at its narrowest, the neck just below the Adam's apple, and for women the hips at their widest. Keep the tape level and snug, not pulled tight.
The formula.
Hodgdon and Beckett's formulas of 1984 take the logarithm of the waist less the neck (with the hips for women) and of the height, in inches; the page turns centimetres into inches first.
An estimate.
A tape placed a little differently changes the answer, and against a body scan it can be several points out. It is best for watching a change over time, measured the same way.
Further reading
Topics: body fat calculator · navy body fat · measure body fat at home · body fat percentage · tape measure body fat
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