How to Test Your Body Fat in 60 Seconds

[Andrewgen_Receptors]

@Nolan112

I classify anyone as a fat fuck if they lack viens in their lower abs.

Show us YOUR lower ab veins, you fat fuck!

[NickViar]

@Ross_Hunt

how many chin-ups you can do in 60 seconds or how far you can run in 60 seconds. If it’s < 10 reps or <200m, then you’re out of shape.

Something needs adjustment…one puts someone, sadly, probably in the top 1-5%(of what people can do “right now”)… and the other is an eighth-of-a-mile jog.

[Ross_Hunt]

yeah, meant to say 300m

[StoicG75]

Thanks everyone for your responses!!!

[RockCrusher]

I like the test. A lot. It’s easy, and you can even run the test with a piece of string.

[Chris_Shugart]

@Bretsky

“…that’ll kill you until you’re dead.” I nominate this as the quote of the year…so far!

Thanks! I’m sure I stole it from somewhere.

For the belly button measurement, I’d say to stay relaxed – not sucked in, but not pushed out like those guys who fake their “before” photos so they’ll look even better in the afters.

I bet your tensed method is fine. No big deal either way. As you said, dropping a few inches off that measurement is going improve health markers regardless.

My guess is that if someone has a lot of visceral fat, no amount of sucking in is going to help much.

By the away, as I wrote in the article, this method of testing is strict. Before this, the numbers were usually closer to this:

For men, a waist circumference below 94cm (37in) is ‘low risk’ , 94–102cm (37-40in) is ‘high risk’ and more than 102cm (40in) is ‘very high’.

The main thing they focused on was staying below 40". But we can do better than that.

And again, our jeans size is not our waist size. It’s really a navel measurement. We’ve all seen those guys in size 32-inch jeans with a 40-inch pudge sticking out over the top!

[Chris_Shugart]

Good tip!

[Chris_Shugart]

Addition:

For the Velocity Diet, I encourage people to take 3 waist measurements:

1. An inch above the belly button.
2. An inch below the belly button.
3. Right across the belly button.

I do this mainly for motivation. Usually that top measurement reduces first, but we tend to focus on that drop-fat area below the belly button. I don’t want people to get discouraged because it takes the fat-loss process longer to “reach” that area we hate the most. But if they can see that top measurement decreasing, they know they’re doing something right. The rest just comes down to consistency and patience.

[Too_Tall1]

I’m not sure that this is accurate for very tall individuals. I’m 78 inches tall which means 39 is the half way point. I measure at 31 right now and can barely see my abs at rest which means I’m likely 10% ish. If I measured at 38 inches I would most definitely be over-fat yet that would be under the cut off per this method.

[RockCrusher]

Thanks, but I’m pretty sure that I stole it from Dan John.

[Chris_Shugart]

@Chris_Shugart

@Bretsky

“…that’ll kill you until you’re dead.” I nominate this as the quote of the year…so far!

Thanks! I’m sure I stole it from somewhere.

I kill you till your dead!

Also Hot Shots Part Deux:

Saddam Hussein:
Now I will kill you until you die from it!

[gejw]

This is one to test pre breakfast, post dump.

[Chris_Shugart]

Ha! Highly recommended.

@gejw

This is one to test pre breakfast, post dump.

[Jacko_au]

You sound like you’re in a similar situation to me. 47, 5"10 and 200lbs, though I’m more bulky fat than skinny fat.

It’s nowhere near as much fun as bulking but you really need to do a cut. I was stuck in a loop of “bulking” where I’d get stronger and put on weight but every time I cut, I’d feel weak and small and stop before I dropped any significant body fat.

This time, I’ve finally done a real cut and dropped 10 kg, mostly fat. There were days I felt like shit but it was worth it in the end. I feel better and look better now and am having a short break before another round.

[Singlespeedscott]

I easily pass this test at 178cm and a waist of 81cm yet at 80kg I am technically classified as overweight. You would think that’s ok maybe it’s muscle yet my scales say my body fat is 23.5%. However I have reasonable defined abs and I’m pretty fit with a resting heart rate of 42bpm at age 51.

[T3hPwnisher]

@Singlespeedscott

You would think that’s ok maybe it’s muscle yet my scales say my body fat is 23.5%.

Those scales are pretty goofy

[burt128]

@T3hPwnisher

Those scales are pretty goofy

For what it is worth, I bought one of the $30 Renpho scales and with it set on Athlete mode, it was within .8% of the last DEXA scan I did (both measurements taken on the same day).

[T3hPwnisher]

Mine just keeps saying “TILT”

[Chris_Shugart]

My doctor uses a bioelectrical scale. He was going over my numbers and blood work once and got the body fat percentage. He said, “I won’t go over that with you because you know those scales are BS. I just use it to scare my patients into losing weight.” I assume it always reads high, which was my past experience when I had one.

I do hope that tech has gotten better though. Would be handy. But in the end, why do we need to know that number? Mirror + waist measurements. Really all you need.

[burt128]

@Chris_Shugart

I do hope that tech has gotten better though. Would be handy. But in the end, why do we need to know that number? Mirror + waist measurements. Really all you need.

I do think the tech’s gotten better – I had a Tanita many years ago and its readings were all over the place. The Renpho is pretty consistent for me from day to day and has a cool app that lets you see trends over time. I agree there’s no “need” for anything beyond the mirror plus waist measurements. I’m a gadget guy though so I enjoy the scale and getting the occasional DEXA scan to make sure my eyes aren’t lying to me.