Frequently Bought Together
Product Description
- Only low-cost caliper which meets all of the requirements for jaw pressure and accuracy
- It meets or exceeds specs of the Harpenden and Skyndex units for a fraction of the cost
- Instruction book included.
Product Details
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
171 of 173 people found the following review helpful
By danmirage
Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a very accurate method of tracking body composition changes and the Slim Guide Skin fold Caliper with the Booklet is a GREAT tool for doing this. I have used a few tools over the decades and for the price...this is a great tool!
The booklet DOES give you answers for 1, 2 and 4 location tests instantly without any complex math. (see P.S. at bottom.)
This is best used by taking measurements over a period of time and tracking changes. If your interest is simply to monitor your body composition over time for general health, once every one to three months is a good interval. If, on the other hand, you have a specific goal or are in an intensive nutrition/training cycle, you may wish to track once a week.
If you are looking to lose weight (by losing excess fat) ...measuring Lean Body Mass and Body Fat is the only way to insure you are not losing muscle and water.
Many diets cause massive losses of water and muscle (very low calorie and low carbohydrate diets for example)...leading to a quick regain of pounds at some point. If you are on a diet program, and nobody is measuring your Lean Body Mass and Body Fat, you simply do not know what your body is doing.
So you know my credentials, I have been involved in health and fitness for over 20 years as a Body Builder, Body Sculptor, Trainer, Consultant, Coach and many other positions in the field. I am currently the Director of Personal Success Now.
For the best accuracy with this...
You should have the same person take the measurements at the same time of day. You should take your body weight (needed to determine Lean Body Mass and Body Fat) on THE SAME SCALE at the same time of day every time. The first time, you should measure how far down the Biceps and Triceps you take the measure and make a note. Make a picture diagram of where you take the other two measurements (below the shoulder blade and the side of the waist.) There are directions and diagrams to help you in the book, so don't worry about a thing.
Also, note what cloths you were wearing when you weigh yourself on the scale...always wear them for the weigh-in. Take a photograph of yourself now!! It is very helpful to see images of yourself at 30% bodyfat, then at 25%, then at 20%, then at 18%! If you feel shy, take them yourself in front of a mirror!
You will be glad you did. Just trust me on that.
If the program you are following is not giving you results in three weeks, something is not right. Get some help from a knowledgeable and qualified trainer. They can help you shorten the time it takes to reach your goals and be Your Personal Best.
Always ask potential program managers/trainers how they will help you achieve your goals. If they will not be using these components to help you...consider finding someone else:
1) Food and Nutrient intake monitoring
2) Cardiorespiratory Training
3) Resistance Training
4) Personal Assistance including Body composition monitoring
Additionally, if you are looking to lose body fat, you should consider removing foods with flavorings, colorings, additives, and preservatives from your diet at this time, as clinical tests have demonstrated that some of these can adversely effect bodyfat mobilization (i.e. fat burning) and some even enhance fat storage and stimulate the appetite.
Wishing you Personal Success Now!
P.S.
It is important to know up front that you will need another person to help you if you wish to get the most accurate results using this method of body composition monitoring. To more accurately determine your Lean Body Mass and Body Fat, you take caliper measurements from 1, 2, 3, 4, or 7 (or even 9) locations on the body. 2 of these are from behind: Just below your shoulder blade and the back of your arm (which you can reasonably do alone.) There is an option to use a measurement from only one location (front of the arm) to determine bodyfat, however this is not as accurate as taking it from multiple (3+)locations.
There are on-line calculators that will allow you to use a 3-site measurement that 1 person can do alone. Here is one such: linear-software.com/online.html. Since this is based on a mathematical calculation, you can do it yourself if you are interested...here is the information:
The 3 Skin fold sites required for Men are:
Chest, Abdomen, Thigh;
The 3 Skin fold sites required for Women are:
Triceps, Suprailiac, Thigh.
There are illustrations on the website given above.
You must determine body density:
Body Density for Men:
1.1093800-(0.0008267*(sum 3 skinfolds))+(0.0000016*(sum 3 skinfolds)^2)-(0.000257*age)
Body Density for Women:
1.0994921-(0.0009929*(sum 3 skinfolds))+(0.0000023*(sum 3 skinfolds)^2)-(0.0001392*age)
To Calculate Body Fat %:
(457/Body Density)-414.2
The booklet DOES give you answers for 1, 2 and 4 location tests instantly without any complex math. (see P.S. at bottom.)
This is best used by taking measurements over a period of time and tracking changes. If your interest is simply to monitor your body composition over time for general health, once every one to three months is a good interval. If, on the other hand, you have a specific goal or are in an intensive nutrition/training cycle, you may wish to track once a week.
If you are looking to lose weight (by losing excess fat) ...measuring Lean Body Mass and Body Fat is the only way to insure you are not losing muscle and water.
Many diets cause massive losses of water and muscle (very low calorie and low carbohydrate diets for example)...leading to a quick regain of pounds at some point. If you are on a diet program, and nobody is measuring your Lean Body Mass and Body Fat, you simply do not know what your body is doing.
So you know my credentials, I have been involved in health and fitness for over 20 years as a Body Builder, Body Sculptor, Trainer, Consultant, Coach and many other positions in the field. I am currently the Director of Personal Success Now.
For the best accuracy with this...
You should have the same person take the measurements at the same time of day. You should take your body weight (needed to determine Lean Body Mass and Body Fat) on THE SAME SCALE at the same time of day every time. The first time, you should measure how far down the Biceps and Triceps you take the measure and make a note. Make a picture diagram of where you take the other two measurements (below the shoulder blade and the side of the waist.) There are directions and diagrams to help you in the book, so don't worry about a thing.
Also, note what cloths you were wearing when you weigh yourself on the scale...always wear them for the weigh-in. Take a photograph of yourself now!! It is very helpful to see images of yourself at 30% bodyfat, then at 25%, then at 20%, then at 18%! If you feel shy, take them yourself in front of a mirror!
You will be glad you did. Just trust me on that.
If the program you are following is not giving you results in three weeks, something is not right. Get some help from a knowledgeable and qualified trainer. They can help you shorten the time it takes to reach your goals and be Your Personal Best.
Always ask potential program managers/trainers how they will help you achieve your goals. If they will not be using these components to help you...consider finding someone else:
1) Food and Nutrient intake monitoring
2) Cardiorespiratory Training
3) Resistance Training
4) Personal Assistance including Body composition monitoring
Additionally, if you are looking to lose body fat, you should consider removing foods with flavorings, colorings, additives, and preservatives from your diet at this time, as clinical tests have demonstrated that some of these can adversely effect bodyfat mobilization (i.e. fat burning) and some even enhance fat storage and stimulate the appetite.
Wishing you Personal Success Now!
P.S.
It is important to know up front that you will need another person to help you if you wish to get the most accurate results using this method of body composition monitoring. To more accurately determine your Lean Body Mass and Body Fat, you take caliper measurements from 1, 2, 3, 4, or 7 (or even 9) locations on the body. 2 of these are from behind: Just below your shoulder blade and the back of your arm (which you can reasonably do alone.) There is an option to use a measurement from only one location (front of the arm) to determine bodyfat, however this is not as accurate as taking it from multiple (3+)locations.
There are on-line calculators that will allow you to use a 3-site measurement that 1 person can do alone. Here is one such: linear-software.com/online.html. Since this is based on a mathematical calculation, you can do it yourself if you are interested...here is the information:
The 3 Skin fold sites required for Men are:
Chest, Abdomen, Thigh;
The 3 Skin fold sites required for Women are:
Triceps, Suprailiac, Thigh.
There are illustrations on the website given above.
You must determine body density:
Body Density for Men:
1.1093800-(0.0008267*(sum 3 skinfolds))+(0.0000016*(sum 3 skinfolds)^2)-(0.000257*age)
Body Density for Women:
1.0994921-(0.0009929*(sum 3 skinfolds))+(0.0000023*(sum 3 skinfolds)^2)-(0.0001392*age)
To Calculate Body Fat %:
(457/Body Density)-414.2
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
By J. Martinez
Amazon Verified Purchase
I like that the booklet gets into why measuring body fat percentage is a more accurate way to assess health and fitness, although people buying this product will likely know that already. It also teaches how to properly pinch and measure the sites for the equation it includes.
The caliper itself is well-built. As you can see in the picture, it has springs. This means you only have to worry about pinching in the correct spot in the correct away without having to worry about how much force you're applying, as with the Accumeasure calipers. The reason I docked a star is that the front jaws aren't perfectly aligned, meaning there's a lateral deviation of about a quarter inch. Since the jaws are pretty wide I don't think this negatively impacts the readings, but it still reflects poorly on the build quality. Other than that, it's a solid product.
The caliper itself is well-built. As you can see in the picture, it has springs. This means you only have to worry about pinching in the correct spot in the correct away without having to worry about how much force you're applying, as with the Accumeasure calipers. The reason I docked a star is that the front jaws aren't perfectly aligned, meaning there's a lateral deviation of about a quarter inch. Since the jaws are pretty wide I don't think this negatively impacts the readings, but it still reflects poorly on the build quality. Other than that, it's a solid product.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
I tried the electronic bodyfat scales with widely varying results. These calipers were extremely easy to use and the included booklet gave lots of valuable information on body fat percentage. Very repeatable results, now I know my BMI. No weight-loss program would be valid without an accurate measure of bodyfat and this one does the trick.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great tool for bodyfat measurement
The slim guide skinfold caliper may be inexpensive, but dont let the price fool you. This tool allows for consistent, accurate measurements and is perfect for monitoring lean body... Read more
Published 8 days ago by Bryan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good for PT Business
This is the same brand and model that 24 Hour Fitness uses to measure their clients, so I use this in my own PT business.
Published 16 days ago by L. Watanabe
3.0 out of 5 stars
This is ok
Not sure how accurate it is as it seems kind of flimsy. I need to try it out on more people to see what the average outcome is.
Published 1 month ago by Sharen L. Richardson
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pretty easy to use
It takes some getting used to, but it's easy to use. The best method is to take 3 measurements of each area to get the average. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Pen Name
5.0 out of 5 stars
i like it
These work pretty well, i mark a few areas on my body with a marker to be sure i get a reading form the same area every time. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Luke Kennedy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Easy to use and Imformative information came with it.
Really simple, basic body fat measurement device. I also liked the information booklet that came with the device. VERY interesting for anyone wanting to lose or monitor body fat.
Published 2 months ago by Amazonian
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not too bad
Eh not too bad nott too good. It's not really a good way to measure body fat. In fact, body fat is actually very difficult to measure.
Published 2 months ago by Stephen Payne
5.0 out of 5 stars
Consistent Results
The caliper yields consistent results because of the set tension of the spring: however it seems like it may be too much resistance because it yields a much lower body fat... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Cray Jay
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good for tracking progress
I've always wanted calipers. Ever since I started working out early last year. Weight is a good way to track results, but when you're lifting, a lot of times you'll lose fat, gain... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Zach B
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent
After reading other reviews about this, I decided to purchase this one, and I am glad I did... It has enough resistance (for such a lightweight plastic and affordable) to... Read more
Published 3 months ago by pen
