Customer Reviews

Slim Guide Skinfold Caliper

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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

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.

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.

I am no trainer or expert, but have found these to be a nice way to track progress (or lack thereof)in trying to get in shape. Based upon my own research these calipers are some of the most accurate--especially for the price. Other calipers in the top tier cost $300 bucks--no thanks. I found the booklet helps in order to be consistent with your measuring areas by providing pictures and an easy chart to convert mm of fat to a total fat %.

While the calipers that cost 300 are amazing if you can afford them. This does a great job for assesments as long as you use the same method each time you will get back a pretty accurate result. The instructions that come with are junk though. If you go to a good website that tells you testing sites and helps calculate the outcomes for you, you will have a more accurate test. Only recommend for those that NOT obese as you will not get an accurate test result.

The caliper is really good but I think the guide could be a little better. You need to find out more from other resources about how to do the measurements correctly. You need to make sure you measure always in the same place, the right amount of times so that you have reliable results.

This skinfold caliper seems to give an accurate BMI. I take three readings for each area and average the numbers. The shape made it easy to use and the print is easy to read. One fallback is the lack of numbers on both sides of the caliper, so I can only hold it one way. This is bad if you are left handed. I found some instances where my reading ranges seems too wide. This problem occurred most often with obese clients. As to the durability, I found the Creative Health Slim Guide Skinfold Caliper to stand up to the abuse of a large YMCA Boot Camp Class: A plus when we only had this one caliper at the time. The included guide book is a bonus for those who are just learning how to use a skin caliper. The two reason I did not give this product 5 stars: 1) no numbers on one side and 2) I was unable to get an accurate reading on my more obese clients.

This plastic caliper as well as the Lange used by a trained professional would come between +or- 0.1% of the gold standard ( the dip test). For a person who does not have extra money to use and is not aiming for long term/ repeated use for 7.5% of the price of the Lange. We did double blind studies across individual professionals and found this caliper to be as accurate as the Lange. However it is not as durable and most likely would wear out. The spring would wear on either item and the Lange can be calibrated at a nominal fee. Yes the Lange is good tool for a clinic and is intended for professionals often found in clinics and labs, but most do not have budgets that will allow for $200 expense and the yearly calibration. For $16 dollars it's good enough for most users and will last because you are using it occasionally. For $16 dollars you can buy one every five years and still save.

This is the same caliper I use in the club I work at. I liked them enough to buy one for the house to help track progress.

Great basic skin fold calipers for the price. This is all that just about anyone interested in tracking their body composition will ever need. Much more reliable than electrical impedance gizmos, especially for anyone with some athleticism.