Monday, January 2, 2012

Starting body comp

So this is a really rough way to calculate body fat percentages, but I'm going to use it anyway. It is from the book The Zone by Barry Sears, PhD. The formula utilizes your hip and belly (at the belly button) measurements as well as your height. (I am not interested in paying any attention to the scale on this adventure and am much more concerned with body composition changes.)

Starting #'s
Hip: 34"
Waist: 32"
Height: 68"

This according to the tables and formulas provided in the book comes out to a 20.36% body fat comp. Seems like a good starting point with room to improve. This number, by the way, makes me feel better than the standard weight/height measurements. Those measurements have me falling around 25% or so.

Funny story - I had to have a mammogram recently (nothing wrong folks) and the technician asked if I worked out. When I told her I did, she said, "yes, there is a lot of pec in this image, a lot of pec." And there you have it folks -- more brawn than boob.
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1 comment:

  1. Elle and WebbJanuary 4, 2012 at 11:37 AM

    I'm no scientist or medical professional, but it seems to me that if you establish a baseline and stick to the same criteria you'll be able to note progress. Perhaps it is not the most accurate way to measure body fat comp, but it is still a way to track improvement.

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