One of the missing components we tend to forget when we start our fitness journey is measurements. We just jump right into the workouts and completely forget to record benchmarks.
One of the first things I did as a personal trainer was a benchmark assessment day. My client’s first session was all about seeing where they are. Taking weight measurements, body fat calculations, and physical assessments including the number of squats, pushups, and pullups they could do, how long they can hold a plank, and even monitoring their body movements during certain exercises to see if we needed to incorporate corrective exercises within their routine. This information was important because we would often do a bench assessment at certain intervals depending on how many sessions they had and I immediately saw the light on their face when they saw how much they’ve improved. You can get those same results at home.
Here is how you can calculate your body fat percentage at home. You don’t need any body fat calipers to do this, but you’re going to need a tape measure and scale to get this measurement.
First thing is to have on tight fitting clothes to do your measurement. You want to minimize as much bulkiness as possible to avoid increasing the variance in your results.
Second, you’re going to measure your chest area. When you take this measurement you want to make sure you take the measurement at the widest part of your chest. Also keep in mind that some calculators want you to take a neck measurement at the narrowest point. Check your calculator and see which measurement they prefer.
Next up is the waistline. When you take this measurement, take it at the smallest part of your waist. Easy peasy.
The final measurement point you’ll need to calculate your body fat percentage, is your hip area. This measurement will be taken at the widest part of your hip (I see you thickums).
Now that you have all those measurements, you want to input them into the US Navy Body Fat Estimate calculator. Once you have that ready, you can make your benchmark measurements for your fitness goals.
I love to see the progress that is made when remaining consistent with the fitness goals. I know you want to grow that booty or even get that sixpack, but the measurements are just as important. Try this out and let me know how it works for you.