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Editor’s Note:  This is another terrific article from Christian Finn about the effectiveness of exercise.  In this article, you’ll discover just how effective exercise is and what you should be doing for maximum gains in fitness and weight loss. 

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At the Australian Health and Medical Research Congress in Sydney, obesity geneticist Claude Bouchard reported the results of a study showing that, for an unhappy few, even regular exercise has little benefit.

There is astounding variation in the response to exercise,” says Bouchard. “The vast majority will benefit in some way, but there will be a minority who will not benefit at all. Are you one of the unhappy few? And if so, what can you do about it? Bouchard’s comments are based on data collected from the HERITAGE Family Study. As part of the study, 742 people from 213 families were put through a strict 20-week exercise program [2]. Each subject was required to exercise three times per week for an average of 42 minutes. The team found that exercise improved maximum oxygen consumption, a measure of aerobic fitness, by an average of 17%. Some volunteers improved by over 40%. Others, however, showed no improvement at all. Similar patterns were seen with cardiac output, blood pressure, heart rate and other markers of fitness. Bouchard reports that the impact of exercise on insulin sensitivity a marker of risk for diabetes and heart disease also varied. It improved in 6 out of 10 volunteers. But in the rest, there was no change. It’s worth pointing out that subjects taking part in the study were not given instructions about diet. The fact that insulin sensitivity didn’t change might have been because they weren’t eating properly. What’s more, the workout routine used in the study wasn’t a very effective one. The program started at 55% of VO2max (the equivalent of a brisk walk) for 30 minutes per session, three times per week. It gradually increased to 75% of VO2max (the equivalent of a steady run) for 50 minutes per session. It was kept at this level for the last six weeks of training. Subjects taking part in the 20-week trial lost, on average, less than two pounds of fat [1]. That’s about 3.5 grams of fat per week. These results are consistent with other trials showing that three days per week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise has little effect on weight loss in the absence of a controlled diet. A more frequent or more intense exercise program would have delivered far better results, in terms of fat loss, aerobic fitness and other markers of health. Harvard researchers, for example, have found that men who exercise at a high intensity are less likely to develop heart disease than those following a low-intensity exercise program [6]. “More intense aerobic exercise is more effective in improving cardiovascular fitness because it requires the heart muscle to work harder, to pump more blood, to get more oxygen,” says study author Dr. Frank Hu, an associate professor of nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health. “If the exercise is suitable for the person, I think people should aim for more rigorous exercise given the amount of energy expenditure.” In other words, if two people spend the same amount of time exercising, the person doing the more intense exercise will benefit more. Exercise is also a great way to deal with metabolic obesity. Metabolically obese individuals have a normal weight based on traditional criteria. However, their blood sugar and insulin levels are far higher than would be expected based on their weight alone. This increases the risk for type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In one study at the University of Vermont, almost 2 out of 10 women were classed as being metabolically obese [3]. But there was very little difference between the women in terms of weight and body fat. The metabolically obese women weighed slightly more (132 pounds) than the normal women (129 pounds). Their body fat percentage was also slightly higher (32% vs. 27%). A workout routine that combines both resistance and aerobic exercise is one of the best ways to beat metabolic obesity. Both forms of exercise increase the ability of your body to remove sugar from the blood [4]. However, they each work in a slightly different way. When you train with weights, you gain muscle. And it’s this extra muscle that helps to clear the sugar (also called glucose) from your blood. Aerobic exercise, on the other hand, enhances glucose uptake independently of changes in muscle mass, increasing both the number and function of glucose transporters. These help to transport sugar from the blood into the muscle. The bottom line Exercise is not a waste of time, even though there might be times when you feel like it is. All you can do is get the most out of your own body. There’ll be times when you see results very quickly. But there will also be times when you feel like you’re stuck on a plateau, and nothing seems to be working. What really counts is where you end up, not how long it takes you to get there. Exercise is more than a way to change your body. For some, its an excellent way to improve the way you feel. Putting in a good workout can give you a real sense of accomplishment. You’ll become less tense. As your strength increases, so will your confidence and independence. I believe that exercise is one of the best ways to deal with the frustration and stress life throws at you. The benefits of exercise can’t always be condensed into a list of things you can test for. Remember that the things you can measure don’t always count, and what counts can’t always be measured.

Read other articles by Christian Finn

About the Author

Christian Finn is a Certified Personal Trainer and holds a masters degree with distinction in exercise science. He’s lectured at a number of universities and private training organizations around the United Kingdom on fitness training, weight loss and the effective use of nutritional supplements. He writes extensively on the subject and his articles have been published in numerous magazines, leading industry journals and websites worldwide, including Men’s Health, Men’s Health Muscle, Fit Pro (April/May 2001), CAM magazine (February 2003), Image (January 1997), Zest (March 2004), and Body Life magazine (March/April 1997). He was also featured in the July 2004 issue of Muscle & Fitness (UK edition). His website, TheFactsAboutFitness.com, is dedicated to providing its members up-to-date, unbiased information and research on the world of fitness.

References

1. Wilmore, J.H., Despres, J.P., Stanforth, P.R., Mandel, S., Rice, T., Gagnon, J., Leon, A.S., Rao, D.C., Skinner, J.S., & Bouchard, C. (1999). Alterations in body weight and composition consequent to 20 wk of endurance training: the HERITAGE Family Study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 70, 346-352 2. Bouchard, C., Leon, A.S., Rao, D.C., Skinner, J.S., Wilmore, J.H., & Gagnon, J. (1995). The HERITAGE family study. Aims, design, and measurement protocol. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 27, 721-729 3. Dvorak, R.V., DeNino, W.F., Ades, P.A., & Poehlman, E.T. (1999). Phenotypic charcteristics associated with insulin resistance in metabolically obese but normal-weight young women. Diabetes, 48, 2210-2214 4. Poehlman, E.T., Dvorak, R.V., DeNino, W.F., Brochu, M., & Ades, P.A. (2000). Effects of resistance training and endurance training on insulin sensitivity in nonobese, young women: a controlled randomized trial. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 85, 2463-2468 5. Lee, D.D., Blair, S.N., & Jackson, A.S. (1999). Cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, and all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality in men. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 69, 373-380 6. Tanasescu, M., Leitzmann, M.F., Rimm, E.B., Willett, W.C., Stampfer, M.J., & Hu, F.B. (2002). Exercise type and intensity in relation to coronary heart disease in men. Journal of the American Medical Association, 288, 1994-2000

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In this report you will learn what creatine is and how it works – and what it may do for you! This excellent FREE 43-page report exposes the facts and fiction of creatine, and details its effects on the brain, heart, the body’s production of growth hormone, anti-aging effects, fatigue, muscle atrophy, Parkinson’s disease, and much more! You’ll also learn how to use creatine properly, as well as topics such as purity, safety, and loading are fully explained…and of course, as with all Will Brink’s writing, it’s based on the actual studies with creatine and backed up with scientific references, not conjecture and pseudo science many self proclaimed “experts” rely on.

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This report is a PDF file and requires Adobe Reader installed on your computer to view it. If you are unable to view the report after clicking the link, you don’t have Adobe Reader installed on your computer. You can download the latest version of Adobe Reader for free at www.adobe.com

You can save the report to your computer by clicking on the “Save A Copy” button found in the menu bar of Adobe Reader (upper left-hand corner of your screen) once the report is opened. It will give a warning message that you can’t make changes to it when saving so just hit “ok” and then save it to whatever folder you want on your computer.

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Editor’s Note: Regardless of what your fitness goals are, Tom provides some terrific calorie calculators in this article to help you accurately determine how many calories you need to reach your goals.

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The first step in designing a personal nutrition plan for yourself is to calculate how many calories you burn in a day; your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). TDEE is the total number of calories that your body expends in 24 hours, including all activities. TDEE is also known as your “maintenance level”. Knowing your maintenance level will give you a starting reference point from which to begin your diet. According to exercise physiologists William McArdle and Frank Katch, the average maintenance level for women in the United States is 2000-2100 calories per day and the average for men is 2700-2900 per day.

These are only averages; caloric expenditure can vary widely and is much higher for athletes or extremely active individuals. Some triathletes and ultra-endurance athletes may require as many as 6000 calories per day or more just to maintain their weight! Calorie requirements may also vary among otherwise identical individuals due to differences in inherited metabolic rates.  

Methods of Determining Caloric Needs There are many different formulas you can use to determine your caloric maintenance level by taking into account the factors of age, sex, height, weight, lean body mass, and activity level. Any formula that takes into account your lean body mass (LBM) will give you the most accurate determination of your energy expenditure, but even without LBM you can still get a reasonably close estimate. The “Quick” Method (based on total bodyweight) A fast and easy method to determine calorie needs is to use total current body weight times a multiplier. Fat Loss = 12 – 13 calories per lb. of bodyweight Maintenance (TDEE) = 15 – 16 calories per lb. of bodyweight Weight Gain = 18 – 19 calories per lb. of bodyweight

This is a very easy way to estimate caloric needs, but there are obvious drawbacks to this method because it doesn’t take into account activity levels or body composition. Extremely active individuals may require far more calories than this formula indicates. In addition, the more lean body mass one has, the higher the TDEE will be. Because body fatness is not accounted for, this formula may greatly overestimate the caloric needs if someone is extremely overfat. For example, a lightly active 50 year old woman who weighs 235 lbs. and has 34% body fat will not lose weight on 3000 calories per day (255 X 13 as per the “quick” formula for fat loss). Equations Based on BMRA much more accurate method for calculating TDEE is to determine basal metabolic rate (BMR) using multiple factors, including height, weight, age and sex, then multiply the BMR by an activity factor to determine TDEE. BMR is the total number of calories your body requires for normal bodily functions (excluding activity factors). This includes keeping your heart beating, inhaling and exhaling air, digesting food, making new blood cells, maintaining your body temperature and every other metabolic process in your body. In other words, your BMR is all the energy used for the basic processes of life itself. BMR usually accounts for about two-thirds of total daily energy expenditure. BMR may vary dramatically from person to person depending on genetic factors. If you know someone who claims they can eat anything they want and never gain an ounce of fat, they have inherited a naturally high BMR. BMR is at it’s lowest when you are sleeping undisturbed and you are not digesting anything. It is very important to note that the higher your lean body mass is, the higher your BMR will be. This is very significant if you want to lose body fat because it means that the more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn. Muscle is metabolically active tissue, and it requires a great deal of energy just to sustain it. It is obvious then that one way to increase your BMR is to engage in weight training in order to increase and/or maintain lean body mass. In this manner it could be said that weight training helps you lose body fat, albeit indirectly.The Harris-Benedict Formula (BMR based on total body weight) The Harris Benedict equation is a calorie formula using the factors of height, weight, age, and sex to determine basal metabolic rate (BMR). This makes it more accurate than determining calorie needs based on total bodyweight alone. The only variable it does not take into consideration is lean body mass. Therefore, this equation will be very accurate in all but the extremely muscular (will underestimate caloric needs) and the extremely overfat (will overestimate caloric needs). Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 X wt in kg) + (5 X ht in cm) – (6.8 X age in years) Women: BMR = 655 + (9.6 X wt in kg) + (1.8 X ht in cm) – (4.7 X age in years) Note: 1 inch = 2.54 cm. 1 kilogram = 2.2 lbs.Example: You are female You are 30 yrs old You are 5′ 6 ” tall (167.6 cm) You weigh 120 lbs. (54.5 kilos) Your BMR = 655 + 523 + 302 – 141 = 1339 calories/day Now that you know your BMR, you can calculate TDEE by multiplying your BMR by your activity multiplier from the chart below: Activity Multiplier Sedentary = BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job) Lightly active = BMR X 1.375 (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk) Mod. active = BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) Very active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk) Extr. active = BMR X 1.9 (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.)Example: Your BMR is 1339 calories per day Your activity level is moderately active (work out 3-4 times per week) Your activity factor is 1.55 Your TDEE = 1.55 X 1339 = 2075 calories/dayKatch-McArdle Formula (BMR based on lean body weight) If you have had your body composition tested and you know your lean body mass, then you can get the most accurate BMR estimate of all. This formula from Katch & McArdle takes into account lean mass and therefore is more accurate than a formula based on total body weight. The Harris Benedict equation has separate formulas for men and women because men generally have a higher LBM and this is factored into the men’s formula. Since the Katch-McArdle formula accounts for LBM, this single formula applies equally to both men and women. BMR (men and women) = 370 + (21.6 X lean mass in kg)Example: You are female You weigh 120 lbs. (54.5 kilos) Your body fat percentage is 20% (24 lbs. fat, 96 lbs. lean) Your lean mass is 96 lbs. (43.6 kilos) Your BMR = 370 + (21.6 X 43.6) = 1312 calories To determine TDEE from BMR, you simply multiply BMR by the activity multiplier:Example: Your BMR is 1312 Your activity level is moderately active (work out 3-4 times per week) Your activity factor is 1.55 Your TDEE = 1.55 X 1312 = 2033 calories As you can see, the difference in the TDEE as determined by both formulas is statistically insignificant (2075 calories vs. 2033 calories) because the person we used as an example is average in body size and body composition. The primary benefit of factoring lean body mass into the equation is increased accuracy when your body composition leans to either end of the spectrum (very muscular or very obese).Adjust Your Caloric Intake According to Your Goal Once you know your TDEE (maintenance level), the next step is to adjust your calories according to your primary goal. The mathematics of calorie balance are simple: To keep your weight at its current level, you should remain at your daily caloric maintenance level. To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit by reducing your calories slightly below your maintenance level (or keeping your calories the same and increasing your activity above your current level).

To gain weight you need to increase your calories above your maintenance level. The only difference between weight gain programs and weight loss programs is the total number of calories required.Negative calorie balance is essential to lose body fat. Calories not only count, they are the bottom line when it comes to fat loss. If you are eating more calories than you expend, you simply will not lose fat, no matter what type of foods or food combinations you eat. Some foods do get stored as fat more easily than others, but always bear in mind that too much of anything, even “healthy food,” will get stored as fat. You cannot override the laws of thermodynamics and energy balance. You must be in a calorie deficit to burn fat. This will force your body to use stored body fat to make up for the energy deficit. There are 3500 calories in a pound of stored body fat. If you create a 3500-calorie deficit in a week through diet, exercise or a combination of both, you will lose one pound. If you create a 7000 calories deficit in a week you will lose two pounds. The calorie deficit can be created through diet, exercise or preferably, with a combination of both. Because we already factored in the exercise deficit by using an activity multiplier, the deficit we are concerned with here is the dietary deficit. Calorie Deficit Thresholds: How Low is Too Low? It is well known that cutting calories too much slows down the metabolic rate, decreases thyroid output and causes loss of lean mass, so the question is how much of a deficit do you need? There definitely seems to be a specific cutoff or threshold where further reductions in calories will have detrimental effects. The most common guideline for calorie deficits for fat loss is to reduce your calories by at least 500, but not more than 1000 below your maintenance level. For some, especially lighter people, 1000 calories may be too much of a deficit. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that calorie levels never drop below 1200 calories per day for women or 1800 per day for men. Even these calorie levels are extremely low. A more individualized way to determine the safe calorie deficit would be to account for one’s bodyweight or TDEE.

Reducing calories by 15-20% below TDEE is a good place to starticles A larger deficit may be necessary in some cases, but the best approach would be to keep the calorie deficit through diet small while increasing activity level.Example 1: Your weight is 120 lbs. Your TDEE is 2033 calories Your calorie deficit to lose weight is 500 calories Your optimal caloric intake for weight loss is 2033 – 500 = 1533 caloriesExample 2: Your calorie deficit to lose weight is 20% of TDEE (.20% X 2033 = 406 calories) Your optimal caloric intake for weight loss = 1627 caloriesPositive Calorie Balance is Essential to Gain Lean Bodyweight If you want to gain lean bodyweight and become more muscular, you must consume more calories than you burn up in a day. Provided that you are participating in a weight-training program of a sufficient intensity, frequency and volume, the caloric surplus will be used to create new muscle tissue. Once you’ve determined your TDEE, the next step is to increase your calories high enough above your TDEE that you can gain weight.

It is a basic law of energy balance that you must be on a positive calorie balance diet to gain muscular bodyweight. A general guideline for a starting point for gaining weight is to add approximately 300-500 calories per day onto your TDEE. An alternate method is to add an additional 15 – 20% onto your TDEE.Example: Your weight is 120 lbs. Your TDEE is 2033 calories Your additional calorie requirement for weight gain is + 15 – 20% = 305 – 406 calories Your optimal caloric intake for weight gain is 2033 + 305 – 406 = 2338 – 2439 caloriesAdjust Your Caloric Intake GraduallyIt is not advisable to make any drastic changes to your diet all at once. After calculating your own total daily energy expenditure and adjusting it according to your goal, if the amount is substantially higher or lower than your current intake, then you may need to adjust your calories gradually.

For example, if your determine that your optimal caloric intake is 1900 calories per day, but you have only been eating 900 calories per day, your metabolism may be sluggish. An immediate jump to 1900 calories per day might actually cause a fat gain because your body has adapted to a lower caloric intake and the sudden jump up would create a surplus. The best approach would be to gradually increase your calories from 900 to 1900 over a period of a few weeks to allow your metabolism to speed up and acclimatize. Measure Your Results and Adjust Calories Accordingly These calculations for finding your correct caloric intake are quite simplistic and are just estimates to give you a starting point. You will have to monitor your progress closely to make sure that this is the proper level for you. You will know if you’re at the correct level of calories by keeping track of your caloric intake, your bodyweight, and your body fat percentage. You need to observe your bodyweight and body fat percentage to see how you respond. If you don’t see the results you expect, then you can adjust your caloric intake and exercise levels accordingly. The bottom line is that it’s not effective to reduce calories to very low levels in order to lose fat. In fact, the more calories you consume the better, as long as a deficit is created through diet and exercise. The best approach is to reduce calories only slightly and raise your daily calorie expenditure by increasing your frequency, duration and or intensity of exercise.

Read other articles by Tom Venuto

About the Author

Tom Venuto is an NSCA-certified personal trainer, lifetime natural bodybuilder, certified strength & conditioning specialist (CSCS), and author of the #1 best selling diet e-book, “Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle.” Tom has written hundreds of articles and has been featured in IRONMAN, Natural Bodybuilding, Muscular Development, Exercise for Men and Men’s Exercise. To contact Tom or get information on his e-book, visit www.BurnTheFat.com

References: 1. Katch, Frank, Katch, Victor, McArdle, William. Exercise Physiology: Energy, Nutrition, and Human Performance, 4th edition. Williams & Wilkins, 1996.

2. Whitney, Eleanor, Rolfes, Sharon. Understanding Nutrition, 8th Edition, Wadsworth Publishing, 1999.

3. American College of Sports Medicine. Position Statement on proper and improper weight loss programs. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 15: ix – xiii, 1983.

4. McDonald, Lyle. The Ketogenic Diet. Morris Publishing. 1998

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Tips on Getting the Most from Body Fat Calipers

Any fitness expert will tell you that simple body weight is often a poor measure of how fit you truly are. The truest measure of fitness is by measuring your body fat percentage. Body fat calipers are important tools you can use to measure your fitness progress.

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There are of course alternatives to measuring body fat. You can have your body fat percentage measured by a professional using the underwater weighing method. While this may be the most reliable method, it is expensive. In addition, it is time consuming and the testing facilities are often difficult to find. Unlike this high cost, difficult-to-use method, body fat calipers are easy to use, inexpensive to buy and totally portable. In addition, they can be used at your convenience and in the privacy of your own home. Body fat calipers are used to measure skin folds. The skin fold measurements are then used in a formula to estimate your body fat percentage. The question everyone asks is, how reliable are body fat calipers? Indeed, there is a large margin for error when using them and even small errors in measurement can make a big difference in the results. Body fat calipers can measure body fat percentage only to an accuracy level of plus or minus 4%. Therefore, a reading of 20% body fat could mean that the actual number is anywhere from 16% to 24%. Fortunately, there are ways to improve the accuracy of body fat calipers. First and foremost, the most important thing you can do is use the right formula. The typical body fat caliper measurement will use a total of four skin fold measurements to create a representation of the total fat contained under the skin. The next step is to use those measurements in a formula which will calculate the percentage of body fat. The amazing thing here is that there are over 100 formulas that could be used. In addition, using the wrong formula could render your results nearly useless for estimating the percentage of body fat. The reason there are so many formulas is that different people will have different skin and body fat characteristics. For instance, younger people typically store approximately half of their body fat under their skin. As we age, the percentage of total body fat stored under the skin typically will increase, so it is important to use a formula to match your age. In addition, gender, level of fitness, and ethnicity all have their own roles to play in body fat percentage. When using body fat calipers to measure body fat, it is important to know that no formula will be perfect, and there is no such thing as a truly customized and personalized formula. One of the best ways to avoid using the wrong formula is to not use a formula at all! By simply tracking the differences in the individual skin fold measurements themselves, you’ll have a much more accurate measurement of your fitness progress than calculating an actual body fat percentage.

If you’ll be measuring yourself, we recommend Accu-Measure body fat calipers. They are easy to use, give the most accurate measurements, and can be purchased for less than $30 at Bodybuilding.com. When finding the precise location for testing the skin folds using body fat calipers, it is important to use a ruler for measurement. It is often helpful to mark each skin fold location with a felt pen for further accuracy. Taking three readings, and using the average of the three, is the best way to ensure the greatest accuracy.

By the way, if using body fat calipers sounds like too much work, we recommend you consider a body fat scale. They look just like a bathroom scale and all you have to do is step on them and get your weight and body fat reading! Plus, they are more accurate.

It is also important to buy the best body fat calipers you can afford. While many people think that all of them are the same, nothing could be further from the truth. Body fat calipers range in price from $10 to $500, and the more expensive models tend to be the highest quality and have the greatest accuracy. One thing that sets the more expensive body fat calipers apart from the cheap ones is the tension control. Cheap models will not be able to provide the constant pressure needed for accurate readings, and even small errors could have a significant impact on their accuracy. Here are some tips to get the most out of your body fat calipers:

• Again, the only good option for self-measurement are the Accu-Measure body fat calipers.
• For greatest accuracy, use them at the same time of the day.
• It is important to take the reading within four seconds of application. A delay in measurement can result in considerable underestimating of the skin fold measurements.
• It is best to not use the body fat calipers immediately after exercising.
• Measuring changes in skin fold measurements provides for greater accuracy than converting those measurements to body fat percentages.
• Use body fat calipers only to measure your progress, not to compare your percentage of body fat to charts or to others.
• When being tested by someone else, try to get an experienced examiner to do the measurement. It is also a good idea to have the same examiner measure you each time.
• If possible, it is a good idea to have a professional hydrostatic weighing test to determine body fat percentage. Having a professional test done can help provide a benchmark for the accuracy of your body fat calipers.

Related Pages

Body Composition – Are you made of more fat or more muscle? Find out what body composition is all about.Body Fat Percentage – What is your body fat percentage? Knowing this is more important than stepping on the bathroom scale.Body Mass Index (BMI) – What’s your BMI score? Get your score and find out if you are underweight, normal, or overweight.Body Fat Scales - Find out how these inexpensive and easy-to-use scales can help you measure your weight loss success.How to Lose 20 Pounds Really Really Fast! – Tom Venuto discusses the importance of losing fat vs. losing weight.

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Body Fat Scales: The New Way to Measure Weight Loss Success

When it comes to getting in shape, the bathroom scale is not telling the whole story. Simply measuring changes in your weight will tell you little about your level of overall fitness. After all, muscle tissue weighs more than fat, so it is possible that you are gaining muscle and losing weight. All your scale will tell you, however, is that you’ve gained weight.

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Unlike a normal scale, which measures only body weight, a body fat scale measures your body fat percentage – the true measure of overall fitness. Body fat scales are incredibly accurate and inexpensive compared to traditional methods of measuring body fat percentage. Underwater weighing and Dual-Energy X-ray Absorption (DEXA) technology are considered to be the two most accurate methods for measuring body fat.

The problem is finding a facility nearby that has the equipment and trained personnel to conduct these more traditional methods of measuring body fat. If you do, you’ll probably find the cost prohibitive.  Besides, who wants a stranger in a lab coat telling you how much body fat you have! 

Body fat scales are as convenient as a bathroom scale and nobody needs to know what your results are but you!  And you can find them for as little as $60.  That may sound expensive compared to a bathroom scale, but they’re worth the extra investment as they provide a highly accurate measure of your fitness progress. Body fat scales use a technique known as bioelectrical impedance analysis, also known as BIA. A small and totally harmless current of electricity is passed through the body. Because electrical current passes more easily through muscle than through fat, the body fat scales are able to estimate your body fat percentage based on the speed of the current through the body. Body fat scales do not actually measure body fat percentage. Rather, they determine the density of the body. They use a formula which calculates the percentage of body fat based on the density of the body. There is, unfortunately, no single formula which can accurately predict body fat for the entire population, since differences in gender, age, race, fitness level, and body size can all have an impact on the results of the test. While most body fat scales will automatically adjust for differences like age and gender, it is important to understand that the body fat percentage they provide is an estimate. However, you do not need 100% accuracy to measure your fitness progress. What’s important is to compare your results from one testing period to another. If your body fat percentage goes up from one testing period to another, then you’re not doing so well. If it goes down, however, then you’re making progress! When using body fat scales to measure your fitness progress, it is important to remember that things like the position of your body on the scale, the amount of water in the body at the time of the test, food you have eaten, temperature and physical exertion can all affect the accuracy of the results. Therefore, the most effective way to use body fat scales to gauge your fitness progress is to standardize the way the tests are performed. For instance, you may want to take your body fat measurement at the same time every day and avoid stepping on the scale immediately after a meal or after working out as these will skew results. Obtaining standardized measurements using body fat scales is easy to do. Here are some tips:

• It is important to properly clean the foot pads prior to each use. The best way to clean the foot pads is to rub them down with alcohol and thoroughly dry them after each use.
• Make sure you always drink the same amount of water prior to each test. Water consumption can cause inaccurate readings for body fat scales.
• Take your body fat measurements at the same time every day. The best times are first thing in the morning or right before you go to bed.
• Try not to use your body fat scale right after exercising. Sweating during exercise will cause water loss, and that water loss could affect the accuracy of the test.
• The temperature of the skin can have an effect on the electrical current used by body fat scales. For this reason it is important to measure at a similar room temperature each time.
• Choose body fat scales that can be properly calibrated for your needs. It is important that the scale can be adjusted to meet the needs of children, adults, athletes and all others who will be using it.
• Use body fat scales to measure the progress of your fitness program. Comparing your body fat scores with others, or with fitness tables, is worthless. The important thing is to measure your progress over time.
• If you have a lab in your area, try to get your body composition measured by a professional with skin fold calipers. This professional body fat test will help to give you a frame of reference regarding the accuracy of your scale.
• In general, the most expensive models are also the most accurate. Buy the best body fat scales you can afford.

Hammacher SchlemmerTanitaA newcomer to the market in 2010, Hammacher Schlemmer has for sale a new scale called, ironically enough: The Best Body Composition Measuring Scale. It has gotten great reviews and is offered at $119.95. That’s certainly not “cheap”, but you are also getting a body composition scale that is not made “cheap”, either. For things like this, the “you get what you pay for” saying holds pretty true. I’ve tried some cheaper alternatives and I have not been happy with their results at all. They seem to work OK, but when you check their accuracy against real BMI, fat percentage, etc. measuring methods – you’ll find that the cheap alternatives are also not very accurate. If you are serious about tracking everything that this scale offers, I recommend saving up and just buying this scale. In the end, even though it’s expensive, it’s well worth the money. This is the scale I use. I just ordered it and started using it (Editor’s Note: This is being written in January) and I absolutely love it. I don’t see myself needing another scale for a long time. Read my full review of the Hammacher Schlemmer scale here: The Best Body Composition Measuring Scale Review.

Tanita is also considered one of the best brands for body fat scales. They have a few VERY high end scales that there is a very good chance that none of you will ever need (read: they cost $500 or more! Seriously??!!) but they also offer a very good entry level Tanita Body Fat & Water Scale. It is your basic body fat & body water monitor scale. It has a four person memory and a 330 lbs capacity. There is a convenient recall feature for weight & body water percentages. It sells for around $60 and should do the trick for most of you if you’re just looking for body fat and water percentages without all of the other bells and whistles. I definitely recommend having one of these over your traditional bathroom scale because if you’re serious about getting and staying fit, you are going to want to monitor and track at LEAST your body fat percentage and weight.

Related Pages

Body Composition – Are you made of more fat or more muscle? Find out what body composition is all about.Body Fat Percentage – What is your body fat percentage? Knowing this is more important than stepping on the bathroom scale.Body Mass Index (BMI) – What’s your BMI score? Get your score and find out if you are underweight, normal, or overweight.Body Fat Calipers – Helpful tips on how to use them to get the most accurate measurements of your body fat percentage.How to Lose 20 Pounds Really Really Fast! – Tom Venuto discusses the importance of losing fat vs. losing weight.

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Editor’s Note:  Are you breaking a sweat doing the ab crunch and still not seeing results? Christian Finn explains how easy it is to make them more effective in his latest article.

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Done correctly, the crunch is an effective exercise for those wanting to work their abs with minimum stress to the lower back. Research shows that the crunch also called the curl-up, the abdominal curl, or the trunk curl has a high “challenge-to-compression” ratio [1]. In other words, it challenges your abs while imposing minimal compressive load to the spine. The usual advice is to “pull your belly button in toward your spine” or “pull your abs in” during the crunch. But there’s a far better way to make the exercise more effective. In fact, researchers from Omaha’s University of Nebraska Medical Center have found that “pulling the abs in” actually reduces rectus abdominis activity [2]. Learn more about abdominal muscles (pop-up window). A group of 25 subjects performed the crunch in accordance with different sets of instructions. The first set of instructions was intended to emphasize rectus abdominis activity. The second set of instructions was intended to emphasize the obliques. Electromyographic activity was recorded from the upper and lower rectus and the internal and external oblique abdominis muscles. A physical target was used to make sure that the trunk was raised to the same height for all conditions. The crunch worked rectus abdominis harder when subjects were told to tighten their stomach muscles, rather than pull them in. Here are the instructions they were given: “Push your belly button out by tightening your stomach muscles. Try to shorten the distance between the bottom of the ribs and the groin area when you curl up. Focus on drawing your ribcage down and in while you curl up.” But the same exercise worked the external and internal obliques more than rectus addominis when these instructions were given:“Try to suck in your stomach to move your belly button toward the floor. Keeping your stomach tight, try to flatten your back against the floor. Focus on keeping your ribcage flared out as you curl up.” Professor Stuart McGill, an expert in spine function and injury prevention at the University of Waterloo in Canada, offers the following tips for those wanting an advanced version of the crunch with minimal stress to the spine:

• One leg is bent with the knee flexed to 90 while the other leg remains relaxed on the floor.
• No cervical (upper spine) motion should occur, either chin poking or chin tucking.
• For anyone experiencing neck discomfort, place the tongue on the roof of the mouth behind the front teeth, which helps to promote stabilizing neck muscle patterns.
• Brace the abdominals. This involves tightening the abdominal muscles as if you’re about to take a punch in the gut. When the brace is performed correctly, the abdominal wall is neither hollowed in nor pushed out.
• Curl up against the brace, and then breathe deeply in the “up” curl-up position while maintaining the brace. Remain in the up position long enough to take a few deep breaths.

This technique will challenge rectus abdominis while minimizing compressive load to the lumbar spine. Try it the next time you train your abs. You’ll be surprised at how such a simple exercise can easily be made more challenging and effective. Do you need help burning the fat from your belly or packing muscle on your chest, shoulders and arms? Christian Finn’s website, TheFactsAboutFitness.com, contains everything you need to know. It will teach you the best ways to get the lean, strong, healthy body you deserve. Mentor Members also enjoy a clear, honest and easy-to-follow response to all their fat-burning and muscle-building questions within 48 hours.

Read other articles by Christian Finn

About the Author

Christian Finn is a Certified Personal Trainer and holds a masters degree with distinction in exercise science. He’s lectured at a number of universities and private training organizations around the United Kingdom on fitness training, weight loss and the effective use of nutritional supplements. He writes extensively on the subject and his articles have been published in numerous magazines, leading industry journals and websites worldwide, including Men’s Health, Men’s Health Muscle, Fit Pro (April/May 2001), CAM magazine (February 2003), Image (January 1997), Zest (March 2004), and Body Life magazine (March/April 1997). He was also featured in the July 2004 issue of Muscle & Fitness (UK edition). His website, TheFactsAboutFitness.com, is dedicated to providing its members up-to-date, unbiased information and research on the world of fitness.

References

1. Axler, C.T., & McGill, S.M. (1997). Low back loads over a variety of abdominal exercises: searching for the safest abdominal challenge. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 29, 804-811

2. Karst, G.M., & Willett, G.M. (2004). Effects of specific exercise instructions on abdominal muscle activity during trunk curl exercises. Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy, 34, 4-12

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Editor’s Note:  When do you do your ab workouts? Christian Finn explains when is the worst time of the day to do your ab workouts.

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Contrary to popular belief, hundreds of sit-ups won’t make much difference to the appearance of your waist and stomach if your abs are hidden under a layer of fat.

Fat is stored energy. To get rid of the fat, you have to burn more energy (calories) than you eat on a regular basis. What’s more, a lot of bending exercise first thing in the morning puts a lot of stress on the discs in your back. Why? Youre taller when you wake up in the morning than when you go to bed at night. That’s because the discs in your back are hydrophilic (pronounced high-dro-fill-ick). In other words, they suck up water while you sleep. First thing in the morning, these discs are like a balloon full of water. And, if you do a lot of bending (like ab workouts that involve sit-ups or touching your toes), there’s a lot of stress on those discs. In fact, the stresses are three times higher than when you perform the same exercise two or three hours later.

That’s one reason why putting on your socks in the morning feels a lot harder than taking them off at night. “Researchers have documented the increased annulus stresses after a bout of bed rest,” says Professor Stuart McGill, an expert in spine function and injury prevention and rehabilitation at the University of Waterloo in Canada. “Yet many athletes and laypeople alike get up in the morning and perform spine stretches, sit-ups, and so on. This is the most dangerous time of day to undertake such activities.” Some evidence for this comes from research published in the journal Spine [1]. The study shows that controlling lumbar flexion in the morning is an effective way to reduce back pain. A group of 85 subjects with persistent or recurring low back pain was assigned to one of two groups. One group was told to restrict the amount of bending they did in the early morning. The control group received a “fake” treatment consisting of six exercises shown to be ineffective in reducing low back pain. After six months, back pain was reduced in the group told to restrict bending activities in the early morning. A follow-up study shows that participants who continued to restrict bending activities in the early morning enjoyed a further reduction in back pain [2]. The bottom line is that doing your ab workouts or any type of exercise that involves a lot of bending is one of the worst things you can do for your back first thing in the morning. After you get up, just walking around helps to “squeeze” the fluid out and compress your spine. If you want to do your ab workouts early in the day, wait for an hour or two after getting out of bed. Your back will thank you for it.

Read other articles by Christian Finn

About the Author

Christian Finn is a Certified Personal Trainer and holds a masters degree with distinction in exercise science. He’s lectured at a number of universities and private training organizations around the United Kingdom on fitness training, weight loss and the effective use of nutritional supplements. He writes extensively on the subject and his articles have been published in numerous magazines, leading industry journals and websites worldwide, including Men’s Health, Men’s Health Muscle, Fit Pro (April/May 2001), CAM magazine (February 2003), Image (January 1997), Zest (March 2004), and Body Life magazine (March/April 1997). He was also featured in the July 2004 issue of Muscle & Fitness (UK edition). His website, TheFactsAboutFitness.com, is dedicated to providing its members up-to-date, unbiased information and research on the world of fitness.

References

1. Snook, S.H., Webster, B.S., McGorry, R.W., Fogleman, M.T., & McCann, K.B. (1998). The reduction of chronic nonspecific low back pain through the control of early morning lumbar flexion. A randomized controlled trial. Spine, 23, 2601-2607 2. Snook, S.H., Webster, B.S., & McGorry, R.W. (2002). The reduction of chronic, nonspecific low back pain through the control of early morning lumbar flexion: 3-year follow-up. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, 12, 13-19

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Here are 3 kick-butt bodyweight exercises you can do anytime, anywhere to burn fat, stay energized, and avoid overeating.

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Bodyweight exercises help you burn fat shockingly fast, without any fancy equipment. 1) Any Single-Leg Exercise The pistol (single-leg squat to the floor) is the most advanced 1-leg exercise. But you can also do assisted single-leg squats with a band, or onto a bench, or even with a Stability Ball between your back and the wall. If you aren’t ready for single-leg squats, you can use Bulgarian Split Squats, Reverse Lunges, regular split squats, or lying 1-leg hip bridges if you are a beginner. 2) Decline Push-ups These are harder than normal pushups, thanks to your elevated feet. And in this position, you can still use a close-grip to fatigue your triceps, a “piked-hip position” to build your shoulders, or even the Spiderman leg motion to work on your abs. 3) Bodyweight Inverted Rows I choose these over chinups and pullups because bodyweight rows let your chest rest, while your back is strengthened. It’s the perfect compliment to a pushup. Do 8-12 repetitions per exercise. Don’t rest between exercises. Go through the circuit up to 3 times, resting 1 minute after each circuit. For a once-per-month challenge, do each exercise to failure in your final round through the circuit. Get in shape fast with Turbulence Training, Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS Author, Turbulence Training About the Author Learn about the “Dark Side of Cardio” in the free report from Craig Ballantyne at www.TurbulenceTraining.com. Craig is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit www.TurbulenceTraining.com

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