How accurate are those bodyfat scales?

[Prospect]

The ones that send an electric shock through you to figure out your percent. I seen one for $80 bucks at a big name store, but they have the same one for $20 at this place nearby me. Are they pretty close?

[access]

I have been on a couple of these and found them to be pretty reliable without being absolutley perfect. Much easier to use than calipers (although those new electronic ones are good) and gives as good a reading I feel. This is also a much better way to discern how your training is going rather than using a regular scale. Lowering your BF may not necessarily mean lowering your weight and your BF% is a good picture of where your heading with your training.

The trick with these is to not check immediately after training, first thing in the morning or when your dehydrated for truer readings.

[willy222]

if u drink water before you test yourself, you can cheat it and get a lower reading

[paul_22]

willys correct .. the machine works by sending a pulse around your body and the time taken to recieve the pulse back to the machine is the reading of body fat... fat slows the current down and muscles and WATER conduct the current so the slower the puklse gets round the body it means it has had to pass through more fat... so over hydrating your body will speed it up

[MuscleScience]

They are typically about 3% of either way. If done correctly they can be fairly accurate. I administer dexa scans which are the most accurate method to date even more accurate that hydrostatic weighing and found that I could get BIA readings withing about .5 % high or low when done correctly.

[Adam F]

Originally Posted by MuscleScience

They are typically about 3% of either way. If done correctly they can be fairly accurate. I administer dexa scans which are the most accurate method to date even more accurate that hydrostatic weighing and found that I could get BIA readings withing about .5 % high or low when done correctly.

Thank you for that information.