Think about the name for a second – carboHYDRATE. Carbohydratesįor every gram of carbohydrate that is converted and stored as muscle glycogen, you will also store roughly 3-4 grams of water. So to promote reliability, it’s best to avoid alcohol consumption for roughly 3 days before testing. With less ADH, you reabsorb less water, and there is the potential for thinner skinfolds and the appearance of less adipose tissue. In essence, alcohol prevents the release of ADH (antidiuretic hormone), which tells your kidneys to reabsorb water to prevent dehydration. We know that excessive alcohol ingestion can promote increased urine production (diuresis) “ at the expense of all cellular components,” and thus dehydration ensues. Want to know the fastest way to get leaner (at least for a bit)? Take a couple of shots. While it sounds helpful, this cellular swelling can lead to a temporary feeling of “fullness” within the muscle belly itself and lead to false positives (in terms of muscle growth) or false negatives (in terms of fat loss or a lack thereof).īottom line: All body fat readings should be taken before training, not after. “ When someone is ‘chasing the pump,’ they generate metabolic byproducts from various energy systems and also change intracellular water concentration through cell swelling.” TrainingĪny repetitive physical motion shifts interstitial fluid and blood flow. That’s not consistent, and your results won’t be reliable. For example, don’t take your initial measurements in the morning on an empty stomach one day and then take progress measurements 2 months later after an arm session with 3 meals in your system. As such, you want to make sure that all these factors are constant during each testing session. Training, alcohol, carbohydrates, rehydration (post-training), electrolyte status, supplementation, and meal timing all alter fluid shifts within body tissues. 12 Factors That Affect Body Fat Percentage Skinfold Readingsīefore we get into the nitty-gritty of site selection and test execution, we need to touch on a few factors that can affect skinfold readings. Heck, call your mom for all I care, but don’t fool yourself into thinking that you’re above personal bias.īetter yet, pay a trained professional to take the skinfolds because they’ll understand how to assess your results and help you reach your goals. Everyone wants to be leaner than they really are, so you’ll intuitively pinch harder and give yourself the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the last millimeter or two.Ĭall in a favor from your college roommate. Remember how I mentioned that you want an objective measurement? Well, if you decided to pinch your own skinfolds, your subjective perspective will come into play. However, I must mention one very important caveat – to ensure accuracy and decrease the influence of personal bias, skinfolds should ideally be taken by another person. While they aren’t 100% reliable, they are likely the cheapest way to get a semi-accurate reading. Skinfolds are a relatively quick and effective way to measure your body fat percentage. Results equal retention and higher client satisfaction – give people what they want.Įnter the skinfold caliper… Pinch, Pull, Progress This means hard and fast data that proves your methods work. Some people get too caught up in the numbers, but for the majority, they need a reliable source to hold them accountable.Īnd, if you’re a personal trainer, your clients want results sooner rather than later. When it comes to tracking progress, you need objective measures that allow you to see progress over the long term. Measuring your body fat is one way to get an unbiased assessment, assuming you measure accurately. Not only that, I’d be willing to bet that your mirror is lying to you. Selfies and the scale don’t tell the entire story.
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