What is it? Skin fold testing is one method to assess and monitor body composition. For athletes, measuring weight may not be enough. Body fat scales can be up to 5% inaccurate meaning that it’s hard to measure if body fat is changing. The best method for measuring body composition is a DEXA scan but these can be expensive and hard to access.
Why have the accreditation? I’m ISAK accredited which is an international qualification meaning if you use another ISAK accredited tester anywhere around the world the results will be comparible. The reason for this is that the method uses bones as landmarks for choosing skin fold sites. This also makes it much more accurate over time.
When is this useful? To track changes in body fat. If an athlete is trying to change body composition (eg. footy pre-season) it’s important to know if they’re losing body fat or muscle mass.
When is it not useful? The testing doesn’t work on people who are obese. It will give you a rough idea of body fat % but is more used to track changes over time rather than current health status.
What does it involve? The testing involves taking skin folds at 7 sites across the arm, stomach, thigh, calf and back. It takes about 15min and can be repeated fortnightly.
If this is something you think may be useful for you please get in touch with our lovely reception staff on 9762 9478 who can make you an appointment with Cass.