I have the strength and flexibility of a 18 year old but my cardio is crap and I'm 26.4% BF according to their highly technical (*with sarcasm*) Tanita BF scales. So I am fat and unfit. Thanks very much!!
This is not good news for me because now I am going to be trying to lose weight again and killing myself on the treadmill.
But then again, maybe not. I told the trainer I wanted SKIN FOLDS because I can't be carrying that much fat (I weighed in at 58 kg fully clothed) and the cardio - based on resting heart rate and recovery heart rate - don't really care.
31 years old, not bad for a 43 year old former fat chick. Except I'm FAT ... oh shutup already!!
Katie, I wouldn't pay too much credence to these tests - they're pretty inaccurate. The most important thing would be to retest in 3 months and see if there's improvement. A stand alone test is no indication of where you're at - you should be always comparing to a benchmark that YOU set.
ReplyDeleteHugs
Liz;)
Body fat measurements are so dodgy, aren't they.
ReplyDeleteYou can do 65 pushups? That's impressive!
Ha! 26% BF? Bullshit.
ReplyDeleteI trust none of those machines with their pre-programmed formulas and stupid 'averages'.
Forget the machines - if you can complete an RPM class, I'd say your cardio fitness is pretty damn good.
You kick my arse in the flexibility stakes, that's for sure.
Those tests are completely designed to make you spend more $$$ on membership and personal trainers!!
ReplyDeleteYou don't need them to tell you big porkies about your body fat etc.. But do believe the 31 bit!! :)
Go and see Body Composition Australia in Oxford Street (near Hyde Park end) and get a full scan done, gives totally accurate measurements. Two frequency x-ray and you get a great idea of real measurements - my calipers were 10% off on body fat for this.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking as a Fitness First PT - the Fitness Age tests are mainly just to get people scared of their age, and try and lower it by getting PT sessions. I don't believe the body fat measurements they've given, especially if they're using the body fat scales - I always use calipers, regardless of the person. But the cardio results have proven to be pretty spot on for the 200 or so people I've done that test on.
But congrats on being younger than your age - don't get many of those! :)
Also, ask one of them if you can get the fitness test that THEY have to do - Operation Shape Up - which is treadmill run, row, chin ups, push ups, crunches and the flexibility test (but harder criteria to get marked off). We're all getting it from next week, and I've been running staff through it - it's HARD, but a great indicator of real fitness, not "fitness age".
When I did the fitness age tests it was done by skin folds - no digital scales at Walker St!! Strange. You kick my arse in body fat and flexibility - mine were terrible. I apparently have the body fat of an 80 year old :( WTF!!!!
ReplyDeleteAs the girls have already said, use it as a benchmark to check your progress. Actually all I do now is check weight and skin folds every 8 weeks or so - that is where my goals are at the moment.
There is NO WAY that body fat percentage is accurate. You are extremely lean and toned!!!
ReplyDeleteI want some of whatever they are smoking!
ReplyDeleteHaha, I love the Tanita scale comment! Regardless of what I weigh or my actual BF, my trusty Tanita scale tells me I'm 33% BF. Ah .... technology!!
ReplyDeleteSusan
www.catapultfitnessblog.com
Katie, I got my Ladybird Crunch today on your recommendation... OMG it is soooo good!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, there is no way you are at 26% bodyfat. I can't believe they would even have the courage to show that figure to you. I think it's obvious by looking at you! Well we all know that tests such as these are hokey anyways.
ReplyDeleteCJ
I got a free fit age a while back and they totally messed it up because the trainer was taking HR from my monitor and forgot to divide it by the time interval they use. I was 25 and got a fit age of 42! Don't think they did BF back then.
ReplyDeleteKatie, the trouble with those types of scales is they have no idea of how much muscle a person is carrying either. I wouldnt and don't pay any attention to it at all. For example, I had my bodyfat levels done at the start of the year using one of the machines that scans your body through electrodes placed everywhere. It said i was 11% bf. My scales at home had me at about 27% Ignore them completely!! You looked great when I saw u at the INBA show and I am sure you still look great today. Chin up and keep on training.
ReplyDeleteTara xxx