Skinfold

This test allows to measure the amount of subcutaneous fat of the subject.

• Required tools: Skinfold caliper, also known as fat caliper. It measures the thickness of the adipose tissue on certain points of the body.

• Procedure: Skinfold measurements will be taken on the right side of the subject. The tester should hold the skinfold between the index finger and thumb of his/her left hand and take the measurement holding the skinfold caliper with his/her right hand, placing it 1 centimeter from the fold point, perpendicular to the direction of the fold and to its base. The tester should avoid grasping the muscle when doing the skinfold, and a good way to assure this is asking the subject to make a voluntary contraction of the muscles in the area. Measurements must be taken following a top-down sequence as shown in the picture.

• Assessment: Measurement will be taken in millimeters (mm). Only one measurement will be recorded, although it is advisable to take several for reliability reasons, and discard those clearly wrong. Repetitions should not be done immediately in the same point, but after completing the whole sequence, to avoid compressing subcutaneous fat.