How to take girth measurements on your body

Circumference or girth measurements is one of two essential measurements you can take to determine whether or not you're making progress on your weight loss program. Learn how to take girth measurements on your body.

Girth measurements are one of two measurements to take when starting a weight loss program. The other measurement is body composition.

However, before you can take girth measurements, you need to buy a good measuring tape. One that is made of linen or plastic should do. Once you’ve got a measuring tape, the next step is to properly and consistently measure your body.

Steps to take girth measurements on your body

You can follow the following guidelines to take girth measurements on your body:

  1. Apply the measuring tape lightly to the skin surface so that the tape is not too tight. This avoids getting lower than normal measurements.
  2. Use a reference point for each measurement you take. For example, if you want to measure your upper arm, choose a point on your arm around which you’ll always wrap the tape. To do this, you could first use the tape to find a point, let’s say 3 inches from your elbow, and then use this distance from your elbow to place the tape around your upper arm. This way your girth measurements will be more accurate and consistent each time you measure your body.
  3. Measure a site twice and then take the average of the two measurements. This helps in getting more accurate measurements.

Steps for how and where to take body girth measurements

Girth measurements should be taken at the following sites (locations on the body):

  • Abdomen – 1 inch above the navel
  • Hips – maximum protrusion with the heals together
  • Right thigh – upper thigh just below the buttocks
  • Right upper arm (biceps) – palm up, arm straight and extended in front of the body; measurement taken at midpoint between the shoulder and elbow
  • Right forearm – maximum girth with the arm extended in front of the body and palm up
  • Right calf – widest girth midway between the ankle and knee

In addition, you could take measurements at the following sites:

  • Chest – around the upper torso just below the arm pits
  • Shoulders – same as measuring chest but including the deltoids and with the arms pointing straight down against the body
  • Mid right thigh – the right thigh, mid-way between the knee and the hips

Using girth measurements to predict body fat

Different equations have been developed to predict the body fat percentage based on girth measurements.

These equations are specific to the populations they were applied to, so must be taken with a grain of salt where there accuracy is concerned.

They should not be used to predict fatness if you:

  1. Appear very thin or very fat
  2. Have been involved for a number of years in strenuous endurance exercise such as marathons, or resistance training such as bodybuilding

The girth-based prediction equations are useful for ranking people within a group according to relative fatness.

In general, the predictions tend to be 2.5 to 4% off. A far better – and economic – method for predicting or measuring your body fat is to measure body fat with calipers.

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