At Mesa College this week, the students are learning about various methods to measure body composition (inside the body) and body size (outside the body). It is easy for you to measure your own waist and hips for a check up. The most accurate measure is a body fat test with skinfold calipers, which your local fitness professional can administer. It takes 5 - 10 minutes and is usually included in a training session or you can schedule a 30 minutes fitness consult to review your fitness goals and participate in some other assessments.
The waist to hip ratio will do, but may not be most appropriate for certain body types.
Give it a try and email me your results!
Place a tape measure around the smallest part of your waist and record the inches.
Place the tape measure around the largest part of your hips (buttocks) and record the inches.
Divide waist/hip to get a ratio and compare to the norms below.
If you have any questions, send me a message!
WAIST TO HIP (WHR) Norms according to Bray, G.A. & Gray, D.S. (1988)
Gender Excellent Good Average At Risk
MALE <0.85 0.85-0.89 0.90-0.95 >0.95
FEMALE <0.75 0.75-0.79 0.80-0.86 >0.86
CRITERIA FOR WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE according to Bray, G.A. & Gray, D.S. (2004)
Risk Category Females Males
Very Low <27.5 in <31.5 in
Low 27.5-35.0 in 31.5-39.0 in
High 35.5-43.0 in 39.5-47.0 in
Very High >43.5 in >47.0 in
This information comes from the American Council on Exercise Personal Trainer Manual.
