Army Body Fat Calculator

The U.S. Armys requires all service members to meet army percentage body fat standards to qualify for military service. Hence, individuals should be aware of their body fat requirements and the acceptable allowances. To make lives easier, we have come up with this simple Army Body Fat Calculator that will help you know your body fat within seconds. Use this calculator to find out whether or not you are in compliance with the U.S. Army standards (1).

What Is The Body Fat Percentage?

It is the total fat divided by the total body mass. It includes essential body fat and the reserved fat or visceral fat.

Essential fat is the fat needed for the body, and the percentage of it is around 3-5% for males and 8-11% for females. It needs to be noted that females have a higher essential fat percentage compared to males due to low muscle in their body (2).

How Does An Army Body Fat Calculator Work?

This Army Body Fat Calculator tool is designed to assess the fat value of a n individual based on their personal measurements of height, neck, hip, and waist. It also takes into account the age and gender of the individual.

Once you enter your personal measurements, this tool helps in evaluating the body fat and also lets you know if you meet the U.S. Army’s recruitment standards or are in compliance with the more stringent standards of the Department of Defense.

The tool uses the compliance results to decide whether or not you are likely to be fit to be in the U.S. Army.

What are the necessary measurements?

According to the Standards of Medical Fitness, body fat percentage is calculated based on the person’s height, neck, and waist size for men. For women, it uses height, neck, waist, and hip size.

The measurements should be done very carefully. The subject should be standing upright with arms at rest on both the sides while taking measurements.

The neck should be measured at a point just below the larynx, and the waist should be measured at the point of minimum circumference or close to belly button.

The hip should be measured at its widest point to get the accurate fat percentage.

Body Fat Formula (U.S. Army Method)

Most people believe that body fat percentage is calculated based on BMI, but that is not the case.

Body fat is calculated based on correlations between several body circumference measurements in relation to a person’s height.

To calculate the body fat for males, the following formula is used:

86.01 x log10(waist – neck) – 70.041 x log10(height) + 36.76

To calculate the body fat for females, the following formula is used:

163.205 x log10(waist + hip – neck) – 97.684 x log10(height) – 78.387

All measurements are in inches. For centimeters, replace 36.76 with 30.30 in the formula for men, and 78.387 with 104.912 in the formula for women.

Example:

By using the inches tab, in the case of a male, aged 35, weighing 210 lbs at a height of 6 ft 1 inches (73 inches) with neck measurement of 21 inches and waist line of 41 inches, the results displayed are:

=86.01 x log10(waist – neck) – 70.041 x log10(height) + 36.76

=86.01 x log 10(41-21)- 70.041 x log 10(73)+ 36.76

Result – Body fat percentage = 18.15%;

■ In the Metric tab, in the case of a female, aged 28, weighing 93 kg at a height of 173 cm with neck measurement of 42 cm and waist line of 86 cm, the results given are:

= 163.205 x log10(waist + hip – neck) – 97.684 x log10(height) – 104.912

= 163.205 x log 10(86+173-42) – 97.684 x log 10(173) – 104.912

Result – Body fat percentage = 34.22% (6)

The U.S. Army Body Fat Percentage Standards – Male & Female Charts

The following chart helps to give an idea of this acceptable fat percentage an individual can have to join the U.S Army. These standards are according to the U.S. Army Regulation of 2017, Standards of Medical Fitness.

How Much Body Fat Is Allowed To Be In The U.S. Army?

According to the U.S. Army Regulation of 2017, Standards of Medical Fitness, the maximum allowed body fat percentage to remain a part of the army is presented in the table below:

If you are over the limit, you can follow the below-mentioned tips to reduce body fat.

Tips For Reducing Body Fat

• Reduce Calorie Intake: The first step to reduce the body fat is working on reducing excessive calories. Consuming more than required amount of calories in a day results in increased body weight and fat percentages, which are detrimental to health.
• Follow A Healthy Diet: Follow a diet that has a balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and fat. You can alter the macronutrient composition and avoid excessive deposition of fats.
• Exercise Regularly:Regular exercise, especially resistance training, helps in burning body fat. Persistent physical activity helps to maintain a lower body fat percentage.
• Consume high-fiber foods:Consumption of foods high in fiber, such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, is a great way to combat increasing body fat.
• Focus On Lean Muscle Mass:Consumption of foods high in proteins helps in building lean muscle mass, thereby reducing fat percentage.
• Keep Yourself Hydrated:Drinking enough water throughout the day helps to curb the hunger signals and reduces your chances of taking in too many calories.

References

1. Army Regulation 40–501, Standards of Medical Fitness, Department of the Army.
   http://arotc.osu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/AR-40-501-Standards-of-Medical-Fitness.pdf
2. Gender differences in fat metabolism. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care, US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11706283

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Himanshi MahajanHealth & Wellness Writer

 

Himanshi Mahajan is a Certified Health & Nutrition Life Coach. She has a bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences from Guru Nanak Dev University and two years of experience in writing SEO-based and research-backed content across health and lifestyle genres. She aims to use her natural penchant for science and her love for writing to present engaging content to readers. When...more