Calculateur de masse grasse (US Navy)

Ce que ça mesure

This calculator estimates your body fat percentage — the proportion of your total body weight that is fat tissue — using four simple tape measurements: height, neck, waist, and (for women) hip circumference. It uses the US Navy circumference method, a validated field formula developed at the Naval Health Research Center.

Comment ça marche

The US Navy method, developed by Hodgdon and Beckett (1984), uses the relationship between circumference measurements and body density to estimate body fat percentage. You measure your height and three body sites with a flexible tape measure. The formula applies logarithmic equations — different for men and women — to convert those measurements into an estimated body fat percentage, which is then placed in a category using the American Council on Exercise (ACE) classification scale.

Conseils pour un résultat fiable

• 1Measure at the same time of day — Body measurements fluctuate slightly through the day. For consistent tracking, measure at the same time — ideally in the morning before eating.
• 2Take three readings and average them — Tape measurements can vary by a centimetre or more between attempts. Measuring each site twice or three times and averaging reduces error.
• 3Do not compare to DEXA results directly — The Navy method and DEXA scanning use different underlying assumptions and can disagree by several percentage points. Track trends over time rather than treating a single value as absolute.
• 4Body fat alone does not tell the whole story — Where fat is distributed matters as much as total percentage. Visceral fat (around the abdomen) carries a higher metabolic risk than subcutaneous fat. Your GP can assess this more fully.
• 5Healthy ranges vary with age — The ACE categories above are general. Some evidence suggests that acceptable body fat ranges shift slightly with age, and that slightly higher levels in older adults carry less risk than in younger people.