Gym 74
How to measure consistently
The same measurement on two different occasions only means something if you take it the same way both times. This article is about posture, timing and placement — not about what the numbers mean.
What this article is about
This article is about measuring, not about what the numbers mean. It explains how to take a measurement so you can compare it later: the same way, at the same moment and in the same place.
After reading you will know
- When and how to weigh yourself best
- Where to put the tape for chest, waist, arm and leg
- Why measuring consistently matters more than measuring precisely
Body weight
Your weight easily swings a kilo within one day from water, salt and how full or empty your gut is. That swing has nothing to do with fat or muscle mass, so the trick is to always measure at the same point in that swing.
- Weigh yourself in the morning, fasted: after the toilet and before eating or drinking. That is the most stable moment of the day.
- Use the same scale where possible, and wear comparable clothing — a different scale or a thick jumper alone can shift a kilo.
- Look at the weekly average rather than a single reading; the progress page already shows that average next to it. One day says little, a week does.
Circumference measurements — the basics
Chest, waist, arm and leg are measured with a tape measure. A few basic rules apply to all four: without them, two measurements of yourself easily differ by a centimetre while nothing actually changed.
- Measure at the same time, preferably in the morning — just like with weight, that is the calmest point of the day.
- The tape sits snug but does not press into the skin; too tight gives a number that is too low, too loose one that is too high.
- Once a month is often enough: these numbers change slowly, and measuring more often mostly adds noise.
Circumference measurements — per measurement
Exactly where you place the tape determines what you are measuring. Four spots, with their fixed landmark.
- Chest: across the nipple line, arms relaxed at your sides, at the end of a normal exhale — not with your chest puffed out.
- Waist: at navel level, with a normal, relaxed stomach — do not suck it in.
- Arm: at the widest point of the upper or lower arm. Flexed or relaxed both work, as long as you do it the same way every time.
- Leg: at the widest point of the thigh. Preferably not right after a leg workout — blood flow and fluid intake temporarily inflate the number.
Further
Enter your measurements on the progress page; the chart and the weekly average there help you tell a one-off outlier apart from a real change.