Taking measurements is an important way of tracking your progress over time. It gives you a starting place to work from and can help you set realistic goals
It is important that you don’t only focus on the number on the scales. For example, you can be losing inches from your waist but the scale weight can stay exactly the same. This is because muscle weighs more than fat, so you can be losing bodyfat and replacing it with metabolically boosting lean tissue
All measurements are to be submitted at week 1, 4, 8 & 12 for my PT Clients and are optional to my Bootcamp/Circuits clients.
What type of measurements?
1. Weight (kg) - Place the scales on a flat surface and stand evenly on them wearing as few items of clothing as possible. Preferably first thing in the morning, after you have used the bathroom but before you eat or drink anything. Measure in kilograms
2. Height (cm) – Stand with your heels, bum, back and legs and touching the wall. Mark your height on the wall with a pencil from the top of your head. Record the result in centimetres
3. Tape measurements (cm) –
- Chest – Place one end of the tape measure at the fullest part of your bust, wrap it underneath the armpits, around the shoulders and back to the front
- Waist – Place the tape in line with your belly button and wrap it all the way around
- Hips – Place the tape on one hip, and wrap it around the widest part of your glutes, to the other hip and back
- Arms – Measure the circumference around the thickest part of your upper arm, without flexing
- Calves – Measure the circumference at the widest point of your calf, approximately three quarters of the way up from the ankle
4. Selfies – Pictures are an excellent way to visually track your progress. It is easy to only focus on only the numbers, such as their weight on the scale and often miss changes in the body shape
How to take progress selfies –
- Be consistent with the following instructions in order to get an accurate assessment of the changes from one picture to the next
- Positioning – Take the first one from the front and the second from the side. Try to get your whole body into the image and be the same distance from the camera in each picture. Breath normally and do not flex the muscles
- Clothing – guys should preferably go topless or wear a tight fitting t-shirt (compression tops for example). Ladies should wear a sports bra or tight fitting t-shirt. Shorts should be relatively tight fitting and not too long
- Lighting – use a well lit room at the same time of the day. Avoid outside as seasonal changes and weather conditions can alter the results