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Forearm Skinfold Sites

The forearm skinfold site is one of the less common locations used for the assessment of body fat using skinfold calipers, and is not routinely used in the assessment of athletes. A few different descriptions of forearm site locations for taking skinfolds have been found. See the complete list of skinfold sites, and the general procedure for taking skinfold measurements.



All these descriptions are for a person standing in the anatomical position (arms straight, palms facing forwards).

In the descriptions of this pinch site found online, how far along the forearm varies. These sites may or may not be at a similar level depending on the development of the muscles of the forearm. The measurement site can be either at:

  1. Midway between the superior border of the head of the radius, and the styloid process at the wrist, or
  2. At the maximum circumference of the forearm (as determined by a tape measure)

skinfold caliperThe location of the pinch site can be either on the midline of the anterior (front) or posterior (back) aspect. The site may also be occasionally located on lateral side of the forearm.

The angle of the pinch is not always listed - in this case a pinch along the long axis of the arm is most likely.



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