Skinfold tests are commonly conducted as part of a fitness test battery, as a measure of body composition. There are quite a few different measurement sites, and the accuracy of the measurement technique may vary too. See Skinfold Methods.
Aussie Rules Football
- The average skinfold (sum of 7 sites) at the 2010 AFL draft camp was 51.5 mm (range 32.3 - 84.7 mm) See more.
- A skinfold of 50-55 is considered about average among AFL players, with the very fittest having skinfolds in the 30s (the Age Newspaper, Nov 2010)
- An article in the Perth Sunday Times listed the fitness requirements for a range of sports. It stated that the skinfold 7-site total for the West Coast Eagles players must remain below 50 mm (from The Sunday Times, Jan 10, 2010).
- Brett Deledio, AFL footballer from Richmond, scored 39.6 mm (sum of 7 sites) on his bodyfat skinfold test (Herald Sun Newspaper, 16 April 2009).
Ice Hockey
- At the 2012 NHL Scouting Combine, the lowest skinfold result was 35 mm by Matt Tomkins, which works out to be 7% body fat using the Yuhasz equation. The average was 61.4 mm (9.6% body fat) (see the top 2012 NHL combine results).
- Skinfolds are assessed at the NHL annual scouting combine, using 6 sites: Chest, Triceps, Subscapular, Suprailiac, Abdomen, Front Thigh. The average sum recorded over the last few years has been 63.6 mm (2009), 57.0 mm (2010) and 55.2 mm (2011). (see NHL combine results summary)
Athletics
- Sean Wroe, Australian Olympic 400m sprinter, scored 29.1 mm (sum of 7 sites) on his bodyfat skinfold test (Herald Sun Newspaper, 16 April 2009).
Jockey / Horse Racing
- Michael Rodd, Melbourne Cup winning jockey, scored 40 mm (sum of 7 sites) on his bodyfat skinfold test (Herald Sun Newspaper, 16 April 2009).
Triathlon
- Erin Densham, Olympic Triathlete, scored 35.2 mm (sum of 7 sites) on her bodyfat skinfold test (Herald Sun Newspaper, 16 April 2009).
Rowing
- Drew Ginn, Australian Olympic rower, scored 33.3 mm (sum of 7 sites) on his bodyfat skinfold test (Herald Sun Newspaper, 16 April 2009).
Cycling
- Peta Mullens, Australian cyclist, scored 59.9 mm (sum of 7 sites) on her bodyfat skinfold test (Herald Sun Newspaper, 16 April 2009).
Rock Climbing
- The sum of 7 skinfold means for male and female climbers were 45.3 (13.0) and 56.0 (14.5) mm respectively, significantly lower than the controls. These values were higher than data previously reported for elite adult male (37.8 (6.8) mm) and female (42.5 (8.9) mm) competitive climbers. (from P B Watts, L M Joubert, A K Lish, J D Mast, B Wilkins, Anthropometry of young competitive sport rock climbers. Br J Sports Med 2003;37:420-424)
Related Pages
- Procedure for Skinfold Measurement
- Body Fat Calculations
- Other fitness test results
- More Scores? I scan the internet and other resources for the latest athlete results. If you know of something I have missed, I would love to hear from you.
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