Measure Elbow Breadth

Elbow breadth, or width, is a factor in determining your frame size. It can be used, along with your height, to determine what your ideal weight range might be.[1] You can measure your own elbow breadth, but it is easier with help from a friend.

Steps

Getting the Tools

  1. Find a fabric measuring tape or a ruler.
  2. Ask a friend to help you measure if you want to ensure an accurate reading.
  3. Stand in front of a mirror if you do the measurement by yourself. You can see if you are holding the correct posture.

Measuring Elbow Breadth

  1. Stand up. Take your dominant arm and hold it out straight in front of you. It should be horizontal and parallel to the ground.
  2. Bend your elbow. Your forearm should be at a 90-degree angle with your thumb pointing toward your face. Your upper arm should stay in the same position.
  3. Open your thumb and forefinger as if you are going to pinch something. Place your thumb on the inside bone of your elbow. Place your index finger on the outside bone of your elbow.
    • The fingers should be on either side of your elbow bone in approximately the same height.
    • If you can, use calipers instead of your fingers for a more accurate measurement. Hold the calipers at a 45 degree angle to the elbow.[2]
  4. Pinch slightly so that the measurement is close to the skin, but don’t depress the skin.
  5. Keep the distance between your thumb and index finger the same. Place your thumb at the beginning of the ruler or measuring tape.
  6. Assess the distance between your thumb and forefinger to the nearest tenth of an inch or cm. This is your elbow breadth.

Using a Body Frame Calculator

  1. Find a frame size calculator online. Simply type in “frame size calculator” into a reputable search engine and click on one of the first links.
  2. Enter whether you want the measurement to be in US standard feet and inches or metric measurements.
  3. Select your gender.
  4. Type in your elbow breadth.
  5. Enter your height. Click on the area outside the fields with your cursor. It will update the form.
  6. Look underneath to find out if you have a small, medium or large frame size. Read your ideal weight range on the line below your frame size.

Tips

  • Some frame size calculators will also ask you to find out your wrist circumference. You can do this by wrapping a fabric measuring tape around your wrist and taking judging the measurement to the nearest tenth of an inch.[3]

Things You'll Need

  • Ruler/measuring tape
  • Calipers (optional)
  • Mirror
  • Frame size calculator

Sources and Citations

  1. Jump up ↑ http://health.bizcalcs.com/Calculator.asp?Calc=Frame-Size-Elbow
  2. Jump up ↑ http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhanes/nhanes3/cdrom/NCHS/MANUALS/ANTHRO.PDF
  3. Jump up ↑ http://www.myfooddiary.com/Resources/frame_size_calculator.asp
Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Measure_Elbow_Breadth&oldid=305961"