TANITA Body Composition Scales in Comparison
Whether you are looking to improve your health or have performance-oriented goals, simply looking at the number on a standard set of scales only gets you so far. TANITA specialise in providing detailed and accurate body composition analytics so that you can track your fitness goals. But which of the TANITA line is right for you? In today’s blog, Fitshop has compared the three best TANITA scales, so you don’t have to.
Body Composition 101
TANITA is the founder of Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA), bringing a body fat analyser to the consumer market. Users step barefoot onto the scale’s electrode footpads. The BC-545N and RD-545HR models also include a handheld analyser. The scales use a weak electrical current (bioimpedance) to scan the body. This analyses the user’s weight, body fat percentage, body water percentage, visceral fat rating, physique rating, bone mass, and BMI. Additionally, the BC-545N and RD-545HR models can also read your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and provide a metabolic age.
When to Use Body Composition Scales?
Consistency is key when it comes to measuring body composition. Our bodies change daily due to a number of factors. Therefore, keeping a fixed schedule for when you take your results is key. For example, taking your body composition in the morning will provide different results from taking it in the evening. Especially after you have eaten, hydrated, exercised, and gone through a day of bodily functions. We suggest taking your results in the morning when your stomach is empty and after your morning toilet to get rid of any excess liquid.
Why is a Body Composition Scale Useful?
Humans are diverse beings and cannot be accurately measured by a single statistic. For example, many athletes may score highly on the BMI scale despite being in peak physical condition. Body composition scales allow you to take a comprehensive approach to assessing your body’s health. The scales gain you valuable insights for improvement or maintenance.
Losing weight with body composition scales. When we talk about “losing weight,” we often mean reducing our body fat. The TANITA RD-953 model allows you to track your body fat percentage and weight. Additionally, the BC-545N and RD-545HR models provide a BMR score to track how many calories your body burns at rest.
Knowledge is power. As stated above, simply knowing how much we weigh is not enough information to understand our health.
Increase performance. With body composition scales, you can track your muscle mass and body fat percentage, change your workouts and diet to suit your goals, and see the improvement in real time. The RD-953 and RD-545 HR models are TANITA’s smart body composition scales and have the added benefit of connecting to the My TANITA app to make tracking your progress even easier. Additionally, the BC-545N and RD-545 HR provide segmental body scanning to be able to see the muscle mass and body fat percentage across sections of the body.
TANITA Body Composition Scales: Which is the Best?
Now that you understand the purpose of body composition scales, which is best for you?
Both the BC-545 N and RD-545 HR models come with a handheld sensor to provide greater detailed analysis. With these variants, you can use the segmental body scanner to analyse individual body parts. They do this with bioimpedance analysis. This sends a low-frequency electrical pulse imperceptibly through your hands and feet to scan your body. As stated, you will not feel this electrical stimulation, but users with medical implants such as pacemakers should use precautions. Similarly, people who are pregnant should avoid using the bioimpedance analyser.
IMPORTANT: To use the bioimpedance analysis for segmental scanning, you must stand barefoot on the scales, and your skin should not be too dry or covered with a thick layer of calluses. You can then read your measured values directly from the display.
Additionally, the hand sensors provide extra options compared to the RD-953 model, which includes BMR, visceral fat measurement, and, with the RD-545 HR, heart rate.
The RD-953 model does not come with hand sensors, so the results will not provide segmental body scanning of the 545 models, especially the RD-545 HR. Nevertheless, the RD-953 is a competent body composition scale and will still give ten measurements as part of its analysis. The app integration with the RD-953 makes this one of TANITA’s smart range of scales alongside the RD-545 HR.
The BC-545 N holds the middle ground in terms of price and functionality. It comes with a handheld sensor like the RD-545 HR but lacks app support for smart scales such as the RD-545 HR and RD-953. Thanks to the handheld sensor, you have access to more results than the RD-953, but you miss out on the RD-545 HR’s further scanning capabilities. The BC-545 N also lacks the sleek design elements of both the RD-953 and RD-545 HR, looking quite bulky in comparison.
The RD-545 HR has the most analysis functions, works with the My TANITA app, has a sleek aesthetic, and has a price point that matches its capabilities, making it the most expensive of the three body composition scales.
All three scales offer fantastic value for money and prove that TANITA is unbeatable at providing body composition to the consumer market. Regardless of which body composition scales you choose, TANITA guarantees quality that few other brands can compete with. You can find your scales at Fitshop here:
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