In this instructional segment, Mark Ottobre demonstrates the correct method for locating and measuring the subscapular skinfold on a client. He emphasizes client positioning (facing away from the wall, arm behind the back), managing hair, and identifying the anatomical marker—the inferior border of the subscapular. Ottobre shows how to use an L‑shaped hand to palpate the border and explains the critical switch from the index finger to the ring finger, a detail taught by Charles Poliquin, to ensure the skinfold is measured at the proper lower location. He outlines the step‑by‑step process: arm placement, landmark detection, hand orientation, finger placement, client relaxation, and caliper application, highlighting consistency across measurements even with varying body fat levels.
Chapters
Measurement number 5 is the subscap. So again, with this, while the client is facing the rear of the wall, you're going to go straight into their upper back. So if they've got long hair— Jade doesn't have too long hair— you obviously get them to move the hair out the way if it's a female or a male in that case. But again, you always want to look at anatomical markers. So the anatomical marker for this one is the inferior border of the subscap. Now with Jade, we can see it straight away. The reason why we can see it straight away is because she's lean. But let's just go right ahead and assume she's not lean and she was carrying, let's say, 10, 20, 30 kilos of extra weight. So the question is, how would you find that? So there's a few ways, but the first easiest way is to get the client to put their arm behind their back. So when they do that, you can see the subscap and yeah, you can see the angle, the inferior angle that that makes. So I can get my finger in right there, but even that is not enough, 'cause again, Jade is quite lean right now. So what you wanna do is you wanna make an L with your hand and you want to basically jam it right up into their subscap. So you can see, see there, now I've made an L and I can see very clearly where that inferior border is and that's where it is there. So now I'm going to get Jay to relax and it doesn't move. So then what you want to do is you want to have your hands in a diagonal direction and a diagonal spread and see, you can see my index finger is right up against that inferior border of her subscap. Now I was taught this by Charles Poliquin, and I'm going to teach everyone exactly the way I was taught by Charles. Some people have bastardized it and made it easier, so they grab by the index finger like that. But, you know, again, I'm pretty pedantic with all these things, so I'm going to teach you the right way. So the way you're going to do it is you're going to switch the index finger for the ring finger, and that's what we mean by switching, switching it out. The reason why you do that is because the fold does work out to be lower, so lower on the back, that is. So again, if I was to do it with this, I'm going to be measuring higher. If I switch it out, oops, there it does, it is a little lower, and that's where the sight should, should be. So again, just to recap on everything we did, arm goes back, we find the inferior border, there it is there, she relaxes, perfect, uh, index finger right up against that inferior border, pointing my ring finger up to her shoulder, see how it's a diagonal angle there, just moving that out the way so I can get my grab, I've got my grab, There it is. Bring the, the calipers in and exactly the same. I've gone exactly the same measurement every single time measuring Jade. And obviously her upper back here is nice and lean. So that's how you do that one.
