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These stats machines can tell you everything from muscle mass to body fat Cycling Sensor
This article was updated in November to reflect the latest prices and the best deals.
Whether you're bulking or cutting, monitoring your body composition using one of our best bathroom scales (all tested by our fitness pros, naturally) will help you keep track of progress. But that's not the only reason to pop one of these bad boys on your fitness wish list.
Long gone are the days when bathroom scales would only tell you how much you weigh. The new-gen designs can measure all sorts of cool stats, from bone density to muscle mass and many more in between, making them the perfect training partner.
But with a huge range of digital and body analyser scales out there to choose from, how can you tell which are accurate? Enter the Men's Health Lab – our team of experts put a range of the market-leading scales to the test to help you find your best buy.
Many of us grew up with a mechanical scale in our family bathroom, but those old-school models can't replicate the accuracy of more modern digital or body analyser scales. These deliver a more precise reading, with body analyser scales considered the most accurate.
Smart scales, or body analyser scales, send a safe electrical wave through the body. Different tissue, including bone, muscle and fat, impedes the current at different rates, allowing the scales to measure a long list of metrics including weight, BMI, body fat, muscle mass, water percentage, bone density, resting metabolism, visceral fat and more.
They then send that data to a smartphone app via Bluetooth, allowing you to track your stats over days, weeks or months. Some scales, such as the Garmin and Fitbit below, can connect to the same app that its fitness trackers use, meaning you'll have all your data in one place. It's all super nerdy, aka A Good Thing.
That said, accuracy can vary, so always consult a doctor for the most reliable readings.
When testing bathroom scales, the Men's Health Lab looked for accurate readings, reliability, ease of use, response time, design and other factors that make a good scale great.
To test how well the scales measured weight, we used calibrated kettlebells, weighing 7.64kg and 12.25kg respectively. We weighed each three times on each scale, to make sure the results were consistent across readings.
For smart scales, our testers first used a bioimpedance machine to determine their body fat percentage, then stepped onto each scale three times, comparing the three readings to one another and to the reading from the bioimpedance machine. They also test-drove each associated app to check for ease of use.
If you're less interested in your weight as an isolated metric and want a full picture of your health and body composition, this body analyser scale is our top pick. It will give you insight into 17 health measurements, including body fat percentage, bone mass, BMI and BMR (that's basal metabolic rate, or the number of calories your body burns to keep itself running, FYI).
The scale itself will show you your weight (very accurately, we might add), but you'll have to whip out your smartphone to learn about the other data points on its associated app. Thankfully, though, that info takes just nine seconds to reach your device, and the app does a great job of explaining what all those numbers actually mean.
Although this scale performed well on test, it's a pretty tight fit; feet over a size 7 will stick out slightly and it was quite unstable when our tester stood near the edge. Still, it gave consistently accurate readings across the metrics we looked at, so it's a clever buy.
There's nothing wrong with a basic product when it does its job so well. If you're just looking to track weight, our top-scoring set of scales is king. It quickly and clearly displayed our readings in large, well-lit numbers, and was impressively accurate at every turn.
Our tester loved the simple design, which won't threaten to tip over even if you step right on the edge of the scales. Plus, it will support up to 200kg and feet up to a size 12. It's a little sensitive to nearby activity though, so move it out of the way if you don't want it turning itself on when not in use.
Help protect the planet with this simple scale. Handily, it doesn't require any batteries or charging, cutting down on waste and electricity bills. Instead, it uses step-on self-generated power to measure your weight. Plus, our readings were consistently accurate.
The platform itself is on the smaller side, as is the display window, and it was a little slow to power down after use. But, overall, it's easy to use, efficient and more environmentally friendly — three of our favourite things.
It’s undeniably pricey, but if you’re serious about tracking your health and fitness, this slick scale from the experts at Withings is worth the extra cash. Our tester was super impressed with the detailed stats on offer via the bright, easy-to-read screen, including weight, body fat, muscle mass, heart rate and vascular age. It also displays a graph with your previous eight measurements, so you can easily chart your progress without consulting the accompanying Health Mate app.
On that note, data from every weigh-in is immediately fired over to the user-friendly app via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, where you can get an even deeper insight into the state of your health. We’re talking visceral fat levels, water mass and bone mass, an estimation of your cardiovascular fitness, and an electrodermal activity score that predicts nervous system imbalance and stress. There’s even a dedicated ‘athlete mode’ to account for higher muscle mass.
The scale connects with myriad apps – think Apple Health, MyFitnessPal and Strava – and automatically recognises up to eight users. Its robust platform proved stable, accommodating feet up to a size 11 and a weight of up to 200kg. If all that wasn’t enough, it scored top marks for weight accuracy in our tests. What more could you want?
This dinky smart scale is a sound choice if your bathroom is on the smaller side. The clear display reveals all the basics – weight, BMI and body fat percentage – in your preferred metric, but you'll have to consult the Renpho app for a more comprehensive overview of your health and fitness.
On there, you can see everything from subcutaneous fat levels and body water percentage to skeletal muscle mass and metabolic age. Scoring top marks for functionality, we found the app a doddle to navigate, but should you run into any issues, there’s a handy quick start guide and step-by-step tutorials on how to get the most out of the device.
It can keep track of up to eight users and you can push data to apps like Apple Health, Google Fit and Fitbit. Like the premium Withings option above, it also has an ‘athlete mode’ to consider physiological variations for more accurate readings. Its petite size means it's not suitable for larger guys – stepping on the lightweight platform requires some balance and the foot room is a touch limited – but that’s its only real downside.
If you like the sound of the Withings offering above but don’t want to fork out over £150 on a pair of scales, consider this more affordable alternative from the brand. Though over half the price, the Body Smart still offers heaps of in-depth health metrics including BMI, body fat, bone mass, muscle mass and water percentage, plus visceral fat levels and standing heart rate.
The sturdy, smart-looking scale displays all your stats clearly, while the user-friendly app reveals yet more health insights and trends over time, with the option to track your nutrition. If you’re particularly hench, you’ll appreciate the ‘athlete mode’, which considers higher muscle mass, and there’s also a novel ‘eyes closed’ mode that hides your weight reading if you find yourself becoming fixated on figures and would rather focus on your overall health for a while. Setting up the scales and connecting to Wi-Fi was a breeze, but there are handy in-app prompts if you find yourself getting stuck. Additionally, it can accommodate up to eight different users and it can sync the health data on your phone to incorporate additional information like sleep data and exercise. Just remember to use the feet provided if you’re weighing in on carpet and try to use it on the same floor for consistency.
If your entire household is planning to use your new scale, you can't go wrong with this smart model, which will recognise each user from their readings. It accommodates 16 users (and a size 12 foot), and it will even tell you the weather after it's done showing you your stats – so you'll always have something to talk about.
It's a simple piece of equipment with a minimalist design but our tester found it intuitive to use, especially its app. The battery life was the low point on this one, lasting a mere two weeks in our lab compared to the nine months promised on the box. Much of that can be attributed to the machine's sensitivity, which meant that the scale turned on when one of our testers walked within a few feet of it. It also gave an inaccurate body fat reading.
This scale can track an impressive 16 body metrics. You can read these, including heart rate, bone density and BMI, quickly and directly on the machine, or you can review your stats more closely in the associated app. Our testers found said app a little clunky to navigate, but that doesn't matter too much since you can use the scale without it.
Weight readings were accurate but unfortunately, the body fat readings here were off, so pick another scale if that's a deal-breaker for you. The platform will fit feet up to a size 12, and is reassuringly non-slip, too.
This offering from Fitbit will read your weight in as little as five seconds, and with great accuracy. That said, as far as smart scales go, it's fairly basic, only reading weight and BMI.
The ability to set weight goals and keep track of your progress in the accompanying app is an advantage though. It will connect to the same Fitbit app you'd use for your Fitbit tracker or smart watch too – meaning you can check all your stats in one go.
This premium scale comes with an easy to use Bluetooth-connected app, which is ideal for tracking your fitness journey. It analyses 10 key body metrics, including muscle mass, BMR and total body water, showing consistent and accurate stats in seconds. It's a starkly app-reliant model since it only displays weight on the actual machine, but if you like having everything on your phone, you'll love it.
The platform here won't fit feet over a size 10 and we'd have preferred a non-slip surface, but it didn't tip at all when we stepped onto it. Oh, and did we mention there's an option for subtracting the weight of your phone and clothes? Smart.
Yanar was our former Fitness Group Testing Manager. She managed health and fitness product testing across all the magazines, overseeing all testing processes and ensuring our lab and panel tests are conducted to the highest standards. Yanar spent 15 years as a health and wellness content editor and writer for national titles such as Runner’s World, Men’s Health and Women’s Health. Yanar is a Level 3 qualified PT, trained yoga teacher and a registered yoga therapist. She has been into fitness and wellness her whole life. After many years running races and marathons, she now trains and competes in CrossFit and Olympic lifting. She passionately advocates strength training for women to build a stronger mind and body for life.
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Yanar was our former Fitness Group Testing Manager. She managed health and fitness product testing across all the magazines, overseeing all testing processes and ensuring our lab and panel tests are conducted to the highest standards. Yanar spent 15 years as a health and wellness content editor and writer for national titles such as Runner’s World, Men’s Health and Women’s Health. Yanar is a Level 3 qualified PT, trained yoga teacher and a registered yoga therapist. She has been into fitness and wellness her whole life. After many years running races and marathons, she now trains and competes in CrossFit and Olympic lifting. She passionately advocates strength training for women to build a stronger mind and body for life.
Priyankaa is our health and fitness writer, specialising in expert-tested reviews and roundups on the latest health and fitness products. From walking boots to running machines, Priyankaa has written about hundreds of products and is passionate about providing in-depth, unbiased reviews. Plus, as an avid runner and gymgoer, she knows exactly what to look for when finding the right gymwear, fitness tracker or earphones. \n
Heart Beat Sensor Priyankaa has an MA in Magazine Journalism from Cardiff University and over five years’ experience in health and fitness journalism. Priyankaa has w