Fillable Form DA 5500 - Body Fat Content Worksheet

What is DA Form 5500?

DA Form 5500, Body Fat Content Worksheet (Male), is a form used by the US Military for male service members to record their body fat percentage. This form is used to assess or evaluate male service members who are enrolled in the Army Body Composition Program, and members are required to fill it out as they progress through the program.

The Army Body Composition Program, or ABCP, is a program of the US Military providing a systematic approach in dictating the prescribed height and weight for all members of the army. They are the Army National Guard, Active Army, and Army Reserve Soldiers.

All soldiers are required to meet the prescribed body fat standard. The ideal amount of body fat needed by soldiers to lose is from three to eight pounds of 1% body fat. Commanders assess their male soldiers every six months to check if they have lost enough body fat to meet the Army Standards. The DA considers this as a safely attainable goal to meet the body fat standards.

In this case, the commander for each unit shall have the authority to directly assess the body fat of any soldier they deem not to have a soldierly appearance. If you have been assessed with an exceeding body fat standard, you will be flagged under AR 600-8-2, Suspension of Favorable Personnel Actions, and automatically enrolled in the ABCP.

If you are enrolled under the Army Body Composition Program (ABCP), commanders must maintain an ABCP file of each soldier enrolled in the program. One of the administrative requirements is Form DA 5500. Form DA 5500 shall be used by commanders to track the progress of each male soldier enrolled under the ABCP.

Soldiers will be given guidance and fitness training by the unit master fitness trainer and counseling on sleep and nutrition by a registered dietician. Other resources also include performance enhancement training, weight management, coaching, and education on healthy sleep, activity, and nutrition behaviors provided by the Army Wellness Center.

Unit commanders will also provide support and guidance so that the soldier can attain his goal of getting the prescribed boy fat percentage. They can provide suggestions on sleep or nutritional counseling and other weight loss programs.

Form DA 5500 must be completed by male soldiers who exceed the weight for height table B-1 of AR 600-9, The Army Body Composition Program. If you are a female soldier, you should use DA Form 5501, Body Fat Content Worksheet (Female). You must check AR 600-9 when you are using this form.

You may download a PDF copy of Form DA 5500 on the official DA website, but you may also electronically fill it out on PDFRun for your convenience.

How to fill out Form 5500?

Form DA 5500 requires you to measure your body to assess your body fat content. Enter the necessary information on each field. Make sure that the information you enter is accurate and correct.

Name

Enter your full legal name starting from Last Name, First Name, and Middle Initial.

Rank

Enter your rank.

Height

Enter your height to the nearest 0.50 inches.

Weight

Enter your weight to the nearest pound.

For your reference, the conversion is ½” is equal to 0.50 inches.

Age

Enter your age.

The seven steps require you to measure different parts of your body and enter the respective fields. Make sure to measure your body parts accurately.

Step 1

Measure your neck below the level of your larynx or Adam’s apple. Round up the measurement to the nearest 0.50 inches.

Step 2

Measure your abdomen at the level of your navel or belly button. Similar to Step 1, round up the measurement to the nearest 0.50 inches.

Steps 1 and 2 have three columns, namely “FIRST,” “SECOND,” and “THIRD.” You are required to repeat the measurement of the designated body part three times.

Enter the first measurement on the “FIRST” column, the second one on the “SECOND” column, and the last on the “THIRD” column. After getting the measurements three times, compute the average by adding all of them and dividing by three. If the result is in a decimal point, round it up to the nearest 0.50 inches.

Step 3

Enter your average neck circumference.

Step 4

Enter your average abdominal circumference.

Step 5

Enter your circumference value. To compute the circumference value, subtract the average neck circumference from the average abdominal circumference.

Step 6

Enter your height in inches to the nearest 0.50 inches.

Step 7

Enter the percent body fat value that intercepts your circumference value and height.

This section is the Soldier’s Percent Body Fat. You can find the soldier’s circumference value (Step 5) and height (Step 6) in figure B-1, Percent Fat Estimation for Men.

Remarks

Enter any additional remarks if any.

Check the appropriate box if you comply with the Army Standards. You may select:

• Individual is in compliance with Army Standards
• Is not in compliance with the standards

If your overall measurement is compliant with the Army Standards, check “Individual is in compliance with Army Standards.” Otherwise, check “Is not in compliance with the standards.”

The recommended monthly weight loss is three to eight pounds of 1% body fat.

Signature

Prepared By

Affix your signature.

Rank

Enter your rank.

Date

Enter the date you signed the form.

Approved by Supervisor

Affix your supervisor’s signature.

Rank

Enter the rank of your supervisor.

Date

Enter the date the supervisor signed the form.

How to file DA Form 5500?

DA Form 5500 shall only be filed when you are applying for the Arm Body Composition Program of the Department of Army. Take note that DA Form 5500 must only be completed by a male soldier who exceeded the weight requirement under AR 600-9.

Form DA 5500 must be filed with the Commander of your unit upon enrollment to the ABCP. You need to fill out this form every six months for their assessment of your body fat percentage.