February 2013 ~ 57 kzone

Body Composition Analysis

By Laura Williams, M.S.Ed. Masters in Exercise and Sports Science

With the number of people who are overweight or obese continuing to grow, body composition analysis is gaining more traction as the best measure of assessing health based on body size. Unlike weight or body mass index (BMI), body composition analysis looks at the percentage of fat mass and fat-free mass a person is carrying to gauge whether a person should be classified as underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese.

Understanding Body Weight, BMI and Body Composition

Body weight, BMI and body composition are all assessments of body size, but they're not created equal! Here's what you need to know:

Body Weight

Body weight is the most commonly used assessment of body size because it's so easy to measure and track. Face it, almost everyone has a bathroom scale in their home! The ease of measuring body weight is quite possibly its greatest benefit, but body weight is not the best predictor of health. This is because weight only provides a measure of how gravity works on a mass. It can be affected by hydration, menstrual cycles, food intake and more. Body weight cannot provide information about what's going on inside the body, but it can be helpful when used as a general guideline as long as it's not being perceived as a true indicator of health.

Body mass Index (BMI)

BMI is a slightly better assessment of health because it's used to predict "normalcy" based on height and weight. While it's still only moderately correlated with body fat percentage and markers of disease, one added benefit is that it removes the obsession some people associate with the scale. It's extremely easy to calculate BMI online using a BMI calculator, but it's also relatively easy to calculate by hand, as long as you know your height in meters and your weight in kilograms:

Calculation: BMI= Body mass (kg) / Stature (meters squared)

Unfortunately, BMI still doesn't provide real information about body fat percentage or body fat distribution, which can lead to problems. It is possible for a person with a healthy body fat percentage to be considered overweight or obese, based on BMI, and it's also possible for a person with an unhealthy body fat percentage to be considered normal weight, based on BMI.

Body Composition

Body composition is analyzed and predicted in a number of ways, each with pros and cons. The real benefit of looking to body composition analysis rather than weight or BMI is that it takes into account percentage body fat and body fat distribution, both of which are strongly correlated with markers of disease.Some methods of analyzing body composition are just as simple as measuring body weight and BMI, but these tend to be slightly less accurate than the more difficult methods of analyzing body composition. All-in-all, if you have the opportunity to track your health and fitness progress based on body composition rather than weight or BMI, you should take advantage of the opportunity to do so.

Understanding Body Fat

Fat gets a bad wrap. The fact is, people need fat. It provides fuel for movement, cushions the bones, joints and organs, provides warmth, carries vitamins and minerals and even helps depress appetite. Everyone needs a certain amount of body fat just to survive!

When you test for body composition, you're basically assessing how much fat you have in your body, how much of that fat is storage fat, how your fat is distributed and how these factors compare to markers for disease. Based on this assessment, your body fat percentage and distribution can more accurately place you into an underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese category.

Essential Fat

Essential fat is the fat you must have in your body to perform basic human functions. This is the fat found in the heart, lungs, liver, spleen, kidneys, intestines, muscles and lipid-rich areas of the brain and spine. Women have an additional amount of essential body fat termed sex-specific essential fat. This extra essential fat plays a part in hormone regulation and child bearing, and can be found in the breasts, pelvis, hips and butt. In order to ensure essential fat reserves are maintained, minimal leanness standards typically recommend that men maintain no less than 3% body fat, while women should maintain no less than 10 to 12% body fat. While there are exceptions to this rule, women who become leaner than 10 to 12% body fat may start seeing disruptions to their menstrual cycle that could contribute to other health problems like bone mineral loss and stress fractures.

Storage Fat

Storage fat is the fat that a person carries in excess of essential fat. Carrying storage fat is normal and healthy as long as you don't carry too much! This fat is carried primarily in adipose tissue, although it also accounts for the visceral fatty tissues that protect the organs in your abdomen. Healthy men and women carry a similar amount of storage fat (12% and 15%, respectively) in addition to essential fat reserves.

Healthy and Unhealthy Levels of Body Fat

Generally speaking, the acceptable standards of fatness for men and women are 20% and 30%, respectively. This means that men who have greater than 20% body fat, and women who have greater than 30% body fat are at a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes and other related diseases than individuals who maintain a lower body fat percentage.

Distribution Plays a Role

While total fat percentage is important, how it's distributed can also predict risk of disease. Individuals who carry more fat around their abdomen (the "apple" shape) are at a higher risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes than those who carry fat in their hips, buttocks or thighs (the "pear" shape). Unfortunately, where you tend to gain weight can be genetic, so if you tend to put on weight around your waist, tracking your waist circumference with a tape measure can help you monitor your risk of disease. The American Cancer Society (ACS) considers a healthy waist size for women to be less than 30 inches, while men should keep their waist size below 35 inches. These numbers are lower than the numbers suggested by the American Heart Association, but according to a study performed by the ACS, for every four-inch increase in waist circumference above their sex-specific recommendations correlated with a 25 percent greater risk of death.

Body Composition Analysis Methods

Depending on how accurate you want your body composition analysis to be, you can opt for home-based or lab-based analysis methods. Home-based methods include those commonly performed at gyms and fitness centers that do not require extensive high-tech equipment.

Home- or Gym-Based Analysis Methods

The most common home or gym-based body composition methods include the following:

Girth measurements
Skin fold testing
Bioelectrical Impedence Analysis (BIA)

With the exception of BIA testing, it's helpful to have a trained exercise specialist perform these analysis methods. This is because accuracy varies significantly with human error, and you're most likely to get an accurate result if the test is performed by someone trained to provide the analysis. This may seem like a hassle, but almost every gym, fitness or recreation center has trained staff on hand to provide the tests at zero or minimal cost.

Lab- or Hospital-Based Analysis Methods

The most common lab- or hospital-based body composition methods include the following:

Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA)
Hydrostatic Weighing

These methods provide a much more accurate assessment of your body composition, although some are more practical to perform than others. Check with your local hospital or university to see if they offer testing. Many locations do, and you can expect to spend anywhere from $30.00 to $200.00 per test, depending on the test and the organization providing the testing.

Also keep in mind that body composition can be determined by MRI and CAT scan. If you are having one of these tests performed for another condition, it doesn't hurt to ask if you can get your body composition numbers as well.

Pros and Cons of Body Composition Analysis Methods

Each method of body fat analysis carries pros and cons. When deciding which method to pursue, you want to consider factors like cost, ease of analysis, your own personal comfort level, the test's accuracy, and whether you're interested in just body fat percentage or body fat percentage and distribution. Consider the following pros and cons:

Girth Measurements

Girth measurements involve using a tape measure to measure the girth at various body sites. It's relatively quick and easy, but isn't as accurate as other measures.
Pros:

Minimally-invasive, can be performed at home or in a gym setting
Simple calculation method
Possible to perform on yourself
Helpful for tracking body fat composition and distribution, especially when monitoring changes during exercise programs if you're more interested in overall changes than accuracy
Especially helpful for obese or super-obese individuals, as obesity can effect the accuracy of other testing methods

Cons:

Not as accurate as other forms of measurement, only accurate to within 2.5 to 4 percent
Room for human error, especially when performing self-measurements
Psychologically difficult for some individuals who don't like having their girth assessed

Girth measurements are often used in conjunction with other, more accurate testing measurements.

Skinfold Testing

Skinfold testing involves using skin calipers to "pinch" body fat at various sites on the body. It's relatively quick and easy, but isn't as accurate as other measures.
Pros:

Minimally-invasive, most commonly performed in a gym setting, sometimes in a lab
Fairly simple calculation method, especially when using a computer system
Helpful for tracking body fat composition and distribution, especially if the test is always performed by the same individual to reduce the likelihood of error

Cons:

Not as accurate as other forms of measurement, only accurate to within 3 to 5 percent
Must be performed by someone else
Room for human error, especially when performed by an untrained individual
Some people are averse to having their skin "pinched" by calipers
Is less accurate in individuals with higher body fat percentages

BIA

BIA is quite possibly the simplest ways to predict body composition. In fact, if you have a bathroom scale that offers a body fat monitor setting, you're already using BIA analysis. Unfortunately, it's one of the least accurate forms of measurement.
Pros:

Non-invasive
Can easily be performed at home in a private setting, as long as you have the proper equipment (hand-held or scale-like monitors are available)
Helpful for monitoring body composition

Cons:

Widely varying accuracy, based on factors like hydration, ambient temperature and changes in menstrual cycle
Tends to be one of the least accurate forms of measurement
Cannot track body fat distribution

DXA

DXA must be performed in a lab setting, and due to the high-tech equipment used, it's often the most expensive option. On the other hand, it's also the most accurate option available.
Pros:

Non-invasive
Provides extremely accurate assessment of body composition, fat distribution and even bone mineral density

Cons:

Can be expensive (depending on where it is performed), making it impractical for regular scans
Must be performed by a trained professional at a lab

Hydrostatic Weighing

Hydrostatic weighing is also very accurate, but the cost and the method of analysis are sometimes deterrents. During hydrostatic weighing, you have to completely submerge yourself in water in order to obtain accurate results. While this may not bother some people, it can really scare others.
Pros:

One of the more accurate measurements of body composition, usually accurate to within 1.5 percent

Cons:

Must be performed by a professional in a lab setting
Can be expensive (depending on where it is performed), making it impractical for regular analysis
Can be extremely difficult for individuals who don't feel comfortable with full-body water submersion; this discomfort can affect the test's accuracy
Can seem tedious when compared to other methods of analysis

Calculating Body Fat

For skinfold and girth measurements, you can easily calculate your body fat by plugging your results into online calculators. The other forms of body fat calculations must be performed by trained professionals. Be sure to read more about how body fat is calculated so that you're amply prepared when you set up an appointment with a health or fitness professional.

Biceps Potential for Building Mass - Distance Between Elbow and Edge of Contracted Biceps.| Critical MAS

Mar 24th, 2012 by MAS.

Exactly 5 years ago I posted my thoughts on Fitness Role Models. My understanding of fitness has changed a lot since then. In that post, I listed a few guidelines to pick a realistic fitness role model.

1: Same Sex This should be obvious.
2: Same Height Visit CelebHeights.com or Yahoo! Sports for this data.
3: Similar Age The photos should be within a decade of your current age.
4: Body Type Are you lanky (ectomorph) or stocky (endomorph)? Pick appropriately.

I made an error on #4. I divided the world into 3 somatypes and in reality it is more complicated than that. Last year I learned that the muscular potential of ectomorphs has extreme variance. In the book The New High Intensity Training by Ellington Darden Ph.D., I came face to face with two formulas that had escaped me in my many years of training and researching fitness. Darden has worked with thousands of individuals engaged in strength training and has collected lots of data. Here are his 2 muscular potential charts.

After reading those charts, I put down the book, took my measurements and discovered with no surprise that my muscular potential was “very minimal”. Then I thought about all my ectomorph role models and went on an image search. Sure enough in every case that I could find where an ectomorph went from scrawny to brawny, they had tighter spacing on their bicep edge.

Seems my realistic role models weren’t realistic at all. I spent over a decade slamming the weights trying to bulk up. Although I gained some muscle, I also gained fat and was frequently sore or injured from pushing my physique further than it wanted to go. I had painkillers, X-Rays,cortisone shots and even a surgery. I wasted thousands on supplements, protein powder and energy bars. All in the quest to gain more muscle.

These days I have no fitness role models. Once I dropped the excess weight and inflammation, I was happy with my results.

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http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/archive/index.php/t-10973.html

EVALUATING YOUR BICEPS POTENTIAL

Let's begin with the biceps. Take off your shirt and bit a double-biceps pose in front of a mirror. Look closely at the inside elbow area of both arms. Now, pronate (turn your hands away from your head) and supinate (turn your hands toward your head) your hands. Notice that when you supinate your hands, your biceps get more peaked. That's because the primary function of your biceps
is supination of the hand.

Go back to the double-biceps pose with your hands fully supinated. The bend in your arms, or the angle between the bones in your upper arms and forearms should he 90 degrees. Look at the gap between your contracted biceps and elbow. How wide is the gap?

Before you measure it, relax your arms for a few minutes and while you're relaxing, do the following. Take your right hand and place your fingers and thumb across the crook of your left elbow. You should he able to feel the large tendon of the biceps as it crosses the front of the elbow joint and inserts into the radius bone of the forearm. In fact, as you gently contract your left biceps, dig your tips into the elbow gap and get a good feel of the cable-like tendon. Follow the tendon up the arm until you feel where it connects to your biceps. It's the distance between where your biceps meets the tendon and where the tendon crosses the elbow joint that you need to determine.

Hit the double-biceps pose once again. Make sure your hands are fully supinated and that the bend in your arms is 90 degrees. Have a friend measure with a ruler the distance between the inside of your elbow (look for the crease in the skin on the front side of your elbow) and the inside edge of your contracted biceps. BY the way this distance will be the same distance before you ever started training and if you train for many years no matter how much muscle you pack on that distance will never move its genetical determined.

Do it for both yourleft and right arms
.
What do the resulting figures mean?

Although this is certainly not an exact science by any means, my experience leads me to make the following generalizations:

Biceps Potential for Building Mass - Distance Between Elbow and Edge of Contracted Biceps.

Biceps length Potential
½ “ or less long - great
½”-1” - above average Good
1”-1 ½” - average average
1-1/2” to 2” - below average poor
2” or more - short very minimal

The bodybuilders with the really massive arms all have 1/2inch or less distance be- tween their elbows and contracted biceps. In other words, in their biceps they have long muscle bellies, short tendons, and great potential.

Sergio Oliva, the man with one of the most massive muscular arms in the world, has biceps muscles that are so long there are no gaps between his elbows and contracted biceps. That's right-no gaps, Sergio's arms would actually measure larger if he could fully contract his biceps by bending his elbows more. Sergio is one of the very few people in the world who has muscles that actually limit his range of movement. But even so, there are thousands of men today who would gladly trade their biceps for Sergio's.

While no one questions the importance of well-developed biceps, the muscle that con- tributes the most to the mass of the upper arm is the triceps.

Understanding Body Weight, BMI and Body Composition

Body Weight

Body mass Index (BMI)

Body Composition

Understanding Body Fat

Essential Fat

Storage Fat

Healthy and Unhealthy Levels of Body Fat

Distribution Plays a Role

Body Composition Analysis Methods

Home- or Gym-Based Analysis Methods

Lab- or Hospital-Based Analysis Methods

Pros and Cons of Body Composition Analysis Methods

Girth Measurements

Skinfold Testing

BIA

DXA

Hydrostatic Weighing

Calculating Body Fat

Related Topics

Biceps length Potential ½ “ or less long - great ½”-1” - above average Good 1”-1 ½” - average average 1-1/2” to 2” - below average poor 2” or more - short very minimal

Biceps length Potential
½ “ or less long - great
½”-1” - above average Good
1”-1 ½” - average average
1-1/2” to 2” - below average poor
2” or more - short very minimal