Body Composition

Female vs. Males 3-4 inches shorter Weighs 25 – 30 lbs less 10 – 15 lbs more fat tissue Both Men and Women’s increase with age

Female vs. Males Both Men and

Women’s Body Mass Index increase with age

Age Males Females

20 – 29 21.6 25

30 – 39 22.4 24.8

40 - 49 23.4 26.1

50 - 59 24.1 29.3

Over 60 23.1 28.3

Ideal Body Fat 20 – 27% for females

Obese over 28%

15 – 19% for males Obese over 23%

Types of Fat in the Body Essential fat:

In the muscles, heart, lungs, liver, spleen, intestines, kidneys, and bone marrow

Storage Fat: adipose tissue Subcutaneous tissue: the layer of adipose tissue

directly beneath the skin Adipose Tissue: fatty tissue Fat tissue protecting the internal organs

Difference in body fat % W - Higher percentage of essential fat

Women need 12% body fat to maintain their essential body-fat stores maintain metabolic homeostasis When below 12%, women experience

amenorrhea and hormone irregularities Men only need 3%

Increased BF % and Performance Reduction in Performance

Especially Endurance Exercise Any activity that requires Body Weight to be

supported W - decreased muscle mass W - Increased BF%

Increased BF % and Performance Take a look at Table 2.4 (pg 30-31)

Females manipulate and maintain BF% to improve performance

Optimal BF% for a sport Aesthetic value of having low BF%

Body Type Mesomorph Endomorph Ectomorph

Measurement of Body Composition Height-Weight Charts

least accurate for health risks Body-mass index Waist-to-hip ratio Tanita (BioElectrical Impedence Analysis) Skinfold Measurements Hydrostatic Weighing Bod-Pod

Height-Weight Charts (pg 199) Body Frame size

Thumb and middle finger around the wrist No overlap – Large frame Touching or barely overlapping – Medium frame Obvious overlap – Small frame

Height in 1” heels and elbow breadth Table 8.3

Height-Weight Charts (pg 199) Weight

20% below – Underweight 20% above – Overweight 30% above – Obese

Height-Weight Charts (pg 199) Problems

Muscularity can throw off chart’s validity Emphasis on body weight rather than body

composition Non-Caucasions are underrepresented Age not a factor

Weights are too high for young people To low for the elderly Correct for people in 40s

Body-Mass Index (BMI) Components

Body weight Height

Previously Gold Standard Under 25 BMI

Interpreting BMI Underweight (under 19) Desirable (19-25)

Minimal to low risk Attention to diet Increased physical activity Lifestyle changes

Increased health risks (26-29) Moderate risk All of the preceding Low-Calorie diet (800 to 1200 K a day)

Interpreting BMI Obese (30-40)

High to very high All of the preceding Drug therapy Very low calorie diet

Extremely Obese (more than 40) Extremely high risk All of the preceding Surgery intervention

Benefits vs. Problems Benefits

Quick and easy to understand

Problems 5- 10% of the population is incorrectly classified as obese

or overweight Lowering of standard from 27 to 25 classified 30 million

people as overweight Muscular athletes such as 6 foot, 190lb man and 6’ 1”,

220lb man are overweight and obese with BF% of 10% or less

Skinfold Measurements Can be taken in either 9, 7, 4 or 3 locations

Triceps Biceps Subscapula Suprailiac Abdominal Medial Calf Midaxillary Front Thigh Chest

Triceps  Vertical fold Posterior midline of

the upper arm Halfway between the

acromion (shoulder) and olecranon processes (elbow)

Arm held freely to the side of the body

Chest Diagonal fold Men: one-half the

distance between crease of the underarm and the nipple

Women: one-third of the distance between the anterior axillary line and the nipple

Midaxillary Vertical or

Horizontal fold Midaxillary line at

the level of the xiphoid process of the sternum

Subscapular Diagonal fold 1 to 2 cm below

the inferior angle of the scapula

Suprailiac Diagonal fold Anterior axillary line

(modern technique) immediately superior to

the iliac crest in line with the natural

angle of the iliac crest taken

Mid-axillary line (traditional technique)

Superior to the iliac crest

Abdominal Vertical fold

2 cm or 1" to the right side of the umbilicus

Vertical fold Anterior midline of the

thigh Midway between the

proximal border of the patella (upper knee) and the inguinal crease (hip)

Other Sites Biceps

Vertical fold Anterior aspect of the arm over the belly of the biceps

muscle 1 cm above the level used to mark the triceps site

Calf Vertical fold maximum circumference of calf on the midline of medial

border 

Tanita (BIA) A quick, fairly accurate percent of body fat uses electrodes attached

to the wrists and/or ankles to determine the percentage electronically

Hydrostatic Weighing A method of measuring body fat by

submerging an individual in water Current Gold Standard for BF% Testing Procedure

Sit on a scale in a tank of water Exhales as completely as possible Then submerged for approximately 10 seconds

while his or her weight is recorded.

Hydrostatic Weighing Proportions of lean body mass and fat

mass are determined from calculations that involve Weight underwater Weight out of water Known densities of lean and fatty tissues

Hydrostatic Weighing

Waist-to-Hip Ratio Provides an indication where you store fat Obese people

Abdominal area rather than hips and thighs Higher risk for coronary heart disease, high bp,

congestive heart failure, strokes and diabetes Hips and thighs

Lower risk for the above diseases Men WTH ratio of > 1

Recommends weight lost Women WTH ratio of > .85

Recommends weight lost

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