![]() ![]() The previous evening Bishop had sent me a set of instructions. ![]() I counted myself lucky that I didn’t also have to be submerged in a swimming pool. “Hydrostatic weighing provides similar data but requires much more work.” “The BOD POD, in combination with normative formulas based on age, gender, weight, and race, helps estimate body fat and lean mass with a high degree of accuracy,” says Bishop. The second, a trademarked contraption called the BOD POD, uses air displacement plethysmography to measure body volume.īoth methods operate on the same basic principle - the BOD POD simply uses air displacement rather than water immersion. The first is called hydrostatic weighing and involves being dunked in water. There are plenty of bioelectrical impedance scales - they look a lot like regular bathroom scales - on the market for less than $50.īut a 2008 study by researchers at McMaster University in Ontario showed that while this quick and simple method can be accurate for measuring body fat in some populations, it’s not so reliable for others, and therefore less useful in broad epidemiological studies.īishop describes two methods as “the gold standards in body composition assessment.” “Calipers are less accurate when measuring obese or extremely lean individuals,” Bishop says. “Calipers are by far the cheapest and easiest way to get a body comp measurement,” she says, adding that they’re best when used to test frequently by the same technician under the same circumstances every time.Īccording to the American College of Sports Medicine, this method ends up having a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent.Īs I was to find out, this can mean the difference between abs being revealed or remaining covered. Not surprisingly, the more accessible and less expensive the equipment, the less accurate the readings tend to be. ![]() She has offered to help me with an accurate body composition reading using an intriguing piece of equipment called the BOD POD.Ī certified exercise physiologist and strength and conditioning specialist, Bishop explains that there are several standard ways to measure body fat. I’m met by clinic coordinator Kate Bishop. ![]()
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