Physiology, Health & Exercise

Body Composition & it’s Measurement

What Is Body Composition?
Body composition = the body’s relative amounts of fat mass
and fat-free mass (bone, water, muscle, connective and organ
tissues, teeth)Essential fat = crucial for normal body
functioning
 3–5% of total body weight in males
 8–12% of total body weight in females

Nonessential fat = adipose tissue

Energy balance is important to achieving a favorable body
composition.
Energy expenditure through:
 basal metabolism (maintenance of essential
life functions)
 work (including exercise)
 excretion of body wastes
Overview
It is ideal to assess the composition and quality of an athlete’s body mass
versus body mass alone
Body composition measurements can be challenging depending on method
selection and accessibility
Other challenges are:

• How to interpret the results

• Deciding whether to make body composition changes and, if so, what the
body composition goal should be
• How to alter body composition with training and nutrition
Overview
Building off the previous lecture on Body Composition and the
various measurement techniques, this lecture will break down the
components of altering body composition into the following stages:

The starting point- interpreting

the results of body composition
test​
The ending point- setting the
goal for the athlete​
Getting there- connecting the
starting and ending points- setting
the nutrition and training plan​
Choosing a testing method

Selection of the measurement (or measurements) will impact

your results
• Is the measurement the gold standard for the alteration of
interests
• Ex. If looking at muscle, we would ideally use a measurement
that considers 3 compartments (DXA) rather than 2 (BodPod)

• Will the athlete have access to this measurement tool again

in the future?
• If not (Ex. If it is expensive, in a distant location) this will impact reliability
and make comparison of any intervention difficult
Recall common methods for body
composition
Height, weight, BMI Air displacement
plethysmography
(ex. BodPod)​

Waist-to-Hip ratio (and body girth

measurements)
Bioelectrical impedance
analysis (BIA)​
Skinfold measurements

Dual-energy X-ray
Hydrostatic (underwater) absorptiometry (DXA)​
weighing
Estimating Percent Body Fat

Skinfold measurements:
Folds of skin are
measured with a caliper.
The measurements are
used in equations that
link the thickness of
skinfolds to percent body
fat calculations made
from more precise
experiments.
Densitometry

Fat is less dense than lean tissue

Fat density is 0.9g cm-3
Fat-free tissue density is 1.1g cm-3
If measure density then can predict the
relative proportions of lean and fat tissue
in the body
Density = mass
volume

Volume measured by Archimedes Principle!

8
Densitometry

Once density determined, % body fat is

calculated as follows:

% body fat = 495 - 450

density

Person A & B both have a mass of 60kg.

Person A displaces 56.9 litres of water and
B displaces 58.3litres.
Calculate % body fat for both
Who is overweight? 9
Densitometry- limitations

Involves the person being totally submerged

under water
May be difficult & produce some anxiety
New method developed using a “Bod Pod”
which uses air displacement.
Person sits in a small chamber and body
volume calculated by measuring initial
volume of empty chamber minus volume
with the person inside
Specialised equipment needed
10
Densitometry- Bod Pod

11
Bioelectrical impedance
analysis (BIA)

12
Body Mass Index (BMI)

Most commonly used index of over or

underweight

BMI = body mass

height2

Units are kg/m2

13
Waist/Hip ratio

14
Measurement accuracy
This is starting point and a snapshot of current state (can always change)
It is important to remember there is a margin of error for any method of
measuring body composition
As a reminder, to limit this margin avoid the following prior to your
measurement:

Exercise​ Wearing bulky clothing​

Food/water intake (should Testing late in the day

be fasted ~8 hours)​

*** It may be best to perform measurements in the morning before eating,

drinking, exercising
Ackland TR, Lohman TG, Sundgot-Borgen J, et. al. Sports Medicine. 2012;42(3):227-249
 Interpreting the results- Values
Values that you may see as a result of a body composition test are:

Fat/Adipose Muscle Bone

% body fat lbs/kg of fat free mass (FFM) Bone mineral density
FFM = bone, muscle, organs, (BMD) in g/cm2
water content
lbs/kg of body fat (Skinfolds, BodPod, BIA)

Bone mineral content

lbs/kg of fat and bone-free
Regional body fat (BMC) in grams
mass (FBFM)
(Subcutaneous vs. Visceral) FBFM = muscle, water, organs
(DXA)
(DXA)

Whole body of segmental Whole body or segmental

fat distribution DXA is the Gold standard for
FFM/FBFM BMD and BMC
(Ex. Android & gynoid) Ex. Leg lean mass
Interpreting the results
As the influencer (coach, sports scientist, dietician, etc.), consider
how the results compare to Normative data based on:

Age Sport Position Sex

 Is this the first measurement? Follow up?

• How do these results compare to a previous result?
Was the same measurement instrument used?
• Does a goal need to be set to alter body composition?
Setting the goal
Setting the goal = ending indicator
The goal should be to alter body composition while:

Maintaining or
Decreasing risk of
enhancing optimal
injury
performance

What is best for the individual compared to the normative data or

are there outliers?
Consideration of the individuals' history of body composition
If no history exists, normative data is best to abide by until more data
points from the individual can be collected
Setting the goal: The "What"
What needs to be achieved?:

Lean mass gain Fat mass loss Fat mass gain

(~0.5 lb per week) (1-2 lbs per week) (Very slowly, nutrient
stores/fat soluble
vitamins)
Things to consider:
Time allotment to reach goal
How much mass per week
Best if done in offseason to allow for adaptations of muscles and connective
tissues
Setting the goal: The "How"
Deciding how much monitoring is appropriate
Biweekly?
Monthly?

At each monitoring session consider:

• What follow up tests are appropriate
• Does the goal need to change
• Is the goal still realistic and achievable?
Caloric restriction should not be too drastic (for weight loss) to minimize
muscle mass loss

SSE #177

Manore MM. Sports Science Exchange. 2017;28(177):1-5

Physiology and body composition
How to reach your goal from an energy and macronutrient level
given the principles of:
Muscle protein synthesis (MPS)
Muscle protein breakdown (MPB)

Energy Requirements: if increasing body mass, if decreasing mass

Resistance Exercise: if increasing muscle mass
Endurance Exercise: if maintaining VO2
Protein, Carb, Fat ingestion: How do these ratios affect our goals?

Aragon AA, Schoenfeld BJ, Wildman R, et. al. J Int Soc Sport Nutr. 2017;14(16)
Energy restriction and body
composition
Typically when we calorie Typically when we go back to
restrict, we lose: habitual caloric intake we
regain:

Muscle mass
Muscle mass
&
&
Fat mass
Fat mass
Ideally, we would regain the muscle mass that we lost!

If this is the case, what can we do to mitigate muscle loss during

weight loss?
Lee et al. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2009
Connecting the dots- Mitigating MPS decline
during an energy deficit

Remember the main drivers of MPS are:

Resistance High quality

Exercise/ protein intake
Weight training

When reducing calorie intake to reduce body mass, increase

resistance exercise and protein intake to attenuate muscle mass
loss!
Stokes T, Hector AJ, Morton RW, et. al. Nutrients. 2018;10(2):180
Fat-Free Body Mass (FFM)

Defined as body mass devoid of

all extractable fat

Body mass = 75.1 kg Body

fat
Fat= mass
23.6%= Body mass * %
body
FFM fat
= Body mass - fat
mass
What is the FFM for this
person?
Answer: 57.4 kg
Obesity Trends* Among U.S.
Adults
1990 (*BMI ≥30, or ~ 30 lbs overweight for 5’ 4” woman)

No Data <10% 10%–14% Source: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, CDC
Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults
2002 (*BMI ≥30, or ~ 30 lbs overweight for 5’ 4” woman)

(*BMI 30, or ~ 30 lbs overweight for 5’4” person)

Source: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, CDC

No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% 20%–24% ≥25%

 Excess Body Fat and Wellness

Increased risk of chronic disease and

premature death; associated health problems
include
 Unhealthy blood fat levels
 Impaired heart function
 Heart disease and hypertension
 Cancer
 Impaired immune function
 Gallbladder disease
 Kidney disease
 Skin problems
 Sleeping problems
Body Mass Index
Summary
• Ensure an appropriate measurement method
• Appropriate compartments
• Accessibility
• Create a realistic goal
• Based on the athletes' age, sport, sex
• Mitigate muscle mass loss when in caloric deficit
• Monitor for injury risk and attenuate performance
declines

For specifics on body composition and American Football and

SSE #145
for more information about body composition methods, see:

Anding R & Oliver JM. Sports Science Exchange. 2015;28(145)1-8