Page 55 - Muscle & Fitness (February 2020)
P. 55
By Andrew Heffernan, C.S.C.S.
SKINFOLD TESTING levels, and a stand-up model blow all your air out). Unlike
1 A technician measures will overestimate them. with DEXA, there’s no radia-
the thickness of your ACCURACY: It’s about as tion exposure, so the dunk
skinfolds with a caliper. accurate as a skinfold tank is considered more safe.
PROS: It takes five minutes or measurement, according to CONS: It’s quite a to-do, and, of
less, is available at most gyms, a 2006 study. course, you’re soaking wet
and is a great way to track VERDICT: A good frequent- afterward. Your results are
your fat mass over time. Many use option. If you’re going to skewed by unusually low or
big-box gyms offer it as part of go this route, test yourself at high bone density—something
their onboarding packages. the same time of day—ideally many lifters should take note
CONS: It’s awkward to have just after waking, before any of. And, at about $50 a pop, it’s
a stranger pinch your fat. food or drink—to ensure expensive.
There’s a lot of room for error consistency. ACCURACY: Not as accurate as
if the technician isn’t skilled. DEXA, but pretty spot-on, with
ACCURACY: Exercise scientist DEXA about a 1% to 3% error margin.
Vivian H. Heyward estimates 3 DEXA scanning uses VERDICT: Worth a try if there
that, in ideal conditions, you two X-rays to measure bone, aren’t better options available.
could be 3.5% higher or lower muscle, and fat mass and
than the number recorded. your metabolic rate. BOD POD
VERDICT: It’s easy, and if your PROS: It’s very accurate and 5 Similar to hydrostatic
tech is experienced, it’s a can give you left- versus weighing in theory, the Bod
decent indicator of how right-side comparisons on Pod uses air displacement
you’re trending over time. lean mass and body fat, so instead of water to measure
you can detect asymmetries. your body density and weight
BIOELECTRICAL CONS: It’s about $50 a scan, and estimates percentages of
2 IMPEDANCE and the prescan consult takes fat and lean tissue.
You grasp a about an hour. Also, you’re PROS: Fast (each scan takes
couple of metal exposed to radiation, though less than eight minutes),
CUT THE handles, it’s 20% less than the machine convenient (you can do the
FAT stand on at your dentist. test in gym clothes), and
some metal ACCURACY: DEXA is very informative (you’ll get a
plates, or accurate at measuring bone printout of your basic data).
both. The and lean soft tissue (muscles, CONS: For $45, it’s not as
machine skin, organs) and estimating accurate, and you don’t get
sends a mild fat mass from head to toe. the breadth of information
electrical VERDICT: Though expensive, you get with a DEXA scan.
current from at present, this is the gold ACCURACY: Two studies, from
one arm or leg to the other. standard. 2000 and 2008, found that,
Since fat and muscle slow the relative to the dunk tank,
current at different rates, the HYDROSTATIC the Bod Pod tended to over-
machine can estimate how 4 WEIGHING estimate body-fat levels.
much of each you carry. You get into a large tub, blow Another study suggested that
PROS: Convenience. You’re out all your air, and hold for a it’s unreliable at tracking
fully clothed, and no stranger few seconds while the ma- changes in an individual’s
is pinching your pudgy spots. chine registers your under- body composition over time.
You can get a home model for water weight. Because muscle, VERDICT: A reasonable option
under $100. organ tissue, and bone weigh for cross-checking other tests
CONS: Since water is a more than fat, a technician and worth it if other high-tech
conductor of electricity, the can compare your under- methods aren’t available. If
test is affected by hydration. water weight to your weight your main goal is to track how
The area measured is limited, outside the tank and calculate your body fat is trending over
too—if you carry lots of fat in your body-fat percentage. time, as a bodybuilder may be
your legs, a handheld device PROS: It measures all your fat interested in doing, then the
will underestimate your fat accurately (as long as you Bod Pod isn’t your best choice.
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F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 0 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S
