BODY COMPOSITION

Pre-test and site location: • Weigh the participant on scale with shoes off. Record weight to

nearest 0.1 lb • Measure and mark the 3 skin fold sites using location instruction

below. Be sure to mark on RIGHT side of body. • Men: Chest, Abdomen, Thigh

Women: Triceps, Supraillium, Thigh• Skin fold sites and descriptions: • Abdominal: Vertical fold 2 cm to right of umbilicus (men only).• Triceps: Vertical fold on posterior midline of arm, halfway between

acromion and olecranon processes. Arm should be held freely at side of body (women only).

• Chest: Diagonal fold one-half distance between anterior axillary line and nipple (men only)

• Suprailiac: diagonal fold (45 degree angle) in line with natural line of iliac crest, taken at anterior axillary line immediately superior to iliac crest (women only).

• Thigh: Vertical fold on anterior midline of thigh, midway between proximal border of patella and inguinal crease (men and women).

Figure 1. Anatomical site location

Data Collection Procedures: • Pinch site with your left thumb and forefinger. Roll to ensure you have

only skin and subcutaneous tissue. • Hold calipers in your right hand, open the jaws, and place heads 1 cm

away from your pinch. Placement should be ‘as deep as the pinch is wide’.

• Maintain the pinch with your finger and thumb as you allow caliper reading to stabilize.

• Read within 1-2 seconds – no longer • Record measurement to nearest 0.5 mm • Rotate through the sites to allow skin to stabilize • Take duplicate measurements at each site. If readings are more than 1

mm apart, take a third measurement, and record.

Chest Thigh Abdomen (but use vertical fold!) Triceps Suprailiac

Data Reduction and Consultation Procedures:

• Enter all skin fold measurements into excel spreadsheet. • The program uses the Jackson and Pollock equations for men

and women and calculates percent fat, fat weight and fat-free weight.

• Record the percentage body fat, fat weight and fat-free weight on the form in the space provided. Refer to TABLE 1 (ACSM tables 4-3 and 4-4) for norms (percentile rank) and standards (risk stratification). Record this information on the form.

• Discuss with your participant his/her results and body composition goals.

• Determine a range for goal percentage body fat. If a subject is currently at the 50th percentile, you might suggest the percentage fat equivalent to the 60th percentile.

• Calculate a range of goal weight based on the goal percentage body fat, using the following formula. Noah can enter this formula on the excel spreadsheet as well.

• Goal body weight = Fat-free weight / (1.0 – goal % fat as decimal)

• http://www.uoregon.edu/~eatr/student/ft/ftbc.html