You’ve been working out for a little bit now and want to know what’s happening underneath the surface. Weight is only one part of the puzzle, and two individuals around the same weight can look dramatically different. Let’s analyze what would fit best for your fitness and health goals and take a look at the different methods available for body composition measurements.
Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA)
BIA measurements are common in every day life and many modern scales or gyms have equipment to perform these tests. Though quick and accessible, the accuracy of BIA is affected by many things and can have inaccuracies from hydration, activity level, and other day to day changes making reliability low. Measuring with different devices will yield different results as well so try to control things between scans as much as possible to get the most reliable reading.
Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) Scan
DEXA scans have become the gold standard measurement system that is accessible to the public. Mobile scanning companies are beginning to pop up and you can book a scan almost anywhere in a major urban area. Another point for DEXA is it’s ability to display where how your body composition is distributed and with more accurate readings than BIA or other alternatives. Downsides to the DEXA scans are they can add up in cost at around $50-150 a scan and may not be readily available depending on your location.
Skinfold Measurements
Skinfolds at different, specific points of the body are measured with a caliper and analyzed to produce a body fat measurement. They are very low cost, easily portable, and generally accessible no matter where you are. On the other hand, they can be unreliable depending on the skill of the measurer and only take into account the amount of subcutaneous fat (ignoring deeper visceral fat). To get the most out of skinfold measurements, have the same trained professional measure across period of time for a general understanding of your fat trends.
Air Displacement Plethysmography
Air pods measure your body composition through the amount of air you displace inside the capsule. These BODPODs are accessible in sport performance or other medical clinics and are also considered a gold standard for accuracy. As with the other more equipment heavy methods, these can be expensive, hard to find, and require specific clothing and swim cap during measurement.
With So Many Body Composition Methods: Which Should You Pick?
At the end of the day, your body will change from hard work and proper, consistent stimulus. Being aware of things like body fat percentage and muscle mass composition are helpful for some and anxiety producing for others. You have to decide what your priorities are and which type of composition measurement makes the most sense in your routine. Progress will happen regardless and as long as you keep showing up you will achieve your goals eventually!