UNDERWATER WEIGHING

GROUP MEMBERS:
AMIR IKRAM BIN RAHIM
NORAZAH BT ABU BAKAR
NOOR FAIZAH BT NASRUDIN
NUR HAZSHILA BT ABD HADI

UNDERWATER WEIGHING
Also called hydrostatic weighing
A method of determining body composite
(body fat to lean mass) that make up a
persons total body density using
Archimedes Principles of displacement.
According to Archimedes principle, when a
body (person) is submerged under water,
the weight a body loses underwater equals
the weight of the water it displaces.

Hydrostatic Weighing
Hydrostatic
weighing, also
known as
Hydrodensitometry
or underwater
weighing, is a
classic measure of
body composition.

Purpose
the aim of underwater weighing is to
measure the density of the body, and
from that figure calculate
percentage body fat

Equipment required
1) Hydrostatic stainless steel weighing
tank
2) Underwater mounted chair

3) Weighing Scale

4) weighted belt
5) nose clip

6) Thermometer
7) Water density chart

Procedure
1. The subject wears the test attire (minimal
clothing)
2. The dryweightof the subject is first
determined

3. The subject should totally wet their

whole body before sitting on the
specialized chair.

4. The subject then sits on a specialized

seat, expels all the air from their
lungs, and is lowered into the tank
until all body parts are emerged.

5. The person must

remain motionless
underwater while the
underwater weight is
recorded.
6. This procedure is
repeated three times
to get a dependable
underwater weight
measure. See videos
about
Hydrostatic Weighing.

BODY DENSITY CALCULATION

Density
of body

Density
of water

Weight of
body in air

___________
x
Weight of _ Weight of
body in
immersed
air
body

Advantages
Underwater weighing is the most
widely used test of body density and
in the past was the criterion measure
for other indirect measures

Disadvantages
The equipment required
to do underwater
weighing is expensive.
The tanks are mostly
located at university or
other research
institutions, and there is
generally not easy
access for the general
population.

Validity
This method may underestimate body fat
percentage of athletes as they tend to have
denser bones and muscles than non-athletes,
and may overestimate body fat percentage of
elderly patients suffering from osteoporosis.

**comments:The water temperature is often

elevated to provide a comfortable experience
for the subject, however the density of water
is dependent on the temperature and
should be factored into the equation.

Question and Answer

Session

THANK
YOU.