Braden Durham

SER 311 Testing and Exercise Prescription Lab

Body Composition

3/30/2023

Dr. Larouere
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Background:

Body composition is simply defined as everything that makes up the human body. It can

be used to describe the different amounts of fat and muscle mass that a person has. Body

composition can be assessed in a variety of ways. One way that a person can be assessed is the 7

site skinfold. This is a test where 7 different areas of the body are measured (mm) and plugged

into an equation that will estimate a person’s body fat percentage. Another method that can be

used to assess body composition is through a body mass index (BMI). This test only uses a

person’s height and weight. The person’s weight (kg) is divided by their height (meters) and then

a chart will give a rough estimate as to how healthy the person may be. Another test that is more

accurate is a bioelectrical impedance scale (BIA). This scale uses electrical currents to calculate

a person’s body composition. This scale can find a person’s body fat percentage, muscle mass,

and bone mass. The BIA scale is more accurate but there are a few more steps that must be

followed to ensure that the results are accurate. One of these steps is making sure that a person

has not had a lot of fluids recently. If the person has had a high fluid intake recently, the body fat

percentage on the scale will be higher than normal.

Body composition is important to assess because the data can be used to identify where a

person may be lacking in their life. One benefit to assessing body composition is being able to

predict disease risk in a person. The body composition test results can help identify if a person is

potentially at risk for a cardiovascular or pulmonary disease. This can be found in a test as

simple as the body mass index or 7 site skinfold. A body composition assessment can also give a

description of how healthy a person’s lifestyle is. It can give clues as to how active a person is

or how well they are taking care of themselves. Nutrition can be assumed when doing a body

composition assessment. If a person scores poorly, it can be assumed that they are lacking in
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some areas such as exercise or nutrition. Nutrition can range from eating too poorly or not eating

enough depending on the person being assessed. If a person is deemed to be underweight, then

they may be suggested to increase their calorie intake to gain some weight. The opposite may be

done for someone who may have scored too high and needs to lose some weight to get back into

a healthier category. Finally, body composition assessment can be used for exercise prescriptions

for that person. The body composition tests can reveal what a person may need to adjust in their

exercise. It may be that someone needs to gain weight or lose weight which can change how a

person should exercise. A person who needs to gain weight may benefit from resistance training

3-5 times per week whereas a person who needs to lose weight may need 5-7 days per week.
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Data:

Name: Braden Durham Age: 22 Sex: Male Height: 69.25 inches Weight:180

pounds

Date: Test Result Interpretation Confidence

3/14 Skinfold 5% BF 95 percentile - Very lean Fairly confident in test

results. It is understood
that I have a lower
percentage for body fat
but due to human error
and the pinch technique
being newer I am not
sure if it is 100%
accurate.

3/14 Skinfold 4% BF 99 percentile - very lean Relatively confident in

test results. Had good
technique throughout
the test and seemed to
be very confident in his
numbers.

3/23 Skinfold 3% 99 percentile - very lean Fairly confident in

results. Numbers
seemed a tad lower than
what I was seeing from
other students but she
was not far off.

3/23 BMI and Waist BMI: 26.15 BMI: Not very confident in
Waist: 80 cm Overweight/increased risk test results.
Waist: Low risk Unfortunately the BMI
test does not account
for athletic builds so it
deems me overweight
which I do not think is
very accurate.

3/23 BIA 16% BF 50 percentile - Fair Fairly confident in test

results. The steps for
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the test were not
followed so the
numbers are going to be
slightly off. Hydration
status was most likely
too high thus giving a
higher body fat
percentage altogether.

3/23 Skinfold 7% 90-95 percentile - Very confident in this

Excellent/very lean test result. Sites were
perfect and the pinches
taken were very good.
Everything seemed to
make sense. I think this
is the most accurate
skinfold test that was
performed on me.

3/29 Skinfold 4% BF 99 percentile - Very lean Fairly confident in test

results. Sites were well
placed but the pinching
technique was not done
as well. Despite the
technique, the body fat
percentage was still
around what I was
typically receiving from
other students.
Sources Used in Background and Data Table:
American College of Sports Medicine. (2022). ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing
and Prescription (11th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
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Test Results:

The variability of body fat percentage was different depending on which test was being

used. When being tested, I received two very different body fat percentage numbers. The 7 site

skinfold test was consistently around 4% whereas the BIA scale said that my body fat percentage

was roughly 16%. These are two very different numbers. The skinfold test was very consistent

which makes sense considering that my skin is going to remain somewhat the same all of the

time unless it is irritated. But most of the time, when the skinfold is being taken, my skin will be

consistent throughout. The BIA is where it can be tricky because there are steps that must be

followed to get an accurate reading. However, if I had an intake of water or food prior to the test

it would have definitely skewed my results. The skinfold test is also not the most accurate test

due to possible human error. There is a chance that inexperience and error are to blame for the

wide gap between the two different body fat percentages.

The BIA assessment would be the most appropriate test to use for an obese, very lean or

muscular client. The BIA scale, when used correctly, is going to be the most accurate test for

body composition. The skinfold test is going to be too inaccurate and contain human error that

may result in wrong data. As long as the steps are followed for the BIA scale, the BIA

assessment is going to the most accurate test by far. The BIA scale is also beneficial because it is

going to calculate everything for you and give a lot of different information beyond just body fat

percentage.
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Learning:

Overall, my peers left me some positive comments for me on the observation sheets.

Especially once I started to understand how the tests worked, it flowed much better. The tests for

this lab were not difficult. However, finding the correct 7 locations for the skinfold test and

learning how to correctly pinch was the hardest part of the lab. The 7 sites were not hard to find,

but early on it seemed like I had the right idea but the site could be moved a little to the left or

the right to make it even better. The hardest part was the pinching aspect of the lab. This was

difficult because everyone’s skin is different. Some people were easy to get a clean pinch for the

caliper and others felt like there was nothing to pinch in certain locations. Especially early on in

the test, it was difficult to get a pinch in certain locations on certain people. The abdomen and

suprailiac were probably the two that were hard for me.

Testing the non exercise science students was interesting because they did not know what

was “good or bad. “ when it comes to body fat percentage. They would ask during the skinfold

test what was a good score or if the numbers I was getting from the individual pinches were good

or not. They also struggled to understand the difference in numbers from the BIA and the

skinfold test. They immediately realized that their body fat percentage was much higher on the

BIA than the skinfold test. After explaining it to them, they were able to understand why this was

the case. Initially they did not grasp the concept well.
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