Last week Nutritionize brought out the Fitness Wave dunk truck to MHF and had about 15 people from around the area get dunked. Hydrostatic testing is considered the "gold standard" when it comes to calculating body fat%; it is reliable, accurate, and repeatable. It works by measuring the amount of water you displace when you first enter the tank. Then uses a specific equation, based on the following principles, to calculate body fat based on your body density:
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The density of fat mass and fat-free mass are constant
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Lean tissue is more dense than water
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Fat tissue is less dense than water.
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Therefore person with more body fat will weigh less underwater and be more buoyant.
Body Fat compared to Body Weight?
The human body is composed of a variety of different tissue types including lean tissues (muscle, bone, and organs) that are metabolically active, and fat (adipose) tissue that is not. The household scale measures a person's total body weight without taking into consideration lean mass to fat ratio. A person who is 250lbs with 8% body fat could be inaccurately considered overweight. Inversely, someone who looks great and weigh 110lbs with 25% body fat could be mistaken for being healthy. Body fat % can be a determinant of health and performance (varies by sport). Studies agree that too much body fat can lead to disease and poor health. Relying on the home scale alone is not good enough, if you haven't ever had a bf test, get one done.
My Results
The first time I got dunked was 4/2009 at which point I was already crossfitting for one year along with other activity. Since then I attended Robb Wolfs seminar, adopted the zone/paleo lifestyle and began learning and sharing my knowledge with others through Nutritionize. I absolutely feel great and my performance has definitely increased over the year but seeing my bf% change was shocking and supports even further that Nutrition is key!
Test 1 4/09: 22.3%
Test 2 3/10: 15.2% (change of 6.1%)
Test 3 goal: 13%
Walking in to the truck I told Aeron my goal was 17% which I felt fairly confident about achieving, I was pleasantly surprised and shocked with the results. I told him the only thing that changed in one year was my focus on nutrition. Even though I still indulge here and there with red velvet cupcakes and pizza, I made some major shifts in my carbohydrate sources, meal balancing and supplementation. What I want to point out is my body weight only dropped by 1-2lbs in a year and was not reflective of the change in body composition. Many people rely on the scale to indicate success or failure of a new plan, this is a huge mistake! Remember there is a difference between body weight and body fat, and the goal is lose the body fat. Making even the smallest change is a step closer to achieving your goals.
Post to comments what your dunking experience was like… what is your goal?
Nutritionize
Ritu
Upcoming Event:
Saturday April 17th 9am
On-ramp Nutrition Seminar: open to anyone interested in learning the basic principles of proper nutrition.
Recommended Resources:
Here is an awesome resource it's a 92 page recipe book of all primal/paleo foods: http://liveprimal.com/LPrecipes.pdf
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Way to go Ritu! 6 months ago I tested and I was at 11%, this time came in at 7.7%. What was even more awesome was the report showed my weight almost exactly the same, however I lost 5lbs of fat and GAINED 5lbs of muscle!
I love the dunk truck.
I tested a year ago at 23%, this time I tested at 20%, so a 3% drop. I also weighed in 5lbs more then last year. I was happy that I went down and not up on the body fat %, but not totally happy that I didn’t acheive my goal. Goal for next time is 16%, I would need to weigh exactly what I weighed last year to get that so I need to cut 5 lbs to get that.
I love the dunk truck too, I totally recommend getting tested if you haven’t ever done so!
This was my first test.
Weight: 188lbs.
BF%: 18.6%
When I first started kickboxing, which around was a 1.5 to 2 years ago, I weighed roughly 230lbs. Somebody even told me I looked pregnant when I first signed up. Not only have I dropped a lot of weight, over 40lbs, I’m a whole hell of a lot stronger than I used to be. Concerning my weight, it’s more or less plateaued the last 6 months, but I’m constantly getting stronger, and my body composition is continuing to change, especially now that I’m doing Crossfit.
My goals.
Right now, it’s to drop down to 15% BF, which mean I have to lose 8 lbs. of fat, which would mean dropping down to 180lbs., assuming no changes in lean muscle mass (which I’m not going to assume, b/c I’m constantly getting stronger). In any case, I’m going to go on a strict paleo “diet” until I reach my goal of 180lbs.
That’s awesome PI! When is your paleo start date? Let us know how we can support you, and be sure to look through the power packet:
http://crossfitunlimited.typepad.com/Nutritionize%20Docs.zip
Thanks for sharing your experiences with the BF test dunk tank. I am curious to see how much body fat I have. I’ve avoided the household weighing scale or the doctor’s office scale ever since I started CrossFit (a couple months ago). I get disappointed everytime I weigh myself on the scale. The BF test should be able to help me set my goals. I need to find out when is the next time the BF truck comes around the area.
Also, thanks for sharing the liveprimal.com recipes.
Lyn, the body fat truck is in different place around here. You can check where it will be on their calendar and book online:
http://www.fitnesswavenorcal.com/calendar.html
Keep us posted on your findings!
I downloaded those docs. I’ll probably begin after I finish these Trader Joes’s Peanut Butter Cups. Thanks for the support.