Why Hydrostatic Testing?
Hydrostatic Testing (Underwater Weighing) has become universally regarded by industry experts as the "Gold Standard" in body fat testing.
The fact that bone, muscle, and connective tissue collectively known as lean mass sinks, while body fat floats is the main principle behind (hydro-densitometry) hydrostatic testing. By obtaining your land weight and water weight (based on buoyancy), our specialized computer program can scientifically calculate your body fat as a percentage of your total weight.
Clinically speaking, the hydrostatic testing method has been around for over 50 years and is based on Archimedes principle which states "that when a body is submerged in water, there is a buoyant counter force equal to the weight of the water which is displaced". Again, because bone and muscle are denser than water, a person with a larger percentage of lean body mass will weigh more in the water and ultimately have a lower body fat percentage versus someone with less lean muscle mass. A person with more body fat will be lighter in water. Body fat floats and lean tissue, muscle, connective tissue, bones, etc.
What is the Cost of Hydrostatic weighing?
Hydrostatic weighing cost -$75
What do these percentages mean?
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Many people desire a "rating system" for assessing their current level of body fat. The following table provides a meaningful rating system.
|
FEMALE |
Age |
Excellent |
Good |
Fair |
Poor |
19-24 |
18.9 % |
22.1 % |
25.0 % |
29.6 % |
25-29 |
18.9 % |
22.0 % |
25.4 % |
29.8 % |
30-34 |
19.7 % |
22.7 % |
26.4 % |
30.5 % |
35-39 |
21.0 % |
24.0 % |
27.7 % |
31.5 % |
40-44 |
22.6 % |
25.6 % |
29.3 % |
32.8 % |
45-49 |
24.3 % |
27.3 % |
30.9 % |
34.1 % |
50-54 |
26.6 % |
29.7 % |
33.1 % |
36.2 % |
55-59 |
27.4 % |
30.7 % |
34.0 % |
37.3 % |
60 + |
27.6 % |
31.0 % |
34.4 % |
38.0 % |
|
MALE |
Age |
Excellent |
Good |
Fair |
Poor |
19-24 |
10.8 % |
14.9 % |
19.0 % |
23.3 % |
25-29 |
12.8 % |
16.5 % |
20.3 % |
24.4 % |
30-34 |
14.5 % |
18.0 % |
21.5 % |
25.2 % |
35-39 |
16.1 % |
19.4 % |
22.6 % |
26.1 % |
40-44 |
17.5 % |
20.5 % |
23.6 % |
26.9 % |
45-49 |
18.6 % |
21.5 % |
24.5 % |
27.6 % |
50-54 |
19.8 % |
22.7 % |
25.6 % |
28.7 % |
55-59 |
20.2 % |
23.2 % |
26.2 % |
29.3 % |
60 + |
20.3 % |
23.5 % |
26.7 % |
29.8 % |
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By monitoring the changes of your lean body weight, you will be able to tell whether or not you are replacing adipose tissue (fat) with hard earned muscle
Have I lost Fat?
When one declares that they want to "lose weight", what they often mean is that they want to lose fat. So, now that you've had your body fat percentage measured, what does the number really mean?
First, your body fat percentage is simply the percentage of fat your body contains. If you are 150 pounds and 10% fat, it means that your body consists of 15 pounds fat and 135 pounds lean body mass (bone, muscle, organ tissue, blood and everything else).
A certain amount of fat is essential to bodily functions. Fat regulates body temperature, cushions and insulates organs and tissues and is the main form of the body's energy storage. The following table describes body fat ranges and their associated categories:
*General Body Fat Percentage Categories
*American Council on Exercise |
Classification |
Women (% fat) |
Men (% fat) |
Essential Fat |
10-12% |
2-4% |
Athletes |
14-20% |
6-13% |
Fitness |
21-24% |
14-17% |
Acceptable |
25-31% |
18-25% |
Obese |
32% plus |
25% plus |
Knowing your body fat percentage can also help you determine if your weight loss goals are realistic. Remember, weight loss doesn't always mean fat loss. For example:
Let's say you're a 130# woman with 23% body fat, and you goal is to "lose 20 pounds":
Initial body fat: 130# x 0.23 fat = 30 # body fat
Lean body mass: 130# total - 30# fat = 100# lean body mass (bones, organs and all else)
Goal: 130# - 20# = 110 pounds
As you can see, the goal of losing 20 pounds is not realistic or healthy. At 110 pounds, this woman still requires 100# of lean body mass (bones, organs, etc.), but would only be carrying 10#, or only 9% body fat. From the chart above, you can see that this is a dangerously low percentage.
A better goal might be for the woman to reduce her body fat from 23% to 18%. In this case:
130# x 0.18 = 23 # body fat
100# lean body mass + 23 # = 123# goal weight
So, for this individual to achieve a lean, but healthy 18% fat, she would need to lose only 7 pounds of fat, reducing her weight from her current 130 pounds to 123 pounds. Losing more than 7 pounds means losing lean body mass (usually metabolically-active muscle tissue), which is clearly not desirable.
So before you decide that you need to "lose weight", remember to consider that "weight" consists of both lean body mass and body fat. Try to keep your weight loss goals realistic, and remember, keep the calorie-burning muscle, and lose only the fat.
