1. CHAPTER 4 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) Define the following terms:
A) Body composition
B) Percent body fat
C) Lean body mass
D) Recommended body weight
E) Overweight
F) Obesity
2) Explain the differencee between essential fat & storage fat?
3) What % of the total weight in men & women does essential fat constitute?
4) What 3 functions does storage fat serve?
5) Where do men & women tend to store storage fat differently?
6) In terms of assessing body composition, what is a standard error of estimate (SEE)?
7) What is the most accurate technique presently available in fitness laboratories for assessing body
composition?
8) How does hydrostatic weighing assess body composition?
9) What are some drawbacks to hydrostatic weighing?
10) How does air displacement assess body composition?
11) Why is the Bod Pod not readily available in fitness centers & exercise laboratories?
12) How does skinfold thickness assess body composition?
13) What body areas are used on men & women for the skinfold thickness technique?
14) What is the most common technique used to determine thinness & excessive fatness?
15) A BMI above what is defined as obese?
16) A BMI below what is defined as underweight?

2. 1) WHAT IS BODY COMPOSITION?

3. A) BODY COMPOSITION
-THE FAT & NON-FAT COMPONENTS OF THE HUMAN BODY
-IMPORTANT IN ASSESSING RECOMMENDED BODY WEIGHT
HUMAN BODY CONSISTS OF FAT & NONFAT COMPONENTS
B) PERCENT BODY FAT (FAT COMPONENT):
-PROPORTIONAL AMOUNT OF FAT IN THE BODY BASED ON
THE PERSON’S TOTAL WEIGHT. ALSO CALLED FAT MASS.
C) LEAN BODY MASS (NON-FAT COMPONENT):
-BODY WEIGHT WITHOUT FAT MASS

4. 2) TOTAL FAT IN THE HUMAN BODY IS CLASSIFIED INTO
WHAT 2 TYPES?

5. A) ESSENTIAL FAT:
-NEEDED FOR NORMAL PHYSIOLGICAL FUNCTION
-FOUND WITHIN TISSUES SUCH AS MUSCLES, NERVE CELLS, BONE MARROW, INTESTINES,
HEART, LIVER, LUNGS
3) WHAT % OF THE TOTAL WEIGHT IN MEN/WOMEN DOES ESSENTIAL FAT CONSTITUTE?
• 3% OF TOTAL WEIGHT IN MEN & 12% FOR WOMEN
-WHY IS IT HIGHER IN WOMEN?
B) STORAGE FAT:
-FAT STORED IN ADIPOSE TISSUE, MOSTLY JUST BENEATH THE SKIN & AROUND MAJOR
ORGANS
4) WHAT 3 FUNCTIONS DOES STORAGE FAT SERVE?
10) AS AN INSULATOR TO RETAIN BODY HEAT
11) AS ENERGY SUBSTRATE FOR METABOLISM
12) AS PADDING AGAINST PHYSICAL TRAUMA TO THE BODY
5) WHERE DO MEN & WOMEN TEND TO STORE STORAGE FAT DIFFERENTLY?
-SAME % IN MEN & WOMEN BUT MEN TEND TO STORE FAT AROUND WAIST & WOMEN AROUND
HIPS & THIGHS

6. 1D) WHAT IS RECOMMENDED BODY WEIGHT?

7. D) RECOMMENDED BODY WEIGHT (HEALTHY WEIGHT):
-BODY WEIGHT AT WHICH THERE SEEMS TO BE NO HARM TO HUMAN
HEALTH.
•WHAT IS NEEDED TO DETERMINE RECOMMENDED BODY WEIGHT?
-WHAT % OF TOTAL BODY WEIGHT IS FAT & WHAT AMOUNT IS LEAN
TISSUE?

8. 1EF) WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
OVERWEIGHT & OBESITY?

9. E) OVERWEIGHT:
-AN EXCESS AMOUNT OF WEIGHT AGAINST A GIVEN
STANDARDS, SUCH AS HEIGHT OR RECOMMENDED % BODY
FAT
F) OBESITY:
AN EXCESSIVE ACCUMULATION OF BODY FAT, USUALLY AT
LEAST 30% ABOVE RECOMMENDED BODY WEIGHT

10. 6) IN TERMS OF ASSESSING BODY COMPOSITION, WHAT IS
A STANDARD ERROR OF ESTIMATE (SEE)?
A MEASURE OF THE ACCURACY OF THE PREDICTION
MADE THROUGH THE REGRESSION EQUATION FOR THAT
SPECIFIC TECHNIQUE.
-IF THE SEE FOR A GIVEN TECHNIQUE IS +/- 3.0 & THE
INDIVIDUAL TESTS AT A FAT % OF 18.0, THE ACTUAL FAT
% MAY RANGE FROM 15-21%.

11. 7) WHAT IS MOST ACCURATE TECHNIQUE FOR
ASSESSING BODY COMPOSITION?
HYDROSTATIC WEIGHING

12. 8) HOW DOES HYDROSTATIC WEIGHING ASSESS BODY COMPOSITION?
-A PERSON’S REGULAR WEIGHT IS COMPARED WITH A WEIGHT TAKEN
UNDERWATER.
-BECAUSE FAT IS MORE BUOYANT THAN LEAN TISSUE, COMPARING
THE 2 WEIGHTS CAN DETERMINE A PERSON’S % OF FAT.
-THE SEE FOR HYDROSTATIC WEIGHING IS +/- 2.5%.
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13. 9) WHAT ARE SOME DRAWBACKS TO HYDROSTATIC
WEIGHING?
1) NOT FEASIBLE WHEN TESTING A LOT OF PEOPLE.
-EACH INDIVIDUAL ASSESSMENT CAN TAKE AS
LONG AS 30 MIN.
2) DIFFICULT TO ADMINISTER TO AQUAPHOBIC PEOPLE.
-AQUAPHOBIC: HAVING A FEAR OF WATER.

14. HOW DOES AIR DISPLACEMENT ASSESS BODY
COMPOSITION?
-AN INDIVIDUAL SITS INSIDE A SMALL CHAMBER (BOD
POD).
-COMPUTERIZED PRESSURE SENSORS DETERMINE THE
AMOUNT OF AIR DISPLACED BY THE PERSON INSIDE THE
CHAMBER.
-BODY VOLUME IS CALCULATED BY SUBTRACTING THE
AIR VOLUME WITH THE PERSON INSIDE THE CHAMBER
FROM THE VOLUME OF THE EMPTY CHAMBER.
-BODY DENSITY & % BODY FAT THEN ARE CALCULATED
FROM THE OBTAINED BODY VOLUME.
-THE SEE OF AIR DISPLACEMENT IS +/- 2.2%.

15. 11) WHY IS THE BOD POD NOT READILY AVAILABLE IN
FITNESS CENTERS & EXERCISE LABORATORIES?
HIGH COST

16. 12) HOW DOES SKINFOLD THICKNESS ASSESS BODY
COMPOSITION?
-BASED ON THE PRINCIPLE THAT THE AMOUNT OF
SUBCUTANEOUS FAT IS PROPORTIONAL TO TOTAL BODY
FAT.
-SUBCUTANEOUS FAT: DEPOSITS OF FAT DIRECTLY
UNDER THE SKIN.
-THE SKINFOLD TEST IS DONE WITH THE AID OF
PRESSURE CALIPERS.
-THE SEE FOR SKINFOLD THICKNESS IS +/- 3.5%.

17. 13) WHAT BODY AREAS ARE USED ON MEN & WOMEN FOR
THE SKINFOLD THICKNESS TEST?
A) MEN
-CHEST, ABDOMEN, THIGH
B) WOMEN
-TRICEPS, SUPRAILIUM, THIGH
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18. 14) WHAT IS THE MOST COMMON TECHNIQUE TO
DETERMINE THINNESS & EXCESSIVE FATNESS?
BODY MASS INDEX

19. BODY MASS INDEX:
-INCORPORATES HEIGHT & WEIGHT (NOT GENDER
SPECIFIC) TO ESTIMATE CRITICAL FAT VALUES AT WHICH
THE RISK FOR DISEASE INCREASES
-IN RECENT YEARS HAS BECOME THE MEDICAL STANDARD
USED TO MEASUE OVERWEIGHT & OBESITY
-BMI 18.5-25 IS CONSIDERED NORMAL
-LOWEST RISK FOR CHRONIC DISEASE IS BMI 22-25
-OVERWEIGHT: BMI 25-30
15) A BMI ABOVE WHAT IS DEFINED AS OBESE?
•30
16) A BMI BELOW WHAT IS DEFINED AS UNDERWEIGHT?
•18.5

20. BMI CALCULATION:
-MULTIPLYING BODY WEIGHT BY 705 & DIVIDING
THIS FIGURE BY THE SQUARE OF THE HEIGHT IN
INCHES
170LBS X 705 = 119,850
119,850 / (69)2 = 119,850/4,761 = 25.17 BMI