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?
-% INCLUDES SEX-SPECIFIC FAT (FAT FOUND IN BREAST TISSUE)
B) STORAGE FAT:
-FAT STORED IN ADIPOSE TISSUE, MOSTLY JUST BENEATH THE SKIN & AROUND MAJOR ORGANS
4) WHAT 3 FUNCTIONS DOES STORAGE FAT SERVE?
1) AS AN INSULATOR TO RETAIN BODY HEAT
2) AS ENERGY SUBSTRATE FOR METABOLISM
3) 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:
-BODY WEIGHT AT WHICH THERE SEEMS TO BE NO HARM TO HUMAN HEALTH.
-HEALTHY WEIGHT
-TO DETERMINE RECOMMENDED BODY WEIGHT YOU NEED TO FIND OUT WHAT
% OF TOTAL BODY WEIGHT IS FAT & WHAT AMOUNT IS LEAN TISSUE (BODY
COMPOSITION)

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%.

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%.