The BOD POD Advantage

Total accuracy… The Bod Pod and traditional hydrostatic weighing agree within 1 % body fat!

Only by accurately assessing body composition will one know exactly what makes up their weight, enabling sensible decisions regarding nutrition and exercise programs to be made. It’s the single best way for a person to get the “whole picture” of what is really going on in their body.

Body composition techniques can vary greatly, with many methods being too difficult, invasive or inaccurate. For example, Skinfold Calipers and Bioelectric Impedence have error factors of up to +/-8%. This means that a skinfold or bioelectric impedance measurement of 22% body fat could actually be as low as 14% or as high as 30%. Inaccurate information like this can be downright dangerous if used for developing diet and/or training programs, so it’s important to use an accurate method when assessing body composition.

This is what makes the BOD POD so unique. Its Air Displacement Plethsysomgraphy offers the unbeatable accuracy of a laboratory technique, along with the simplicity of a field technique, making it THE ONLY PRACTICAL GOLD STANDARD for measuring body composition.

Gym Owners and Health Professionals

On the day of testing, our staff delivers and sets up the BOD POD and then performs baseline testing for your members. Your members are tested and 5 minutes later, the results are printed out, explained, and given to them immediately following their test. There is no cost to you as the members pay their own testing fee of $49.

We enable you to provide cutting edge technology to your members that top healthcare organizations and athletes deem essential to obtain their best performance results. This service will greatly increase the value of their membership at your facility!

Welcome the BOD POD to your facility by scheduling your appointment today. At no cost to you, we will provide to your members the Best Body Compositon technology available.

CALL US TO SCHEDULE THE BOD POD AT YOUR FACILITY

What the BOD POD Means to You

Body Composition - one of the best indicators of health.

Body composition (percent fat and lean) reflects the results of both physical activity and nutritional practices. Body weight alone can be very misleading. The scale cannot tell the difference between a pound of fat and a pound of muscle. Over time, people tend to gain fat and lose muscle without an obvious change in their weight. And, even though we need a certain amount of fat in our bodies to insure good health, excess body fat has been found to increase the risk of diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has now declared obesity an epidemic, with 66% of adult Americans either overweight or obese (having excess body fat). On the other hand, too little body fat can also pose a number of health risks, especially for women.

Only by accurately measuring body composition will you learn the amount of fat and lean tissue that makes up your weight, enabling sensible decisions regarding nutrition and exercise programs. It’s the best way to get the “whole picture” of what’s really going on in your body.

The most advanced technique for assessing body composition available today

The patented air displacement plethysmography used by the BOD POD is similar in principle to hydrostatic (or “underwater”) weighing. The obvious difference is that air is more convenient and comfortable than water, so that Air Displacement Plethysmography provides a much easier and safer testing environment, better reliability, and significantly improved repeatability and accuracy.

The basic operating principles of air displacement plethysmography include Densitometry, Mass Measurement, Volume Measurement, Thoracic Gas Volume, and Surface Area Artifact.

Densitometry

With Air Displacement Plethysmography, body composition is derived from body density, or Densitometry. In densitometry, the more dense a body is, the lower the percentage of body fat; the less dense a body is, the higher the percentage of body fat.

Densitometry is based on modeling the body into two compartments: a fat compartment and a fat-free mass compartment. The fat-free mass compartment consists of protein, water, mineral, and glycogen.

From the subject’s body density, relative proportions of body fat and lean body mass are calculated based on the density of fat and lean tissue. Because lean tissue is more dense than fat tissue, a higher density reflects a higher proportion of lean tissue.

A commonly used equation which translates whole body density to percent body fat is the Siri equation:

Once the percent body fat is calculated, the percent lean body mass can also be determined as follows:

Mass Measurement

Mass (weight) is measured using a very precise, integrated electronic scale.

Volume Measurement

Volume is determined by Air Displacement Plethysmography (ADP), which occurs when the subject is inside the BOD POD or PEA POD chamber. ADP relies on the relationship between pressure and volume, and allows for the derivation of an unknown volume by directly measuring pressure.

During the volume measurement, small changes in volume occur inside the chamber, and the pressure response to these small volume changes is measured. This is done by measuring the interior volume of the empty chamber, then measuring it again when the subject is inside. By subtraction, the subject’s body volume is obtained. For example, the interior air volume of the empty chamber is 450 liters; so if the volume of the chamber is reduced to 350 liters with the subject inside, the body volume of the subject would be 100 liters.

Thoracic Gas Volume

Because any air trapped in the subject’s thoracic cavity, either free or trapped, is not part of their body volume, the air in the lungs must be accounted for. Depending upon the capabilities of the device being used, Thoracic Gas Volume may be directly measured, retrieved from a previous test, predicted (using a standard prediction equation), or entered manually.

Surface Area Artifact

Due to isothermal behavior, the volume of air in close proximity of the subject’s surface is overestimated by 40%. This small Surface Area Artifact (an apparent reduction in the subject’s body volume) is automatically calculated by the BOD POD and used to correct subject body volume.

The surface area of clothing and hair can also have a significant impact on Volume measurements. It is extremely important that subjects tested using Air Displacement Plethysmography wear minimal, form-fitting clothing and a cap to compress the hair on the head.

Over the years a number of methods have been developed to measure body composition. Until the BOD POD, all of these methods had drawbacks, such as being inaccurate, messy, difficult, requiring extensive training, or invasive.

In measuring body composition, it’s not only important what the result is, but also how you arrived at it. For example, let’s say you’re a woman with a skinfold or bioelectric impedance body fat measurement of 22%. At first glance it seems that you fall into a healthy body fat range. The problem is, since the error factor for both of these methods is up to +/-8%, this number could mean your actual body fat might be as low as 14% (risky – low body fat) or as high as 30% (borderline excess fat). Inaccurate information like this is no better than no information at all, and can be downright dangerous if being used to determine

an appropriate diet and/or training program. This is why it’s so important to receive an accurate body composition assessment. It’s the only way to get the proper information necessary for making sensible decisions regarding nutrition and fitness programs.

BOD POD FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How does the BOD POD compare with other body composition assessment techniques? 

A. The BOD POD is referred to as the “Practical Gold Standard” because testing is so easy and offers excellent repeatability. 

Q. How does the BOD POD measure body composition? 

A. The BOD POD measures body composition by determining Body Mass and Body Volume. From these two variables, Body Density is computed and used with an equation to provide body composition information. 

Body Mass is easily determined by the use of an accurate scale. 

Body Volume is determined by applying the gas law (p1V1=p2V2), an expansion of Boyle´s Law, pV=c. Three steps are performed to determine Body Volume. First, the volume of the test chamber while empty is measured. Second, the volume of the test chamber with the calibration cylinder in it is measured. And third, the volume of the test chamber with the subject inside is measured. By subtraction, the volume of the subject is then determined. 

Body Density is calculated using the Body Mass and Body Volume measurements, from which body composition is then computed.

Q. How long does a BOD POD test take? 

A. A complete test, including printed results, takes about 5 minutes. 

Q. How big of a person can fit in the BOD POD? 

A. The BOD POD is designed to accommodate a wide variety of human shapes and sizes. Because of its generous-sized interior and oversized window, NFL and NBA teams, as well as sumo wrestlers use the BOD POD routinely without difficulty. The BOD POD can accommodate subjects up to 7 feet tall and 550 pounds. 

Q. Do clothing and/or hair affect BOD POD results? 

A. Clothing, hair, jewelry, and eyeglasses can have a significant impact on the volume and mass measurements performed during a BOD POD test. Therefore, it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that all subjects tested in the BOD POD remove all jewelry and eyeglasses, and wear minimal, form-fitting clothing such as a Lycra® or Spandex® swimsuit during testing. Single-layer compression shorts and/or lightweight jog bras are also acceptable clothing (without padding or wires). 

A swim cap must also be worn to compress any air pockets within the hair. 

Q. What should a subject expect during a BOD POD test? 

A. Subject compliance for testing in the BOD POD is very simple. They need only to sit comfortably and quietly inside the BOD POD for the brief measurement period (no talking or laughing). Sounds relating to valves opening and closing may be heard, but most subjects are unaware of the slight pressure changes that take place during a BOD POD test. A few people have noted a feeling similar to that of moving from the first to second floor in an elevator. 

Q. Can subjects be tested in the BOD POD right after exercising or eating? 

A. Yes, however it is ideal to wait at least two hours after exercising or eating, and always be in a completely relaxed state (normal breathing) when testing in the BOD POD.

BOD POD in the News

NBC’s program The Biggest Loser (Tuesdays, 8/7c) addresses the issue of obesity and has been utilizing the BOD POD Body Composition Tracking System since the show’s beginning. The BOD POD has become the practical Gold Standard for fast, accurate, and non-invasive body composition analysis for adults and children.

Concord, CA PRWEB September 25, 2009 — According to research conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control, the prevalence of obesity among adults (aged 20-74) has increased from 15% in the late 1970’s to 33% in 2003-2006. Even more alarming is the rise in childhood obesity, which has tripled within this same time period.

NBC’s program The Biggest Loser (Tuesdays, 8/7c) addresses the issue of obesity and has been utilizing the BOD POD Body Composition Tracking System since the show’s beginning. The BOD POD has become the practical Gold Standard for fast, accurate, and non-invasive body composition analysis. Season eight contestants have been tested at the California Health and Longevity Institute as well as the Biggest Loser ranch in Southern California.

Being overweight or obese increases the risk for disease and health conditions such as; hypertension, osteoarthritis, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, sleep apnea, and respiratory ailments.

As the Gold Standard technique for body composition and metabolic analysis, the BOD POD is used clinically in: weight management programs, obesity assessment and treatment, executive physical assessment, and bariatric clinics.

BOD POD customers include: All three Mayo Clinics, 14 NFL teams, Duke Diet and Fitness Center, Cleveland Clinic, and hundreds of institutions around the world.