Body Composition Analysis in Oakville
At Nova Health Club, we offer both caliper and bioelectrical impedance. When it comes to measuring our members' body composition, we want to use the right data to guide your workouts and bring you one step closer to success.
The following is a complete breakdown of what body composition analysis is, why it is important as a starting block to your fitness journey, and the main benefits we can extract to level up your workout.
What is Body Composition Analysis?
In the world of physical fitness, body composition is used to describe the makeup of your body with respect to fat mass and fat free mass which consists of bones, muscles, connective tissue and organs. Analysis of body composition is the quantitative measurement of the fat versus non fat mass in one's body.
While body weight is a component to body composition, it will never give a complete picture of what is happening in the body with respect to fat and fat free mass. If your weight changes for example, is it from loss or gain of muscle or fat?
A complete body composition analysis that looks at fat vs muscle is a much smarter way to measure and track changes in your body because it tells you exactly what is being lost and what is being gained in terms of fat and muscle.
Having good body composition is an objective metric for how healthy and fit you are. When you have a healthy body composition you will also look and feel better.
What is a Good Body Composition?
Clinically, having good body composition means you are in a healthy and fit range as per the chart on the right.
Good body composition however should also match your goals and values while being in a healthy range.
The average female should have the goal of being between 15-25% body fat while the average male should aim to be between 10-20% body fat.
| Body Fat % Range | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Competitive Athlele (Peak) | 3-6% | 9-12% |
| Very Lean (Exellent) | <10% | <15% |
| Lean (Good) | 10-14% | 16-20% |
| Satisfactory | 15-19% | 21-30% |
| Borderline | 20-25% | 31-40% |
| Overweight | >25% | >40% |
How does Nova Health Club measure body composition?
The two most common ways to measure body composition is with calipers or bioelectrical impedance. Both can be very accurate if done correctly.
The caliper method is a manual way of ‘pinching’ or measuring skinfolds of body fat. It has more room for human error, can take longer and is more invasive.
Bioelectrical impedance is a method of passing small electrical currents through the body that interpret body fat and muscle mass with specific algorithmic formulas. Bioelectrical impedance machines are quick and simple but many of them, especially inexpensive consumer models are very inaccurate. When using bioelectrical impedance to measure body composition it is very important to have a machine with competent technology.
At Nova Health Club we offer both caliper and bioelectrical impedance. When it comes to measuring our members body composition, accuracy and efficiency are important. Therefore we prefer to implement bioelectrical impedance.
What is the difference between body composition and BMI?
BMI is a method used to assess the health of an individual by comparing the amount of weight to height: BMI – kg/m2.
Despite the widespread use of BMI in clinical practice, BMI has limitations and is a poor metric for tracking weight changes because you can not identify if changes in your weight are from fat or muscle. Using BMI to measure health and fitness oversimplifies the process by ignoring important factors that contribute to positive health (muscle mass).
When you’re trying to get healthier and become more fit, you’re most likely focused on losing fat and gaining muscle. BMI and scales cannot tell you how much of your weight loss/gain is from fat, muscle, or body water, while body composition analysis can.
How often do you need to do a body composition analysis?
Body composition can be done as often as you or your coach wishes to check in on progress. Oftentimes it will be done weekly or biweekly for those who are actively trying to change their body composition. If body composition changes are not your priority, then measuring it once every three months is good just to ensure you are remaining healthy.
Why Get a Body Composition Analysis?
01
It's quick
The analysis takes 2 minutes. Our process provides you with all the information you need to create a great workout program so plan for 15 minutes.
02
It's easy
Show up and stand on our InBody analysis machine. No sweat, no warm up. We make it easy to plan your fitness.
03
It provides you with a benchmark for progress
Our trainers use world class technology and education to utilize the data from our InBody analysis machine, and the very best of exercise training methodology to help you target the results you want.
04
Only $49.99 per visit
Free for members. Non members are welcome to come in for an InBody analysis at a cost of $49.99 per visit. The analysis with interpretation from our staff takes at most 15 minutes.
How Accurate is the Analysis?
The InBody bioelectrical impedance machine at Nova Health Club uses a combination of low and high frequencies to accurately determine extracellular, intracellular, and total body water. The use of multiple frequencies allows InBody devices to achieve a high level of precision.
The anatomical design of the InBody hand electrode creates a simple holding position that is easy to reproduce. When an examinee grasps the handle, electrical current flows from the palm electrode, and the electrical energy, or voltage, is initiated at the thumb electrode. The point of measurement remains consistent for highly reproducible results.
The InBody direct segmental measurement bioelectrical impedance analysis regards the human body as five cylinders: left arm, right arm, torso, left leg, and right leg. InBody independently measures each cylinder to provide accurate measurements for the entire body.
InBody measures body composition without relying on empirical assumptions based on age, sex, ethnicity, or body shape, producing accurate and precise results validated to gold standard methods. Simply put, InBody provides individualized feedback for progress tracking to help you achieve your goals.
The InBody technology has been validated in over 3,000 clinical studies worldwide and proven amongst the most accurate. Compared to DEXA, InBody has a high correlation to the Gold Standard method for Fat-Free Mass and Body Fat Percentage in an ambulatory population.
