Predicted Versus Measured Thoracic Gas Volume on Body Fat Percentage in Male College Athletes

Abstract

Introduction: Accurate body composition is important for a variety of reasons including health and fitness. The purposes of this study were to compare predicted thoracic gas volumes (TGVp) and measured thoracic gas volumes (TGVm) and to compare percentage body fat (%BF) from the Bod Pod using TGVp and TGVm. Methods: Participants included 31 male college athletes (18-22 years) on the basketball, soccer, tennis, baseball, or track teams. Each participant completed both a predicted and measured TGV using the Bod Pod. Results: TGVm was significantly higher (4.59 ± 0.88 L) than TGVp (4.11 ±0.45 L, p<0.001). %BF derived by TGVm was significantly higher than %BF derived by TGVp (13.8% vs. 12.6%; p<0.001). Individually, %BF derived from TGVm vs. TGVp differed within ± 2.0% BF for 58% of the participants. Conclusions: The results indicate that measuring TGV is recommended in male college athletes.