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Bod pod or hydrostatic

dangerouscurves

dangerouscurves

TID Lady VIP
May 25, 2011
2,061
344
Simple as the subject which is better and why ?
 
shan

shan

TID Lady Member
Jul 1, 2011
980
85
I have done both, and I think that the hydrostatic is widely accepted as the more accurate indicator. The bodpod can have alot more risk of error depending on body hair, temperature, hydration levels etc..getting dunked has way less chance of being inaccurate (though nothing is 100% perfect). Hydrostatic weighing is the gold standard for a reason.

Welcome to Body Fat Test Home

check that out...had it done last weekend myself
 
Gstacker

Gstacker

MuscleHead
Aug 19, 2011
2,149
254
I always thought bod pod was more acurate, it takes into account for bone density organ tissue etc.... Hydro static is more a guess do to age, sex and height... But I'm deff no expert...
 
shan

shan

TID Lady Member
Jul 1, 2011
980
85
nope, bodpod is not as accurate as hydrostatic. If I recall correctly, hydrostatic is 98% accurate and bodpod is 96% ish...which means that it can be off 3-4 percent (say 17-23 if it says 20%)...that is what I recall..could be slightly off
 
S

SugarFree

Senior Member
Feb 23, 2012
136
15
Ive read the opposite that the bodpod is more accurate then the hydorstatic
 
Gstacker

Gstacker

MuscleHead
Aug 19, 2011
2,149
254
Hydro static goes by a chart of height sex weight etc then a math is done after weighting yourself in the tank.... It may be more accurate I honestly don't know, I just assumed bod bod was the better... Now I'm interested to hear more..
 
Gstacker

Gstacker

MuscleHead
Aug 19, 2011
2,149
254
Also hydrostatic you have to expell the air from ur lungs while sitting perfectly still, not as easy as it sounds and usually 3 test are taken and u use the best result so the accuracy may depend alot on the person being tested.

I've never had a bod pod test done on myself but have been in a tank a few times..
 
S

SugarFree

Senior Member
Feb 23, 2012
136
15
BodPod vs Dexa

Sorry to take this a little off of what your asking but I'm pretty obssesive with bodyfat testing and can share my personal experiences with bodpod at least. I have never done the dunk tank but very familar with the bodpod along with military tape testng standards. Two weeks ago the wife and I had both Dexa and BodPod tests done.

Our last testing was via bodpod 8 weeks prior.

BodPod Testing in Jan
Me: 10.5%
Wife: 33%

The recent test was 8 weeks later and in that time I have been bulking and gaining and the wife dieting, wife was doing great with losing inches but not much weight throughout this time period. The dexa results were very confusing since it put me leaner then expected and the wife much heavier then expected.

3-16 testing

Me (gained 17 lbs albeit mostly water retention)
Dexa: 9.9%
BodPod: 13.0%

Wife
Dexa: 33.9%
BodPod: 20.9%

Dexa put me 3% leaner then the bodpod and put the wife 13% heavier. Another oddity with the dexa testing was the staff kept fusing over the wife telling her how fit and athletic she looked, meanwhile she's ready to cry looking at the 33% (obesse) number wondering what the hell they were talking about. Also I know Im retaining a lot of water at the moment but im not anywhere near seing my abs, I just cant belive Im at 10%. So again a bit confused with both our results and claims at this testing method being the most accurate.

I can say it was pretty neat in the info it gives though including weighing and giving you the bodyfat of each of your limbs seperatly to compare complete symetry.

The bodpod and dunk tank are both formula based meaning there are several different forumlas the tester gets to pick from and use for your testing, each of which could provide different results. This is just my opinion but to me this shows the test is not equal to all and will have a range of inaccuracy.
 
NutNut

NutNut

MuscleHead
Jul 25, 2011
865
172
Both have about the same margin for error (1.5% for hydro and about 3% for air displacement as per recent studies so we are talking 98.5 vs 97% accurate but the margin doesn't directly correlate to being off 1.5% or 3% it is a margin). Hydration plays a roll as do a few other things. The idea with hydro is fat is lighter than muscle and relies on the spirometer data before hand to be equal to the same expelled air once in the tank. Air displacement is the same idea but with air instead of water. DEXA tends to be even more accurate than both but you don't have access to that normally. For ease of use and due to how common they are becoming bodpod is my goto.

The interesting thing becomes how that is calculated as how do you define an absolute to figure out how much they are off without killing people and taking direct measure of composition. A 3% margin for error isn't bad, margins on foods nutritional compositions are bigger, heck margin for error on almost anything is bigger. I'd say either is a fine choice.
 
S

SugarFree

Senior Member
Feb 23, 2012
136
15
Well said NutNut

Both tests are highly regarded and I wouldnt worry so much about the accuracy as the consistency for future comparisons. For example the resulting percentage isnt as importing as accurately seeing what progress you made. If you lost or gained 2% then you want to see that progress to determine if your diet or workout program needs adjustments.
 
Last edited:
S

SugarFree

Senior Member
Feb 23, 2012
136
15
If I could find a testing location, I'd like to give the dunk test a try too. I cant imagine though its as convient as the bodpod or dexa. With the bodpod you just step into an egg shaped looking phone both and sit still for about 30 seconds. The test is then repeated a second time to make sure it matches (at least the way my tester does it) and done. The Dexa scan was slightly longer but just as simple. You laid on a table and an x-ray type machine hovers from head to toe for a couple minutes and thats it. Both tests were $50 where I went but have seen many different prices cheaper and more expensive while surfing the web at different places.
 
Rottenrogue

Rottenrogue

Strongwoman
Jan 26, 2011
6,595
1,882
How does hydration change a bodpod reading? Lamens terms here science nerds! as in if you are dehydrated will it read higher or lower bf?
 
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