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Non-imaging Method: Air Displacement Plethysmography (Bod Pod)

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Best Practice Protocols for Physique Assessment in Sport

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Abstract

Air displacement plethysmography is used to measure body volume. The Bod Pod (COSMED USA Inc., Concord, CA) is an easy-to-use, convenient, non-invasive device that can accommodate a large spectrum of athletic physiques, assessing fat and fat-free mass reliably and accurately. Estimates of body density are in close agreement to those using the hydrostatic weighing technique, with Bod Pod now considered the gold standard for assessment of body density in multi-compartment models. It often underestimates fat mass compared to other physique assessment techniques; however, this may be due to poor standardisation practices. When undertaken in a well-controlled standardised manner, Bod Pod has proven to be an accurate and reliable technique for tracking physique changes over time. It is valuable in large athletes who may be more comfortable undertaking physique assessment via Bod Pod compared to other techniques where reliability in this population might be an issue.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Australian Institute of Sport, Australian Sports Commission, P.O. Box 176, Canberra, ACT, 2616, Australia

    Greg Shaw

  2. Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, QLD, 4558, Australia

    Ava Kerr

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  1. Greg Shaw
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  2. Ava Kerr
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Correspondence to Greg Shaw .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Sport Performance Research Institute New Zealand, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand

    Patria A. Hume

  2. School of Public Health, Curtin University, Perth, West Australia, Australia

    Deborah A. Kerr

  3. School of Sport Science, Exercise and Health, The University of Western Australia, Perth, West Australia, Australia

    Timothy R. Ackland

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Shaw, G., Kerr, A. (2018). Non-imaging Method: Air Displacement Plethysmography (Bod Pod). In: Hume, P., Kerr, D., Ackland, T. (eds) Best Practice Protocols for Physique Assessment in Sport. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5418-1_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5418-1_8

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-10-5417-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-10-5418-1

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