Use of bioelectrical impedance analysis measurements as predictors of physical performance

Through its association with fat-free mass (FFM), bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) offers an alternative to physical performance testing. We examined the relations between stature(2)/resistance (S-2/R), FFM, and muscular strength in data from three studies of young military men and women. Resistance was measured at 50 kHz by using the conventional tetrapolar electrode method. FFM was based on skinfold thicknesses, and estimated with the regression equations of Durnin and Womersley. Strength was measured as a one-repetition maximum on an incremental lift test (IL1RM), which is widely used by the military services to predict overall body strength. Although there was an association between IL1RM and S-2/R in each of these studies (correlations ranged from 0.35 to 0.53), correlations were strongest between FFM and S-2/R (R = 0.53 to 0.85), indicating that BIA and FFM derived from skinfold thicknesses are better correlated with each other than are the relations of either of these with physical performance. Modest increases in FFM and strength in one 8-wk training study correlated with S-2/R; however, large decreases in FFM and strength in another study (with weight losses of 10 kg in 8 wk) were not reflected by changes in S-2/R. Thus, BIA is not particularly useful for performance prediction despite its moderate relation to FFM. BIA is especially problematic with large changes in body composition, for which there are apparent deviations in hydration status; expedient methods such as skinfold predictions will be more resistant to such effects.