Abstract
Selected methods of measuring lean body weight (LBW) were tested on 37 wrestlers. True LBW's were obtained via underwater weighing, Methods tested with correlations and standard errors of estimate (kg) between estimated and true LBW's were: (1) a simplified underwater weighing technique using residual volumes estimated from vital capacity: .990, ± 1.26; when using a constant residual volume of 1300 ml, .989, ± 1.33; (2) three equations previously derived from a sample of athletes for estimating body density: .972, ± 2.06; .972, ± 2,06; .967, ± 2.25; (3) Behnke's method of estimating LBW using different k factors: .890, ± 4.07; .905, ± 3.80 (for 3 sets of k factors); and (4) the Tcheng-Tipton equations for minimum wrestling weight: short form, .905, ± 4.00; long form, .903, ± 4.02. It was concluded that the simplified underwater weighing procedure provided the best alternative to regular underwater, weighing, Estimates made with the Behnke and Tcheng-Tipton equations were too variable to be of practical value. Best results for estimating LBW from anthropometric measures were obtained from a slight modification of one of the equations studied in (2): Body Density = 1.1080 – .00168 subscapular skinfold — .00127 abdominal skinfold. (r between estimated and true LBW's, .975; standard error of estimate, 1.98).