Effect of exercise intensity on percent body fat determined by leg-to-leg and segmental bioelectrical impedance analyses in adults

Purpose: We examined the impact that cycle ergometry exercise had on percent body fat (% BF) estimates when assessed using either leg-to-leg or segmental bioelectrical impedance analysis (LBIA; SBIA) and whether the intensity of the exercise bout impacts the %BF magnitude of change. Method: Seventy-four college-aged adults participated in this study. Participants visited the laboratory on three separate occasions. Testing included two 30-min exercise sessions (70% HRmax and 85% HRmax) and a 30-min no-exercise session, which served as the control. Results: Following exercise, significant (p \u3c .05) reductions in mean %BF were observed when using LBIA (70% HRmax = 0.3%; 85% HRmax = 0.5%) and SBIA (70% HRmax = 0.8%; 85% HRmax = 1.4%). The mean %BF reductions were significantly (p \u3c .04) greater following exercise at the higher intensity for both analyzers. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that cycle exercise performed before LBIA and SBIA body composition assessment reduces mean %BF estimates. In addition, the %BF reductions were found to be larger at the higher end of the American College of Sports Medicine/American Heart Association recommended intensity range (85% HRmax) and when the SBIA analyzer was used to conduct the assessment. Copyright © AAHPERD