Fitness Testing

Contact our fitness specialist at 713-348-4160 to make your appointment today!

Areas of testing:
Body Composition | Cardiovascular | Muscular Fitness | Flexibility

Body Composition

It is well established that excess body fat is associated with hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and hyperlipidemia. Body composition refers to the relative percentage of body weight that is fat and fat-free tissue. Measurements of height, weight, circumferences, and skinfolds are used to estimate body composition.

Waist-to-Hip Circumference
The pattern of body fat distribution is recognized as an important predictor of the health risks of obesity. Individuals with more fat on the trunk, especially abdominal fat, are at increased risk of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, coronary artery disease, and premature death compared with individuals who are equally fat, but have more of their fat on the extremities. The waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) has been used as a simple method for determining body fat pattern.

Skinfold Measurements
The principle behind this technique is that the amount of subcutaneous fat is proportional to the total amount of body fat. The Fitness Specialist will measure folds of skin with calipers at the subscapular (atop the shoulder blade), thigh, triceps, chest, suprailiac (the area at the top of the pelvis), midaxillary (side under the arm), and abdomen. From these measurements, the Fitness Specialist will be able to calculate percent body fat.

The Rice University Fitness Testing facilities are located in the East Gym of the Recreation Center. Parking information is available at Rice's maps page.