Coaches Corner Article: Body Fat Assessment

Some advice for getting your athletes through the assessment test

Ohio has gone to body fat assessments, which can greatly alter your team's starting lineup. The unfortunate fact of the matter is, while some athletes will be benefitted, others will be put in a very tough situation. Some kids weighing 112.2 lbs will end up being 119lbers, while others will come down from 130 or more and still qualify for 119.

Point #1: Coaches - I implore you to be present during the process if at all possible, especially during the weigh-in procedure. If you have an athlete who is already lean, possibly below his 7% naturally (there are a lot of them out there), and his weight is going to be close to his desired weight class - make sure he strips down for weigh-ins. Despite some confusion on this point, the athletes can weigh in stripped down, without shirts and shorts. Don't let a misinformed assessor tell you differently. If parties are present who could be offended by his weigh-in, they can step out of the room until he's done.

Point #2: Some athletes may think they will have an advantage by working out prior to the alpha testing (a prohibited practice). Some internet websites have even endorsed this. While some athletes will benefit from this, though, others will be hurt by it. Athletes who may benefit would be those who are going to weigh in under their preferred alpha weight, meaning the body fat level for them will not matter. Those who will be hurt by it are those whose body fat level is above the 7%, and they will not be weighing in under their alpha weight. Here's why: when you work out, your skin tends to tighten up. If you work out prior to being measured with the calipers, your body fat test will show you to be leaner than it would have, had you not worked out. Be aware of this if you are going to use this method. Let me clarify that I do not encourage you in any way to "cheat" the test - so I can't endorse doing this. But if you choose to, know what the results can be.