THE FITSTART™ SESSION

The EVOLT 360 is a body composition analyzer. It provides a quick, non-invasive measurement of your body composition delivering over 40 unique health metrics in under 30 seconds.

The scan process is easy and takes less than 30 seconds.

To ensure consistency of progressive measurements that are consistent with your training and nutrition goals, we recommend scanning in 4- or 8-week blocks. You should expect to see a result in 4 weeks if you are following the right training and nutrition protocols, and if female that it aligns with a regular menstrual cycle to ensure repeatability of the results.

Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis has been used in medicine for many years and is completely safe to use as it does not use any form of radiation. It is the fastest, safest, and most convenient form of body composition testing.

While it’s not essential, we advise against focusing on your body composition during pregnancy due to the significant changes in your bodily water content while carrying a baby. Similarly, if you have a pacemaker, although the electrical current used in our scanner is very gentle and secure, it’s prudent to consult your doctor before using the scanner. Your safety is our priority, and seeking medical guidance is always a wise step before utilizing our scanning technology.

Whilst it is important to always scan under the exact same conditions for consistency and repeatability, there are a number of medications that can alter a scan result where the medications significantly change hydration status, blood volume and body temperature changes. The most notable being –

• Medications that influence ICW / ECW (intracellular water & extracellular water) and Nitrogen retention – influence interpretation of protein / mineral measures, soft lean mass etc. Creatine, anabolic, beta 3 agonists, peptides etc. will influence the result.
• Hydration status – as in euhydrated in this case and influence of things like caffeine intake, pre-workouts, diuretics, thermogenics. (dehydrated normally
  overestimates body fat).
• Other medications that may influence blood volume, include things like Metal Plates, Pins & Gut contents.
• Water Compartmentalization including Sodium and Potassium (intracellular electrolyte) retention particularly from the use of diuretic medications.
• Iron status – anaemia vs hemochromatosis – high ferritin = increase red blood cell mass = increase blood viscosity = influence BIA interpretation of total body water and lean body mass – as in register higher soft tissue and total body water therefore may result in reduced measure of total body fat etc. (anaemia may do the opposite).
• Drugs that increase blood flow via vasoconstriction – changes blood volume and ECW / TBW ratio which influences the interpretation of fat mass, these may include stimulants (Ritalin, Dexedrine, Adderall and Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed)

Consuming food will show a minor change in your scan result. It is always best practice to scan on an empty stomach, however, you can still scan after eating a meal, so long as you re-scan under the exact same conditions each time you scan.

It is important to maintain consistency around scanning throughout the Menstrual Cycle as there are significant fluid changes around hormonal shifts. As you can see in the diagram, during the luteal phase, progesterone rises which has a natural diuretic effect. Whereas, in the follicular phase, estrogen rises which can increase fluid retention significantly. The recommendation is to always scan in the same phase of the menstrual cycle ie. in the follicular or luteal Phase, within the same few days.

We also use a 5-point algorithm that considers your height, weight, age, gender, and the impedance of the electrical current. This, as we have seen in the research, is required for accuracy and is one of the reasons we pride ourselves on 98-99% repeatability. Other BIA scanners on the market use a 3-point algorithm that ignores your age and gender. Which essentially means that if you step on a competitor’s scanner, it will simply assume you’re a 21-year-old male.

Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis or Bioimpedance Analysis (BIA) works by passing a safe, low intensity electrical current through the body via the tactile points on the machine (feet and hands). The response of biological tissues to an alternating electrical signal applied produces a bioelectrical impedance which is a function of tissue composition as well as the frequency of the applied electrical signal. Impedance varies with tissue structure, tissue composition, tissue health, and signal frequency. The resistance to flow of the alternating current determines the difference between muscle mass, fat mass (including visceral and subcutaneous), water and minerals.

You do not need to remove any clothing unless it is heavy or bulky. Shoes and socks must be removed and feet and hands should be disinfected before a scan. Please ensure all items are removed from your pockets, (I.e. Phones, keys, coins etc.), as it is extra weight that cannot be scanned by the machine.

Metal implants will demonstrate high conductance and low impedance of the alternating electrical current that is used with BIA scanning in a similar manner to tissue that has a high water content such as skeletal muscle. Accordingly, metal implants will impact the scan result and will likely indicate that a person has a higher level of lean body mass that will be representative of a lower overall body fat percentage. However, silicone and ceramic implants have a low conductivity of the electrical current, and will be read as body fat tissue.