PTC Perth - Get a Dexa Scan

I am sure most of you will know that the easiest way to annoy me is to go on about your training but not actually measure progress. It annoys me professionally given my background as an analyst ( I rely on evidence) and secondly it's dumb. Given the amount of time spent  in the gym if you are not monitoring markers of progress you are simply flying blind.

At PTC Perth we like to be a little more committed to training and therefore have an option for all of our members to perform Dexa scans to measure body composition changes and understand actual phsyiological impacts of training. Now the powerlifter in you will say..well if the numbers on the bar are going up then  its all good. However if you take a longer more sensible view training should also be about positive physical changes otherwise you can end up looking like a chunky super-heavy weight before you can say pass the bacon!

So what are DexaDexa scans? Dual  Energy  X‐ray  Absorptiometry  (DEXA)  is  the most  accurate  measure  of  body  composition  available  (muscle  and  fat  percentages  for whole  body,  trunk,  arms  and  legs). This provides a perfect method to track decreasing body fat or increasing muscle mass.  As a bonus it also measures your bone density. Why is measuring bone density body composition important? Well for most of us it wont be necessary but as you age bones  demineralise  and  this  can  lead  to  reduced  bone  density  and  in  some cases,  osteoporosis  and  the  mortality  rate  is  markedly  increased  after  an  osteoporotic fracture.


So how does it work. Well to get the great PTC rate you have to obviously be a member of PTC Perth. You head off to the testing centre and see the fantastic team at ECU Joondalup. The procedure goes like this: Each  scan  takes  between  5‐10  minutes  and involves  lying  supine  with  the  legs  positioned  to allow  reproducible  and  accurate  results.  The scanner  is  painless  and  uses  very  low  level radiation (less than a flight to the East coast).  An accredited  Exercise  Physiologists  will  be  able  to answer any questions at the time of the scan.

In my experience it is simple straight forward and I get one performed every 5 months to track my body composition changes.

If you want more details e-mail me, leave a comment or see Paul,Dan or myself in the gym.

Stay Strong Thomo