Lean Body Mass (LBM)
Lean Body Mass is the total weight of your body minus all fat mass. It includes muscles, bones, organs, water and skin, and is often used as an indicator of overall health and fitness.
Why track my Lean Body Mass?
Lean body mass (LBM) is an important metric for understanding your overall body composition and plays a crucial role in fitness, health, and metabolism.
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Unlike traditional weighing, which doesn’t differentiate between fat, muscle, or water, LBM gives a clear picture of your true fitness progress. You might not see much change on the scale, but increasing LBM means you're gaining muscle and improving your health.
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Lean body mass (LBM) is an important metric for understanding your overall body composition and plays a crucial role in fitness, health, and metabolism.
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Unlike traditional weighing, which doesn’t differentiate between fat, muscle, or water, LBM gives a clear picture of your true fitness progress. You might not see much change on the scale, but increasing LBM means you're gaining muscle and improving your health.
Are there other ways to track LBM?
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Body Fat Scales (Bioelectrical Impedance): Estimates fat and lean mass by sending a small electrical current through the body.
DEXA Scan: A highly accurate scan that measures bone density, fat, and lean mass.
Skinfold Calipers: Estimates body fat percentage, which can then be used to calculate LBM.
Hydrostatic Weighing: Measures body density to differentiate between fat and lean mass.​​​
​Tracking LBM can provide insights to help you achieve a number of goals along your health & fitness journey.
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Better Fitness Insights:
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Focus on Fat Loss, Not Just Weight Loss: If you're trying to lose weight, knowing your LBM ensures you're losing fat, not muscle.
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Monitor Muscle Growth: For those strength training or bodybuilding, tracking LBM helps measure muscle gain over time.
Boosts Metabolic Rate:
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Muscle Burns More Calories: The more muscle you have, the higher your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), meaning you burn more calories at rest.
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Prevents Metabolic Slowdown: Losing muscle during weight loss can slow your metabolism, making it harder to keep weight off.
Improves Physical Performance:
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Higher LBM usually correlates with better strength, endurance, and overall athletic performance.
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It’s key for activities that rely on muscle mass, like lifting, sprinting, or high-intensity sports.
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Supports Long-Term Health:
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Maintains Mobility with Age: As you age, muscle mass naturally declines (a condition called sarcopenia), increasing the risk of falls and frailty. Tracking LBM helps you counteract this through strength training and nutrition.
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Prevents Chronic Diseases: Higher LBM is associated with lower risks of diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and osteoporosis.
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Tailors Nutrition and Training:
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Knowing your LBM helps fine-tune protein intake and workout plans, ensuring you're supporting muscle maintenance or growth.
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