How to Determine My Body Composition & Muscle Mass
Knowing your body composition and lean muscle mass can be an important step in assessing your overall health and determining fitness goals. While measuring muscle mass is a relatively straight-forward process, as it just compares the amount of fat to muscle in a body, figuring out body composition can be a little trickier. The most common way of assessing body composition is through the body mass index, or BMI. This index uses simple calculations to compare a person's weight and height to determine whether weight falls within a healthy range. Although obtaining these measurements requires effort, they're both important to monitoring your overall health.
Instructions
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BMI
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1
Weigh yourself first thing in the morning before you eat and after you go to the bathroom. Make sure the scale is on a hard, level surface, and don't wear any clothes during your weigh-in. Round your weight to the nearest pound.
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2
Measure your height. Stand with your back against a wall, with your head and eyes facing forward. Use a pencil to mark your height on the wall behind you, measuring from the highest point on your head. Make sure you're not wearing any shoes.
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Use a tape measure to measure from the floor, to the mark on the wall. Mark your height down in inches, measuring to the nearest quarter-inch.
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4
Multiply your weight in pounds by 703 and divide that number by your height in inches. Then, divide the result number by your height in inches again. This final number is your BMI. For example, a person who is 150 pounds and is 68 inches tall would have a BMI of 22.8. (150 x 703 = 104,450; 104,450 / 68 = 1,550.74; 1,550.74 / 68 = 22.8)
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Determine whether your BMI falls within a healthy range. A person is classified as underweight if their BMI is less than 18.5. BMIs from 18.5 to 24.9 are considered healthy, and BMIs between 25 and 30 are considered overweight. Anyone with a BMI between 30 and 40 is considered obese, and a BMI of above 40 indicates extreme obesity.
Lean Muscle Mass
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Use a body fat analyzer to determine your body fat percentage. Follow the instructions that come with the analyzer and answer its questions as truthfully as possible to achieve the most accurate results.
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Determine your body fat mass by multiplying your weight by your body fat percentage. For example, a person that weights 150 pounds and has a body fat percentage of 20 percent would have a body fat mass of 30 pounds.
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Subtract your body fat mass from your weight to determine your lean muscle mass. For example, a 150-pound person with a fat mass of 30 pounds would have a lean muscle mass of 120 pounds.
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Tips & Warnings
Consult with a doctor before beginning any new fitness or diet routine.
References
- Photo Credit SMALL WAIST image by stelian from Fotolia.com
