Tell me more ×
Physical Fitness Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for physical fitness professionals, athletes, trainers, and those providing health-related needs. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 1 down vote favorite

I want to know how to calculate how much muscle mass one has as opposed actually body fat.

share|improve this question
6  
Short answer is that you can't. You can calculate body fat%: fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/262/…. Unfortunately the amount of mass that is not fat is composed of things that do vary such as water weight, amount of undigested food, etc. – Berin Loritsch Jan 16 '12 at 11:43
You may want to post his comment as an answer... even if it is a partial one. – Justin Jan 16 '12 at 16:52

4 Answers

up vote 4 down vote accepted

When we interview Get Fit Guy, Ben Greenfield for the blog, he mentioned a an ultrasound device which he describes more in his podcast (around the 45-minute mark) with the creator of the BodyMetrix.

Intelamterix makes a product called BodyMetrix that can accurately scan your body fat percentage and track your fat loss and muscle gain. The way the BodyMetrix works is by using ultrasound waves to penetrate the tissue and detect the reflections that occur at different tissues boundaries (such as between fat and bone and bone and muscle). Taking measurements at multiple points of the body can give you and accurate percentage of body fat.

Compared to other methods, the BodyMetrix:

  • Does not require a trained specialist or certified technician to operate
  • Measures consistently regardless of caffeine, alcohol, or hydration levels
  • Is more comfortable than pinching (with calipers), being fully submerged underwater (underwater weighing), or being sealed in a small chamber (air displacement)

The product's faq states:

  • Assessments can take 2-10 minutes
  • Training materials are provided (user's guides, videos, or live web training for Pro users)
  • More accurate than skin fold calipers or bio-electrical impedance devices
  • Results are comparable to underwater weighing and air displacements
  • Non-invasive and portable
  • Safe for children (but not intended for use on children under 6 years)

There are two versions of the BodyMetrix, Personal and Pro. It is quite costly ($495 for the Personal version) and even more so for the Pro version ($1895).

The software itself tracks measurements and can generate reports. Screenshots of measurements and trend from the software (taken from IntelaMetrix's website):

Bodyview 2D body fat measurement screenshot Bodyview 2D weight and body fat % trends

share|improve this answer
I've used one of these, and I've been pretty happy with it. There's still a bit of technique to measuring consistently, but it just takes a bit of practice. – Greg♦ Feb 19 '12 at 16:26
up vote 2 down vote

Short answer is that you can't. You can calculate body fat%, unfortunately the amount of mass that is not fat is composed of things that do vary such as water weight, amount of undigested food, etc. Considering even the difficulty in just measuring body fat, you will do good just to keep track of that.

Assuming you keep your diet consistent, you can keep track of weekly changes in lean mass to get an idea of which way things are changing.

A less sophisticated way is to take flexible tape measurements of all your major muscles that you want to track. When things are growing in the right proportions, you are doing well. If not, you'll either need to change your training or your diet.

share|improve this answer
up vote 1 down vote

A low dollar scale on Amazon is the Omron HBF-306C.

I don't work for Amazon, so if you can find it somewhere else I will not be hurt. ;)

Omron HBF-306C

share|improve this answer
fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/262/… NOTE: bio-electric impedance devices are notoriously inaccurate--particularly for athletic people (even with the "Athletic Mode"). – Berin Loritsch Jan 18 '12 at 20:17
They are more accurate than some high school kid at the gym desk who doesn't know how to correctly measure with skin calipers, and these devices are hundreds of dollars less than installing a hydrostatic water tank to measure body fat. The OP never said he wanted/needed extreme precision. – jp2code Jan 18 '12 at 22:39
I'm not thinking in terms of raw accuracy. I'm thinking more in terms of consistency. Just a little difference in hydration can have a profound affect on the percentage that the device shows. And that can be affected by how dry the air is in your house, how much you drank (or didn't), etc. – Berin Loritsch Jan 19 '12 at 14:33
up vote 1 down vote

Body fat measurement scales work well enough for your purposes. I've used one for years.

However, I suggest you set yourself up a protocol so that you are consistently measuring. I do it every week, on a Tuesday to allow a day after my last long run on a Sunday. I do it in the morning, before breakfast but after I've used the toilet.

I write the results down in a little notebook and use it to tell me where I am in terms of muscle and fat.

share|improve this answer
Hey Sarge. How exactly does this technique tell you where you are in terms of muscle and fat? I used a technique similar to this years back, and I was unknowingly starving my body and losing muscle tissue. – jp2code Jan 18 '12 at 22:42
The body fat measurement scales give you body fat as a % and your weight in kg (or lb). Hence, if you see your weight going up you can see if you're adding it as fat or muscle. Vice versa on the way down. – Sarge Jan 18 '12 at 23:56

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.