Body Composition: Body FAT Mass v.s. Lean Muscle Mass

Good weight loss vs. Bad Weight loss

By Coach E. Allen Founder Atlas Pro Training LLC

I can speak from experience as a trainer and former college and professional athlete that recording and tracking your body composition during training can improve your results and give you the blueprint to reaching your goals even if you fall off the wagon and regain that extra 20 - 25 lb over the holidays or on a vacation. There are 4 ways body composition can help improve your training experience along with your health in general, but only if you are looking for a long-term solution and not a quick fix plan that will leave you 30-40 lb heavier and wondering what happened. These are the 4 reasons you should be using body composition to improve your training experience:

1. Body composition testing and analysis completed every 4-6 weeks will hold you accountable to the training program and keep you engaged during the process. In my experience, this has helped me become a better coach and trainer.  

2. Body Composition Testing and analysis will help you see your true progress beyond the scale, which will help you see any flaws in your training program. You and your trainer will have the information needed to adjust and change your training program to reach your goal. 

3. You will see the hard number of your true body weight not just what you have lost, and hopefully the value of hiring a trainer.  Some weight loss can be a false positive event in which the true loss could be the loss of valuable lean muscle (which contributes to slower metabolism and limited fat loss) or above-average dehydration.

4. Body Composition Testing and analysis can be essential in helping you assess your health due to the fact that loss of lean body mass could be a sign of a serious medical condition, such as a metabolic disorder like diabetes mellitus. 

There are several different methods to test your body composition, the 5 main methods are:

• Bioelectric impedance- this uses an electric current to measure body composition by measuring the time it takes for the current to travel through the body using various currents and frequencies to measure and calculate the speed. The technology for the test has improved and is very fast and easy to use.      

• DEXA- uses X-ray to measure body composition, primarily used to measure bone density and loss. 

• Hydrostatic weighing- Uses water displacement to measure body composition. This testing method can be found mostly in a clinical setting such as a college research lab or medical facility because of its accuracy.

• The Bod Pod- which uses air displacement to measure body composition. This is one of the more popular methods used because it is not as invasive as other tests and is very accurate but expensive.

• The skin fold test- used calipers to measure skin folds on several areas of the body. This is not the most comfortable method but it can be accurate when done consistently.  

No one Body Composition testing method is better than the other, in my opinion, you should pick the testing and analysis method that best suits your schedule, that is easy to access. Be if not you will not be consistent, and that fits your budget and time. Regardless of what method you chose to use for your body composition measurement, it is best to use one testing and analysis method to ensure accurate and consistent results to limit conflict and false information. Take a few minutes to research and find the best method for you and measure your progress beyond the scale.  No matter what your health and fitness goals body composition testing and analysis will be a game-changer for you and give you the information you need to truly transform your body.    

Click the button to schedule your first InBody Body Composition test and analysis.