To calculate your muscle mass, you first need to determine your fat-free mass, which includes muscle, bones, and other tissues.
Understanding Fat-Free Mass
- Your fat-free mass represents everything in your body that isn't fat.
- This includes your muscles, bones, organs, and water.
- To work out muscle mass, you first calculate the fat mass by finding your body fat percentage.
Steps to Calculate Muscle Mass
Here’s a step-by-step guide, based on the reference:
- Measure Your Total Body Weight: Step on a scale and record your total weight.
- Determine Your Body Fat Percentage: Methods to measure body fat include:
- Skinfold calipers
- Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) scales
- DEXA scans
- Underwater weighing
- Calculate Your Fat Mass:
- Multiply your total body weight by your body fat percentage.
- Example: If you weigh 180 pounds and have 25% body fat, your fat mass is 180 lbs 0.25 = 45 pounds.*
-
Calculate Your Fat-Free Mass:
- Subtract your fat mass from your total body weight.
- Example: Following on, your fat-free mass is 180 lbs - 45 lbs = 135 pounds.
-
Approximate Muscle Mass:
- It is important to note, that fat-free mass is not entirely muscle. It includes other tissues, like bone, and water.
- While the fat-free mass can give an approximation, it is not a direct measure of muscle mass.
Example Calculation
| Measurement | Example Value | Calculation |
|---|---|---|
| Total Body Weight | 180 pounds | |
| Body Fat Percentage | 25% | |
| Fat Mass | 180 lbs * 0.25 = 45 lbs | |
| Fat-Free Mass | 180 lbs - 45 lbs = 135 lbs |
Summary
Calculating your approximate muscle mass involves:
- Finding your body fat percentage.
- Calculating your fat mass.
- Subtracting fat mass from your total weight to get fat-free mass. This fat-free mass includes muscle mass along with other tissues, however, it can give a general approximation.
