What is Lean Body Mass (LBM)?
Simply put, lean body mass is comprised of everything in your body besides body fat. Your lean body mass includes:
Simply put, lean body mass is comprised of everything in your body besides body fat. Your lean body mass includes:
Why Is Knowing Your LBM Important?
Most people rely 100% on the weight scale when attempting to track changes in body fat. During a fat loss program (and even after), tracking body fat directly and tracking LBM is helpful to make sure you are losing only fat and no muscle. Losing muscle is highly undesirable because your metabolism will decrease and you may not look leaner even if you do lose weight.
Lean body mass is also your set point to determine how much fat you should lose and what your body fat percentage will be if you lose a certain amount of fat. There are numerous ways that you can calculate your body fat % but I would recommend investing in a Body Composition Instrument. Most will tell you a range of readings, e.g.
NB Some machines will also give BMI readings - be cautious see Is BMI misleading ?
If you are going to invest in a machine then do some research. Some, particularly the cheaper versions may have a high error rate on the readings. I have used Tanita scales for a number of years and found them very reliable.
Most people rely 100% on the weight scale when attempting to track changes in body fat. During a fat loss program (and even after), tracking body fat directly and tracking LBM is helpful to make sure you are losing only fat and no muscle. Losing muscle is highly undesirable because your metabolism will decrease and you may not look leaner even if you do lose weight.
Lean body mass is also your set point to determine how much fat you should lose and what your body fat percentage will be if you lose a certain amount of fat. There are numerous ways that you can calculate your body fat % but I would recommend investing in a Body Composition Instrument. Most will tell you a range of readings, e.g.
- Your body fat %
- Your Visceral fat %
- Your hydration
- Your Basal Metabolic Rate
- Your bone density
- Your muscle weight
NB Some machines will also give BMI readings - be cautious see Is BMI misleading ?
If you are going to invest in a machine then do some research. Some, particularly the cheaper versions may have a high error rate on the readings. I have used Tanita scales for a number of years and found them very reliable.
Lean body mass is critical to living a long and healthy life. It is THE most important aging biomarker there is.
Your muscle tissue does many things, but for the purposes of understanding it’s role in antiaging, there are three main things: maintaining strength, maintaining bone density, and blood sugar control.
First you need strength to allow you to do daily tasks and take part in vigorous activities like sports and other forms of recreation. Muscles that are strong and supple provide strength, and allow you to live an active life without restrictions.
Muscles exert what is called “torsional force” on your bones, which in turn grow denser and stronger due to the process of “adapting” to the force your muscles put on them. You must build lean body mass to maintain bone density and prevent osteoporosis.
The main fuel that muscles burn when you are active is glucose, which is sugar that has been broken down from carbohydrates you have eaten. When you maintain muscle, you have the ability to burn glucose in your blood stream so that it does not get stored as fat.
Muscles also burn fat when you are at rest, so having plenty of lean muscle tissue allows you to stay trim, as your muscles will burn both the carbohydrates you get in your diet, and also your stored bodyfat, depending on the intensity of your activity.
So!
You can see then that the “lack” of musculature can have serious consequences for your health, as bone density, blood sugar control, and basic strength can all be serious problems that affect the length and quality of your life.
The bottom line is that by building muscle and losing fat you will likely
"Put years on your life and life in your years"
Your muscle tissue does many things, but for the purposes of understanding it’s role in antiaging, there are three main things: maintaining strength, maintaining bone density, and blood sugar control.
First you need strength to allow you to do daily tasks and take part in vigorous activities like sports and other forms of recreation. Muscles that are strong and supple provide strength, and allow you to live an active life without restrictions.
Muscles exert what is called “torsional force” on your bones, which in turn grow denser and stronger due to the process of “adapting” to the force your muscles put on them. You must build lean body mass to maintain bone density and prevent osteoporosis.
The main fuel that muscles burn when you are active is glucose, which is sugar that has been broken down from carbohydrates you have eaten. When you maintain muscle, you have the ability to burn glucose in your blood stream so that it does not get stored as fat.
Muscles also burn fat when you are at rest, so having plenty of lean muscle tissue allows you to stay trim, as your muscles will burn both the carbohydrates you get in your diet, and also your stored bodyfat, depending on the intensity of your activity.
So!
You can see then that the “lack” of musculature can have serious consequences for your health, as bone density, blood sugar control, and basic strength can all be serious problems that affect the length and quality of your life.
The bottom line is that by building muscle and losing fat you will likely
"Put years on your life and life in your years"