The InBody scan is a great tool quantifying your body composition. It is less invasive than other methods and also less expensive. All you do is stand on the platform and hold the handles at your side. Other methods would require you to strip down to your underwear or be in your bathing suit, which may not be comfortable for everyone, and can cost over $100 per use. But no test is perfect and each have their own variables for getting the most accurate results.
The muscle-fat analysis is a useful metric on your InBody results to understand your current body composition and can offer insight into what changes to make to improve your body composition and health. First lets break down each of the parts:
Weight - this one is obvious, your total body weight
Skeletal Muscle Mass (SMM) - this is the total weight of your skeletal muscle. These are the muscles that can be grown and developed through exercise. Unlike lean body mass (LBM) which is everything that isn't body fat. An increase in SMM is actual muscle gain
Body Fat Mass - This is how much body fat you have, both surface level and internally
The bars of these different parts will create a shape, 'C' 'I' or 'D', that is helpful for creating a discussion on the best way to achieve the results you are looking for. So lets look at what these shapes are and what they tell us.
A "C" shape muscle fat analysis is indicative of someone overweight or obese, with a higher percentage of body fat. But people that are normal or underweight can also have a "C" shape result. The recommendation for this person would be to reduce body fat mass and increase their skeletal muscle mass.
An "I" shape muscle fat analysis indicates a balanced body composition, meaning their weight SMM and body fat mass are in align. While these people can be at a healthy body weight they can have risks if their body fat is too high. Focusing on increasing muscle mass would increase their strength and size or focusing on reducing body fat mass while maintaining muscle mass would improve their overall leanness.
A "D" shape muscle fat analysis indicates a larger SMM which is indicative of an "athletic" body type. For this individual it is important to monitor these numbers based on their goals. If they want to build muscle, we would pay attention if their body fat mass was also increasing. If they wanted to get leaner, we would want to make sure they are not losing skeletal muscle mass.
If you would like to schedule an InBody assessment, email info@superior-athletic.com
Stay tuned for the next article on what to do to build muscle or lose fat.