Lean body mass is the total weight of all the tissue in your body other than fat. You can estimate your lean body mass with formulas that use your body weight and linear measurements that include your waist, hips, forearms and wrist. You must use the correct formula for your gender due to differences in the distribution of body fat. The calculation of lean body mass is a common method of charting your progress in a weight training program.
Step 1
Weigh yourself on bathroom scales to obtain your weight in pounds. Perform this step as soon as you wake up, so that your water weight will be at its lowest level.
Step 2
Take linear body measurements with a tape measure that uses inches. People of both genders must measure the circumference of their waist at navel level. Women must also measure the circumference of their hips, wrist and forearm at their widest points.
Step 3
Compute your lean body mass if you’re female by using the following formula from Dave Draper: (weight x 0.732) – (waist x 0.157) – (hips x 0.249) + (wrist / 3.14) + (forearm x 0.434) + 8.987.
Assume you have the following measurements for this example: 127 lb. body weight, 29-inch waist, 38-inch hips, 6.5-inch wrist and 9-inch forearm. You have a lean body mass of (127 x 0.732) – (29 x 0.157) – (38 x 0.249) + (6.5 / 3.14) + (9 x 0.434) + 8.987 = 94 lb.
Step 4
Compute your lean body mass if you’re male by using the following formula from Dave Draper: (weight x 1.082) – (waist x 4.15) + 94.42.
Assume you have the following measurements for this example: 155 lb. body weight and a 32-inch waist. You have a lean body mass of (155 x 1.082) – (32 x 4.15) + 94.42 = 129 lb.
Things You'll Need
- Bathroom scale
- Tape measure
- Calculator
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