Measuring Bodyfat % and LBM

For those who think they are gaining fat, do this, WEEKLY, not daily:

1. Record your BW (body weight)


2. Record your BF% (bodyfat) (get a fat caliper at Amazon.com for $5. I recommend the Accu-Measure Fitness 3000 Personal Body Fat Tester


3. Take your BW x BF%. This is how much fat you are carrying.


4. Take #3's number and subtract it from your BW. This is your LBM (lean body mass). LBM is how much muscle you carry.

Take these measurements WEEKLY at the same time and day. If your BF% is dropping and your LBM is dropping, it means you are losing fat and muscle. If you BF% is dropping and your LBM is staying the same, DON'T CHANGE A THING! If your BF% is dropping and your LBM goes up, you're a genetic freak and I envy you! If your BF% goes up and your LBM goes down, you're losing muscle and gaining fat - NOT GOOD! If your BF% goes up and your LBM stays the same, you're mainting muscle but storing fat (usually happens when you are trying to build muscle or maintain improperly). If your BF% goes up and your LBM goes up, you're building muscle and gaining fat - usually happens when you're trying to build muscle.

Example: Say I am 200 lbs and 15% BF. This means I have a LBM of 170 lbs. Think of LBM as you without fat. Then say in two months, you weigh 205 lbs and your dropped your BF to 14%. One would think, "crap, I gained weight and I'm doing all this work and dieting?" But in actuality, you gained 6.3 lbs of muscle, aka LBM.

The moral here: get a fat caliper and take these measurements. You may THINK you're gaining fat, but really, it could be just LBM. And this is a good thing!