Lean Body Mass Calculator
Calculate your lean body mass (LBM), which is your total weight minus body fat. Understand your body composition for better fitness and health planning.
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Understanding Lean Body Mass (LBM)
Lean Body Mass (LBM) represents the total weight of your body minus all the weight due to fat mass. LBM includes the weight of your bones, muscles, organs, skin, and body water. It's a crucial metric for understanding your body composition and overall health, often providing more insight than body weight alone.
How is LBM Calculated?
There are several formulas to estimate LBM. This calculator uses three common and scientifically validated formulas: the Boer formula, the Hume formula, and the James formula. Each uses a combination of height and weight.
Boer Formula:
Men: LBM = (0.407 × W) + (0.267 × H) - 19.2
Women: LBM = (0.252 × W) + (0.473 × H) - 48.3
Hume Formula:
Men: LBM = (0.32810 × W) + (0.33929 × H) - 29.5336
Women: LBM = (0.29569 × W) + (0.41813 × H) - 43.2933
James Formula:
Men: LBM = 1.1 × W - 128 × (W / H)²
Women: LBM = 1.07 × W - 148 × (W / H)²
(W = Weight in kg, H = Height in cm)
Our calculator averages the results from these formulas to provide a balanced estimate.
Why is LBM Important?
LBM is a better indicator of metabolic rate than total body weight. Muscle tissue is more metabolically active than fat tissue, meaning it burns more calories at rest.
- Fitness Goals: When you're trying to lose weight, your goal should be to lose fat while preserving or increasing LBM (muscle). Tracking LBM helps ensure you're losing the right kind of weight.
- Medical Dosages: Some medication dosages are more accurately calculated based on LBM rather than total body weight, especially for individuals at the extremes of the weight spectrum.
- Nutritional Planning: Protein and calorie needs are often tied to lean mass. Athletes and bodybuilders use LBM to fine-tune their diets for optimal performance and body composition.
Practical Example
Let's estimate the LBM for a man who is 70 kg and 175 cm tall using the Boer formula.
- Apply the Boer formula for men: LBM = (0.407 × 70 kg) + (0.267 × 175 cm) - 19.2
- Calculation: LBM = 28.49 + 46.725 - 19.2
- Result: LBM ≈ 56.0 kg (or 123.5 lbs).
This suggests that approximately 56 kg of his total body weight is composed of lean mass, with the remaining 14 kg being fat mass.
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