Lean Body Mass (LBM) Calculator

Lean body mass is a very important concept in the science of body composition since it is directly related to how healthy our bodies are. 

In today’s world, where more and more people are morbidly overweight, having as much lean body mass has never been more important.

In addition, calculating lean body mass can be challenging sometimes, and that’s why using an up-to-date calculator is the most precise and requires the least effort. 

Keep reading below to learn what the LBM calculator is, how to use it, what is a free fat mass, and much more.

Quick Summary

• LBM calculator is an online tool used to estimate a person’s lean body mass.
• Lean body mass represents a value that indicates the weight of our body without fat.
• Having more lean body mass has been proven to be beneficial for health since excessive fat is tied to many diseases such as type two diabetes and similar.
• Fat-free mass represents the value of our body weight without fats.
• Measuring body fat percentage can be done with old technology, such as measuring circumferences of the waist, hip, and chest and then calculating using specific formulas.

What Is an LBM Calculator?

An LBM calculator is a piece of online software used for estimating lean body mass. Lean body mass represents the number in kg or lbs which indicates our body weight without fat.

For those looking to not only understand their lean body mass but also improve it, a body recomposition workout plan can be an effective approach.

Lean body mass is an important concept in today’s fitness and wellness, which has grown in popularity due to modern insufficiency of movement and lack of necessity for activities.

Modern technology has led to more comfortable lives, requiring us to make less effort to move and get the things that we could only get by exerting certain effort in outer space. 

This is why having more lean body mass, most of which should be muscles, is so important these days. In addition, it has been scientifically proven that lean body mass has a positive correlation with the longevity of our lives, lower risk of cardiac diseases, and less anxiety and depression. 

Also, having lean body mass is better for our psychology since we perceive our bodies differently when having excessive fat stores compared to the opposite.

The lean body mass calculator will help you easily calculate your lean body mass without much effort and using old and outdated technology. 

What Is Lean Body Mass?

A lean body mass represents a fat-free mass of our bodies.

This means that lean body mass takes into account the weight of different body parts, including our bones, organs, blood, skin, muscles, and everything else that isn't fat but has a certain mass.

One of the reasons it is so crucial to know your lean body mass is that it is necessary to lose weight.

In addition, you can monitor the rate of losing your muscles by simply watching your lean body mass, which you calculated prior to the weight loss journey. 

This is important to know because you may want to change your current diet if you are only losing muscles and not fat at all.

Furthermore, this ineffective diest can be very disappointing, and swapping them for more effective times is crucial before you lose motivation or extra resources. 

You must know how to calculate your lean body mass because that will help you decide how much fat you should lose and what your body fat percentage will look like after the journey. 

Lastly, it is important to mention that it is much more accurate to consider your lean body mass than your body weight to conclude the effects and results of certain diet and exercise regimes.

How to Calculate Lean Body Mass?

You can use different lean body mass equations to calculate lean body mass. One of the most popular equations for calculating lean body mass is the Boer formula, which is thought to be the most accurate.

Here is how to calculate your lean body mass using the Boer formula for both men and women:

• LBM (men) = 0.407 × weight [kg] + 0.267 × height [cm] - 19.2
• LBM (women) = 0.252 × weight [kg] + 0.473 × height [cm] - 48.3

However, if your primary goal is to know your concentration of fat, then you can determine your exact lean body mass with this simple and easy-to-use formula:

• Lean Body Mass = Body Weight - (Body Weight × Body Fat %)

In addition, you will need to:

• Measure your current body weight
• Multiply your current body weight by your fat percentage
• Subtract the end result from your current body weight

This is one of the methods for calculating lean body mass according to the Boer formula, but there are many more. Keep in mind that the Boer formula tends to be the most accurate.

How to Use LBM Calculator?

To use the LBM calculator, you need to enter certain information, including your current weight and height. For those familiar with the BMI calculator, the process is quite similar, but the focus here is on lean body mass rather than body mass index.

Then the calculator uses advanced formulas to calculate your lean body mass for both men and women.

The lean body mass calculator is one of the most effective tools for determining your lean body mass since it uses advanced formulas and requires no effort. In the beginning, you must only type your height, weight and press calculate.

 Usually, the calculator estimates two versions of lean body mass, one for men and the other for women. 

Here is an example of calculating your lean body mass: 

Let's say you weigh 50 kg and are 165 cm tall. After doing the calculations with the previously mentioned formulas, the calculator will show close to 45 kg of NBM if you are a man and 43 kg if you are a woman. 

It is important to mention that the main difference between the lean body mass of men and women is genetics.

It is well-known that the male body contains more muscle mass while the female body naturally has more body fat.

Lean Body Mass vs. Fat Free Mass

Fat-free mass and lean body mass are often used interchangeably, but when discussing fat loss and weight loss, it's essential to understand the differences between these terms. It is important to mention that both terms represent a similar concept but are not quite the same.

This is because lean body mass includes the combined mass of muscles, water, bones, tendons, ligaments, and other internal organs. 

However, our internal organs include some essential fat, and the mass of this fat isn't taken into account in the measurement of lean body mass.

In addition, the surrounding subcutaneous fat around our internal organs isn't considered while calculating lean body mass too. 

So, fat-free mass is basically the difference between total body mass and all fat mass, including the essential fat we mentioned earlier. This is the main difference between lean body mass and fat-free mass. 

The fat-free mass is the result of subtracting the mass of essential fat from our lean body mass.

 Also, it is important to mention that the difference between fat-free and lean body mass is approximately 2-3% in men and 5-12% in women.

Why Is Lean Body Mass Important?

A lean body mass is important because lean body mass is a better indicator of your overall body composition than the scale alone.

This is true even if your scale is accurate.

Also, most body mass index charts come with problems since they often list more muscular individuals as obese, even when it is well-known that they have a low body-fat percentage.

In addition, you can use your lean body mass as a metric for assessing your progress, so you can easily fine-tune your macronutrient intake to build muscles more efficiently. 

Having more lean body mass or higher percentages of lean body mass is a clear indicator of a healthy body and lifestyle.

Most overweight and all obese people suffer from a greater risk of cardiovascular diseases, a greater risk of injury, and a higher risk of depression, and anxiety. 

The best way to avoid these diseases is to lose some weight, preferably lose fat and gain muscle mass.

This is why it is so crucial to calculate your lean body mass and not just your body weight or body mass index. 

Lean body mass is a far better indicator of your health and body composition than body mass index.

You may be an amateur bodybuilder with a low body fat percentage, and on BMI scales, you would be deemed overweight, which isn't the truth.

How to Measure Neck, Waist and Hip Circumference?

You must use the soft measuring tape to measure neck, waist, and hip circumference. 

The lean body mass calculator works and is based, most of the time, on four body measurements.

Those include neck, height, hips, and waist. However, we would also need to consider our gender and age to estimate the percentage of fat and mass accordingly in our bodies. 

Then, after calculating four body measurements, you must subtract the value you get from 100% to get the estimate of lean body mass. 

Here are a couple of pieces of advice on taking these measurements by only using soft measurement tape:

• Height - you should step on a flat surface that is set perpendicular to a wall, a door frame, or a column. Your eyes should be locked straight ahead. Your assistant should place rules or some other object straight on the top of your head, so it becomes horizontal. Then the assistant should mark the spot at which it touches the wall. The last step consists of stepping out and measuring the height from that point to the floor.
• Neck - to measure the neck, you must measure the spot inferior to the larynx with a sloping placed slightly downward to the front, which represents the narrowest point.
• Hips - the hip should be measured at the widest point below your waist. Your feet should be kept together for the most accurate measurement. 
• Waist - you should measure your waist at the widest point of the abdomen. The widest point of the abdomen is at the level of your navel.

Feel free to record all your measurements in different measures, such as inches, feet, or centimeters.

Just keep in mind that you should measure to the nearest half inch or within one centimeter to get the most accurate results.

FAQs

Why Is Lean Body Mass So Important?

Lean body mass is so important because it is one of the best indicators of your body composition and overall health.

Having lower body fat percentages has clearly been shown to have a positive correlation with lower risk of cardiac diseases, type 2 diabetes, and similar.

The easiest way to calculate your lean body mass is to use a lean body mass calculator and provide the necessary information, meaning your body weight and height.