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Has anyone ever asked you how much lean body mass you have? I didn’t think so. Don’t expect an infomercial to educate you about lean body mass. The first words spouted from a fitness infomercial are “weight loss,” especially in January.
The truth is this: you will know the success or failure of your exercise program by knowing your lean mass weight. Lean mass can basically be described as all body tissue except fat storage. Lean mass is made up of the cells, water, muscles, bones, and other body organs such as the heart. For the purposes of this article, I will concentrate on muscle mass.
You can make the changes you need to your body’s composition by increasing your muscle mass through weight training. This will help you decrease your body fat to a healthy level. In terms of percentages, your total lean body mass needs to be 70 to 80 percent of your body’s composition to keep your body healthy. Eighty percent lean mass would be very fit and 70 percent would be acceptable.
Change your body's composition to more muscle mass and less fat mass to keep weight loss off for good. That's easier said than done but you must keep that as your main goal when trying to lose weight. It takes longer to change your body's composition, so be patient. It's worth the wait. Quick weight loss gimmicks will never work long-term for you.
As you increase your muscle mass, your total weight may not change much in the beginning. That’s because muscle weighs more than fat. If you are losing inches and body fat, you are on your way to shaping the body you want. And, the weight will eventually melt away.
Here is an example of how to change your body:
A woman weighed 150 pounds, with 30 percent body fat
(lean mass = 105 lbs. and fat mass = 45 lbs.)
Exercise program results after 3 months:
Weight: 130 pounds, 20 percent body fat
(lean mass = 104 lbs. and fat mass = 26 lbs.)
This woman's exercise program was very successful. She lost 20 total pounds, burned 19 pounds of fat and lowered her body fat percentage to 20 percent. And she is maintaining her muscle mass. Burning body fat, especially belly fat, will decrease your risk of developing diseases such as cancer.
After leading a research study, Eric J. Jacobs, PhD, of the American Cancer Society and strategic director of Pharmacoepidemiology stated the following:
“We found a pattern showing that expanding waist size was linked to a greater risk of dying regardless of body weight,” said Jacobs. “Similarly, people with the smallest waist sizes had the lowest risk. The take home message here is watch your waist size regardless of your weight.”
Just remember, its not about losing weight. Shrink your body by building muscle mass. This will help speed your metabolism, burn body fat and keep the weight off for good!
Now, how much lean body mass do you have?
Mark Dilworth, BA, PES, CPT is a Certified Personal Trainer and former NCAA Division I athlete. Mark is the owner of My Fitness Hut, Her Fitness Hut, Sports Fitness Hut and My Nutrition Hut. Mark’s Fat Blaster Athletic Training System has been proven to give his clients the fit, sculpted and athletic-type bodies they want. Visit Mark’s main site:
Your Fitness University http://yourfitnessuniversity.com
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