Body Fat Analyzer Question

dbanks80
dbanks80 Posts: 3,685 Member
edited 2:41AM in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
How accurate are those BF analyzer machine thingys. The ones that measure BF, Muscle Mass etc... I get on the machine at my gym maybe once a month. Since I last got on the machine my BF went up 0.3% my Muscle Mass went down 1.5 lbs. I am lifting heavy and even more heavier. The number on the scale went down 7 lbs.

The thing I am most upset about is the 1.5 lbs loss in muscle considering I am lifting the same or more and getting in my protein.

Any thoughts?

Replies

  • Runaroundafieldx2
    Runaroundafieldx2 Posts: 233 Member
    Not very

    Hydration levels effect the reading and that changes hourly
  • Rammer123
    Rammer123 Posts: 679 Member
    dbanks80 wrote: »
    How accurate are those BF analyzer machine thingys. The ones that measure BF, Muscle Mass etc... I get on the machine at my gym maybe once a month. Since I last got on the machine my BF went up 0.3% my Muscle Mass went down 1.5 lbs. I am lifting heavy and even more heavier. The number on the scale went down 7 lbs.

    The thing I am most upset about is the 1.5 lbs loss in muscle considering I am lifting the same or more and getting in my protein.

    Any thoughts?

    The numbers themselves can vary greatly.

    They can be very good tracking tools if you use them properly. And by properly I mean consistently tracking your progress and taking an average over time and comparing the average.

    Getting two points of data randomly like that, probably does not have any true value or validity.

    To show this to yourself you may step on pre workout, ideally before a cardio session or any session where you sweat a decent amount for you. Then re do the test afterwards and note the differences. Then ask yourself if these differences really occurred during this workout. Likely not.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    Some are more accurate than others but all are affected by hydration. If it's the type you just walk up and get on, not very accurate.
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,223 Member
    I wouldn't put too much stock in them as all the above posters mentioned. Losing a lot of weight there's probably going to be some amount of muscle loss but it sounds like you're doing what you can to retain as much as possible; keep lifting and getting your protein. Honestly, if you're liking what you see in the mirror and doing in the weight room the numbers don't matter much.
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,255 Member
    edited July 2019
    One of the best ways to measure lean body mass and fat that is accessible to “the masses” at a reasonable cost is a DEXA scan, and even they are not 100 percent accurate.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    They are not very accurate or reliable BUT if you do not have access to DEXA or hydro testing (which are the most accurate and reliable method for BF measurement) or the $ to pay for them AND if it's the only thing that you can use to try to measure your BF, the device "could" provide an indication of the "trend" in your BF (up, down or sideways) PROVIDED that you use the SAME device under similar circumstances over time (ideally measured no more frequently than 1x/mo) BUT you shouldn't put too much stock in the exact measurements themselves.
  • dbanks80
    dbanks80 Posts: 3,685 Member
    Thank you all so much!

    Everything everyone said here is what my trainer said. I was annoyed when I saw the 1.5 muscle mass loss. I am losing weight, toning and getting really strong so when I saw the 1.5 I was pissed. I guess I will leave that machine alone for a bit since numbers affect my attitude. LOL


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