Body Composition

Every body composition guide we have published, newest first.

8 articles in Body Composition

Body Composition

Body Recomposition: Losing Fat and Gaining Muscle at the Same Time

Losing fat while adding muscle is possible, but not for everyone equally. Here is who it works for, what the trials show, and why the scale stops being useful.

Titus Jones

Body Composition

Ideal Body Weight Formulas Compared: Why Four Equations Give Four Answers

Devine, Robinson, Miller and Hamwi disagree by several kilograms at the same height. The reason is that none of them was built to describe a healthy weight.

Titus Jones

Body Composition

Why Body Composition Formulas Use Different Equations for Men and Women

Navy, Deurenberg, Devine and Mifflin all carry a sex term. Here is the biology behind those terms, how large they are, and why a binary switch is a crude proxy.

Titus Jones

Body Composition

Lean Body Mass: What It Is and Why It Drives Your Metabolism

Lean body mass is everything you are not carrying as fat, and it sets most of your resting energy expenditure. Here is how it is calculated and what it changes.

Titus Jones

Body Composition

How to Measure Body Fat at Home: Methods Ranked by Accuracy

Calipers, tape, smart scales and BMI-based equations all claim to measure body fat. Here is how each one works, how wrong it typically is, and which to trust.

Titus Jones

Body Composition

Body Fat Percentage vs BMI: Which Number Actually Matters?

Body fat percentage describes what your body is made of. BMI describes how heavy you are for your height. Here is when each one earns its place, and where both fail.

Titus Jones

Body Composition

What BMI Actually Measures, and What It Misses

Body mass index is a population screening tool that was never designed to describe an individual body. Here is what the index does well, where it fails, and which measurements to add.

Titus Jones

Body Composition

Waist-to-Height Ratio: The Simplest Risk Marker You're Not Using

Keep your waist under half your height. One tape measure, one division, no reference population needed, and it holds up against BMI on cardiometabolic risk.

Titus Jones

Read the guide, then run the numbers

Each article links to the calculators it discusses, and each calculator shows the equation and source behind its output. Every article carries a named author and a publication date. Nothing here is medical advice. Our editorial policy sets out how we source, review and correct what we publish.

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