The Muscle Index.pdf

The Muscle Index

How to Accurately Measure Muscle Mass

Measuring muscle mass isn’t as simple as it might seem, and unless you have access to a high tech body

composition lab you will be left guessing at how much muscle mass you have and more importantly if

your muscles are growing.

There is confusion and some common mistakes made when trying to define muscle mass gains and

changes in muscle mass, and much of this confusion comes from a misunderstanding of the following

two definitions “Lean Body Mass” and “Skeletal Muscle Mass”.

Lean Body Mass - Definition:

This is all the parts of your body that are not fat. This includes skeletal muscle, smooth muscle, bone,

organs, blood vessels, blood, intracellular water, extracellular water, and depending on the way you

measure it the food in your stomach and intestines will also show up as lean body mass.

Skeletal Muscle Mass - Definition:

Skeletal muscles are the ones you build in the gym by working out with weights like your biceps, chest

legs and back. You have conscious control of your skeletal muscles. In other words you can decide when

you want to flex these muscles (as opposed to the smooth muscles of your digestive and cardiovascular

system which are not consciously controlled…you don’t have to consciously think to make your heart

beat or your intestine digest food).

Skeletal muscle mass usually makes up about 50% of your total Lean body Mass (the rest is bone, blood,

organs, smooth muscles, water and other non muscle tissues).

These definitions are important because “Lean Body Mass” and “Skeletal Muscle Mass” are often

assumed to be the same thing (which as you can see they are not).

Many measurement techniques can only determine changes in total Lean Body Mass without

distinguishing the skeletal muscle mass component from the rest. Research studies on muscle building

tend to look at total lean body mass changes instead of skeletal muscle mass changes specifically. This

can produce false results as transient changes in hydration (body water) and food in your system (having

a full or empty stomach) can greatly influence your lean body mass measurement without any real

change in skeletal muscle mass.

In fact rapid changes in bodyweight are usually due to changes in the other parts of your Lean Body

Mass that are NOT Skeletal Muscle.

The most accurate way of measuring changes in the size of specific muscles is with a DEXA scanning

machine. But this unfortunately is not available to the general public as it is a highly specialized and

incredibly expensive piece of scientific equipment that is usually only found in composition labs in

universities or other highly specialized health care facilities. Some universities and colleges offer a body

composition service to the public for a fairly decent price (approx $50). If you check with your local

university you might be able to get into one of these labs to have you body composition done. Just be

aware that they typically will only be measuring Total Lean Body Mass vs Fat Mass and have limited or

no ability to distinguish how much Skeletal Muscle Mass you actually have. From there the base

assumption will be that approx 50% of your total lean mass is skeletal muscle.

In other words, since you’re not getting your hands on a DEXA or physiology lab any time soon you’ve

got to come up with a cheaper and simpler way to measure your muscle mass.

This manual is a comprehensive step by step procedure on how to measure your muscle mass without

becoming a body composition scientist.

There are 2 facts that we know about body composition that can be combined to create a simple and

effective way to measure gains in muscle mass.

1. Muscle Cross Sectional Area is directly related to the strength of the muscle. In other words,

the bigger the muscle is the strong it is. I’m sure this isn’t news to you.

2. Your waist measurement can give us an accurate indication of your overall fat mass as men

typically store the bulk of their fat around the waist.

With these two pieces of information we can determine how much muscle you have with the two

following measurements:

1. Volume Index ( VI ): compares muscle size to waist size

2. Strength Index ( SI ): compares strength to bodyweight

VI x SI = Muscle Index ( MI )

The Muscle Index is your most accurate way of determining both your total muscle mass and changes in

your total muscle mass. This is a relative number that accounts for your body weight, fat mass and

hydration status.

The following pages of this guide show you how to calculate your Volume Index and Strength Index.

These two values multiplied together give you your Muscle Index number.

Volume Index ( VI )

There are multiple key circumference measurements that tell us about the size of various muscles on

your body. The key circumference measurements you must take are as follows:

M#1: Upper arm circumference

Take this measurement at the thickest part of your bicep/tricep girth. Take this measurement in the

flexed position (keep in mind to flex both bicep and tricep at the same time)

M#2: Shoulder circumference

This is a measurement of the circumference of your shoulder girdle which includes the size and

thickness of your shoulders mid chest, traps and upper back. Take this measurement standing in good

posture with the tape wrapping around the outside of your shoulders across the middle of your chest

and across the widest part of your upper back. The tape measure should be lined up with the widest

part of your shoulders and will be approximately at the height of your arm pit (as viewed with your arms

relaxed at your sides)

M#3: Chest circumference

This measurement is taken as a circumference around the thickest part of your chest and around your

back. The tape measure goes under your arms and around your chest at approximately the height of

your nipples.

M#4: Thigh circumference

Thigh measurement is taken at the thickest part of your leg approximately 2/3 up from your knee joint.

Take this as a circumference around your leg.

M#5: Waist circumference

Take your waist measurement at the level of your belly button.

Add the first 4 measurements together (M1 to M4) then divide it by the M5, the answer is your Volume

Index (VI).

Volume Index Measurement Guide

M#2

M#1

M#3

Measure at the thickest part

M#5

M#4

Note: Keep in mind that each of

these measurements are a

circumference of the given area.

Calculating Volume Index ( VI )

(M1 + M2 + M3 + M4) ÷ M5 = VI

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