As technology advances, your workouts can become even more efficient! Wearables like smartwatches and fitness bands measure your heart rate, steps walked and calories burned. That said, the machinery keeps getting better. Chris Protein Personal Training now uses the InBody 270 machine for body composition analysis. How does it improve your exercise? Here’s what you need to know.
What Is InBody Body Composition Analysis?
When you step onto a scale, you probably know the machine will measure your weight. However, the InBody provides a detailed body composition analysis each time you use it. This portable apparatus doesn’t need long to scan your body and tell you critical physical measurements. Tests take only about 1-2 minutes, and each test indicates your body fat, muscle mass, and water content.
InBody’s machinery is beneficial because it doesn’t rely on empirical estimations based on your gender or ethnicity. Some fitness technology using artificial intelligence (AI) can exhibit implicit or explicit biases if the data is flawed. Many machines use data which causes them to skew towards the average, instead of measuring each person as an individual. Fortunately, the InBody 270 only uses the data it collects from scanning you, providing a unique and more accurate analysis.
How to Prepare for InBody Body Composition Analysis
The InBody 270 is easy to use! All you do is step on the scale, grip the handles, and let the machine do the rest. One of our expert trainers will guide you through the entire process and go over the results with you. After about a minute, you’ll see in depth stats, like body fat, muscle mass, water weight and more. There is even segmental analysis of each limb, so you can see how each part of your body has changed, in addition to the full body measurement.
Before you hop on the InBody machine for body composition analysis, you should know the necessary preparation. The most accurate results require prepping your body the day starting the day before your test. Here’s what you need to know.
Hydration
Staying hydrated is one of the most crucial steps in accurate results. Hydrate throughout the day as you usually would before arriving for your InBody test. When you get to the hour before your scan, drink a glass of water. Each test sees how much water you’ve consumed and if you need more hydration.
Drinking water is crucial to your overall health. If you need help hydrating, carry a reusable bottle, as it’s an excellent reminder. Set an alarm or another alert on your phone to remember to drink some water before your scan, as you don't want to be dehydrated.
Exercising
Getting daily exercise is excellent for your overall health. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends 150 minutes of weekly exercise or 30 minutes daily. However, you shouldn’t exercise before your scan. If you do, the test results could be inaccurate.
An InBody body composition analysis is more accurate when you haven’t exercised within 24 hours. Workouts could elevate your lean body mass and cause inadequate hydration, thus throwing off the results. We recommend taking your scan after a rest day.
Food and Drinks
Before your test, you should also be aware of your food and beverage consumption for accurate results. Using the InBody machine means you shouldn’t eat three hours before your test. Even if it’s healthy, food could alter your body composition and causes inaccuracies.
You should also watch your caffeine consumption the day before your composition analysis. Consuming a lot of caffeine can lead to less accurate tests. For best results, avoid excessive caffeine the previous day.
Clothing and Timing
Gymgoers typically wear loose and comfortable clothing to maximize their workouts. When you arrive for the test, you should wear light garments. Heavy clothing can inaccurately depict your body mass and deliver skewed results. Additionally, jewelry can interfere with electric currents. Typical gym attire minus any electronics, jewelry, or other items is best for scanning.
Lastly, you’ll get the best results if you time your scans consistently. Take the test at the same time of day to show your progress and determine what adjustments you need. If you first scan at 10 a.m., try to ensure your next scan is taken at about the same time.
How Do These Scanners Benefit Your Fitness Journey?
The InBody scanner can improve your results, motivation, and help guide your workouts. Here is how:
Tracking Progress
Your fitness goals are more manageable when you can track them. How much weight did you lose this month, or how much has your muscle mass changed? With the InBody 270, you can see your stats since you first took the test.
When you track your progress, you gain motivation and accountability. Seeing your body composition change in your favor demonstrates the hard work you’ve put in. The machine also provides raw data to hold you accountable and help you stay on your fitness journey.
Preventing Injuries
One of the most critical factors in exercise is injury prevention. If you have a hurt arm or leg, working out is much more challenging. The InBody 270 aids injury prevention by understanding your body composition and determining your imbalances. Your scan could make a huge difference.
For example, the machine could find you have more muscle on one side than the other. With this information, your trainer knows to work one side of your body more for improved strength. The test can also prevent injuries by tracking your hydration levels and encouraging hydration.
Gaining Nutritional Direction
How else can you prevent injuries? A proper diet goes a long way in optimizing your health and fitness. Body composition analyses can tell you how many calories you should eat daily or how much macronutrients you need. For instance, your trainer may find you need additional lean body mass and thus more protein would help.
With a personalized approach to nutrition, you can achieve your desired results faster and more efficiently. The InBody 270 delivers raw data and provides a closer look into your nutritional and recovery needs.
Getting Personalized Workout Plans
The InBody 270 is terrific for personalizing your workouts and getting optimal results.
Understanding your body composition means your trainer can better craft each workout to your goals, and how your progress is going. Exercise isn’t a one-size-fits-all idea, so you benefit from the customization.
Your test could indicate what you need to work on as you go through your fitness journey. If leg muscle mass is lower than ideal, for instance, your trainer can add additional leg training to help your body be more balanced. If tests reveal you are losing body-fat too fast, then adjustments can be made to keep it in the target range.
It can also be used to set goals. For instance, if you know you want to lose weight, but are not sure how much, your trainer can do a test with you to find out. The test will provide insight as to how much weight or fat needs to be lost for you to get into a healthy range. It's not just for fat loss goals though, you can use the same goal setting process to come up with targets for muscle gain and health goals!
Empower Your Workouts at Chris Protein Personal Training with the InBody 270
With technology by your side, your workouts become more powerful. The InBody 270 is excellent for tracking progress and getting the most from your training! Best of all, we provide unlimited scans for our training clients.
If you’re ready to level up your fitness, book a VIP Transformation Session and get a detailed consultation and tour of our facility. You’ll talk with a professional trainer about your fitness goals and learn exactly what will take for you to reach them.
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