What Is an InBody Scan, and Why It Tells You More Than the Scale

If you have ever stepped on a scale after a month of hard work and seen the number barely move, you know how discouraging it can be. The trouble is that a scale measures total weight and nothing else. It cannot tell whether you lost fat, gained muscle, or simply held more water that day. A body composition scan can.

What an InBody scan is

An InBody scan is a body composition test. You stand on the device, hold 2 hand grips and stay still for a short time while it runs. A safe, low-level electrical current moves through the body and the device measures how easily it passes through different tissues. Muscle and water conduct the current well, while fat does not, so the readings reveal how your weight is divided. This method is called bioelectrical impedance, and the InBody 570 uses it to analyze the arms, legs and trunk separately.

What it measures

• Body fat. Both the amount in pounds and the percentage of your total weight.
• Skeletal muscle mass. The muscle you can build through training.
• Body water. A guide to hydration, which affects everything else on the page.
• Segmental balance. How muscle and fat are spread across each arm, each leg and the trunk, which can show where one side is behind the other.
• Visceral fat level. An estimate of the fat stored around the organs, which is linked to long-term health.

Why it is more useful than weight alone

Imagine 2 people who both weigh 180 pounds. One carries more muscle and less fat, the other the reverse. They look different, move differently and face different health risks, yet the scale shows the same number. During a training program, you may add muscle while losing fat, so weight stays flat even though your body is changing for the better. A scan makes that progress visible and keeps you motivated when the scale does not.

How to get an accurate reading

Body composition devices are sensitive to hydration, so a few habits make results easier to compare from month to month:

1. Scan at a similar time of day each time.
2. Avoid a hard workout or a sauna right before the scan.
3. Drink water normally, and avoid a large meal just before.
4. Wear light clothing and remove metal and socks if asked.

Even then, treat a single reading as a snapshot. Trends over several months tell you far more than any one result.

Who should be careful

Bioelectrical impedance devices are generally not recommended for people with a pacemaker or other implanted electronic device, and they are not advised during pregnancy. If either applies to you, mention it before the scan and your trainer will find another way to track progress.

Try it with HASfit

Every new client starts with a free InBody 570 scan as part of the $100 free training offer, and monthly scans are included so you can follow your results. Claim your free training and see what your own numbers look like, or read how personal training at HASfit works.