Does (LBM) Determine the Complete Size of a Bodybuilder

[bbxtreme]

The point I was trying to make is that while I successfully reduced my body fat percentage, I also unintentionally lost a significant amount of lean muscle mass.

This was surprising to me and made me realize that dieting too aggressively can lead to a loss of muscle mass along with fat. I'm currently working on building back my LBM while maintaining a healthier approach to dieting.

The other part of question was and maybe confusing was even with the loss of lean bodymass.

LBM is a crucial component in bodybuilding and certainly a primary determinant of overall size, it's not the only factor to consider.

Some people may lose more LBM during dieting, but other factors like muscle distribution, bone structure, and overall proportions can influence how noticeable this loss is in their appearance.

Guess my original post was .

No it made sense. Your numbers just don’t match. But I personally don’t care how big you are. lol

Glad you found the answer you wanted. But to answer your original question LBM is all that truly matters in bodybuilding as that’s what we strive to gain more of.

Carrying more bodyfat and water will give the illusion of being bigger, especially if wearing clothes. But doesn’t mean you are.

I’ve never met a competitor who dieted down and said “I had just as much muscle as I thought”. Lol we are all always chasing more and think we can and should be bigger (have more LBM).

 

[Sacario]

I started my dieting journey at a total weight of 230 pounds with approximately 22% body fat. This put my Lean Body Mass (LBM) at around 178 pounds.

After committing to a strict diet for a little over three months, or about 13 weeks, my weight dropped to 193 pounds with an estimated body fat percentage of 12%.
This resulted in my LBM decreasing to 169 pounds.

As someone pointed out earlier, it seems I may have dieted too aggressively, leading to a more significant loss in LBM than anticipated. Currently, I weigh between 195-200 pounds and am focused on building back my lean body mass.

Why would you want to start adding back at 12 to 14%? You'll be fluffy again in a month and just yo yo back and forth.

Trust me I got caught up in this when I was younger. Just bite the bullet and diet to at least single digits. Then bring the calories up "slowly "

 

[TheOtherOne55]

Shelby said it all. And yes it was kind of an illogical point. LBM is 1000% important, u shouldn’t even have to ask that question.

You unintentionally dieted too hard. If I were u, I’d hire a coach. Take the guesswork out it.