The InBody 270 result sheet is a single-page printout packed with numbers, bar charts, and ranges that can feel overwhelming at first glance. Once you understand what each section measures and where your numbers should fall, the sheet becomes a straightforward snapshot of your body composition. Here’s how to read it from top to bottom.
Body Composition Analysis
The top section of your result sheet breaks your total weight into its core components: total body water, dry lean mass, and body fat mass. Together, these three numbers add up to your total weight. Total body water is the water inside and outside your cells. Dry lean mass is everything that isn’t water or fat, primarily protein and minerals in your muscles, bones, and organs. Body fat mass is exactly what it sounds like.
This breakdown matters because two people at the same weight can have very different compositions. If your body fat mass is high relative to your lean mass, that tells a different story than the scale alone. The InBody 270 uses bioelectrical impedance, sending small electrical currents through your body via the hand and foot electrodes, to estimate how much of you is water, lean tissue, and fat.
Muscle-Fat Analysis
This section displays three horizontal bar charts for weight, skeletal muscle mass, and body fat mass. Each bar shows where you fall relative to the normal range for someone of your height. The key to reading this section is comparing the lengths of the bars to each other, not just checking whether each one is in range.
A healthy pattern looks like a “D” shape: the skeletal muscle mass bar extends further to the right than the weight bar, and the body fat mass bar is shorter than both. If your body fat bar stretches further right than your muscle bar (a “C” shape), that suggests you’re carrying more fat relative to muscle than is ideal. If all three bars are roughly the same length, your weight is normal but your muscle-to-fat ratio could improve. This visual comparison is one of the most useful parts of the entire sheet because it shows your body’s balance at a glance.
Obesity Analysis
The obesity analysis section reports two key metrics: BMI and percent body fat (PBF). BMI is your weight divided by your height squared. It’s a rough screening tool, and most people are already familiar with it. The more useful number here is percent body fat.
For men, the healthy range for percent body fat is 10 to 20%. For women, it’s 18 to 28%. These ranges are based on guidelines from the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Council on Exercise. Women naturally carry more body fat due to reproductive biology, which is why their healthy range is higher.
Your result sheet will show where you land within, above, or below these ranges. If your BMI is normal but your percent body fat is high, that can indicate what’s sometimes called “normal weight obesity,” meaning you look fine on a standard scale but carry excess fat relative to muscle. The reverse is also possible: someone with a lot of muscle mass might have a high BMI but a perfectly healthy body fat percentage.
Segmental Lean Analysis
This section breaks your lean mass into five segments: right arm, left arm, trunk, right leg, and left leg. Each segment shows a bar indicating whether you have enough lean mass for your body size. The percentage shown (such as 100%, 85%, or 115%) represents how your actual lean mass in that segment compares to the ideal amount for someone of your weight.
A score of 100% means your lean mass in that segment matches what’s expected. Below 100% suggests you could build more muscle there. Above 100% means you’re carrying more lean mass than average for your size. This section is especially useful for spotting imbalances. If your right arm reads 110% and your left arm reads 90%, that’s a meaningful asymmetry that could be worth addressing through targeted training. Athletes recovering from injuries on one side of the body often see this kind of gap.
Body Composition History
Near the bottom of the sheet, you’ll find a section that tracks your results over time. Each time you test on the same InBody 270 (with your profile saved), your weight, skeletal muscle mass, and percent body fat are plotted so you can see trends. A single test gives you a snapshot, but tracking over weeks or months reveals whether your training and nutrition are actually shifting your composition in the direction you want.
Look for skeletal muscle mass trending upward and body fat mass trending downward (or staying stable, depending on your goals). If your weight stays the same but muscle goes up and fat goes down, that’s a successful body recomposition that a regular scale would completely miss.
InBody Score
Your InBody score is a composite number out of 100 that reflects your overall body composition. It weighs muscle mass more heavily than fat mass, so someone with more muscle and less fat scores higher. Think of it as a single summary grade. A score around 70 to 80 is typical for a generally healthy person. Scores above 80 reflect a strong muscle-to-fat ratio, and scores below 70 suggest room for improvement in either building muscle, losing fat, or both.
While the score offers a quick reference point, the individual metrics above it tell a much richer story. Two people with a score of 75 could have very different compositions, so use the score as a motivational benchmark rather than a diagnostic tool.
Getting Accurate Results
The numbers on your result sheet are only as reliable as the conditions under which you tested. Hydration, food intake, and recent exercise all affect how electrical currents travel through your body, which directly changes your readings. To get the most accurate and consistent results, follow these guidelines before every test:
- Hydrate well the day before, but avoid drinking large amounts of water right before your test, as excess fluid in your stomach can skew readings.
- Fast for 3 to 4 hours before testing. Food in your digestive system adds to your measured weight and can alter impedance readings.
- Skip caffeine on the day of your test, since it acts as a diuretic and affects hydration levels.
- Avoid exercise for 6 to 12 hours before testing. Working out redistributes fluid in your body and temporarily changes your measurements.
- No alcohol for 24 hours prior, as it significantly affects hydration.
- Use the restroom right before stepping on the device.
- Don’t apply lotion to your hands or feet, which can interfere with the electrode contact.
- Stand upright for at least 5 minutes before testing so body water distributes naturally.
- Avoid testing after a shower or sauna, since heat changes how your body conducts electrical current.
For tracking progress, test at the same time of day under the same conditions each time. Morning tests before eating tend to produce the most consistent baselines. Even small deviations in hydration can shift your body fat reading by a percentage point or two, so controlling these variables matters more than most people realize.