Between watching Netflix’s You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment and reading about Cassey Ho’s 90 Day Journey to Muscle, I’ve been curious about DEXA scans for years. After adding in more weight training with Caroline Girvan’s IRON Series, I’ve been especially curious whether that has translated to more muscle mass.

But, unfortunately, the nearest location offering scans that weren’t for medical reasons/doctor ordered was hours away. However, a new DexaFit location recently popped up near me and I decided to end my curiosity and take the plunge!

Please note: These are my personal ramblings on my personal experiences with getting a DEXA scan. I’m not a personal trainer, medical doctor, or anything related to the healthcare/fitness/wellness world. Talk to your doctor about changes to your exercise habits, diet, etc., rather than random people on the internet.

My Experience Getting a DEXA Scan

It may vary a bit by location, but the DexaFit near me offers a variety of services including:

• DEXA Body Composition Scan
• V̇O₂ max Performance Test
• RMR Metabolic Analysis
• Biomarker Analysis

While I’m interested in eventually doing the V̇O2 max test, I’m still fighting this ever persistent ankle injury, so I decided to just go with the DEXA Body Composition Scan for now.

I found making an appointment online to be very easy as my location had a lot of available time slots to pick from. I was also able to find a 20% off code, so in the end, I booked my appointment for about $143. It’s a bit of a splurge, in my opinion, and it’s possible other places offer the scans cheaper.

The appointment itself went very quick. Once it was my turn, I just laid down on the scanning machine and it was over in a matter of minutes. As part of my appointment instructions, I was told to avoid wearing jewelry and clothing with metal accessories and large zippers.

The results are nearly instantaneous, so that was nice! I was able to review the results with the person who scanned me within the same appointment. The results were also emailed to me and posted in an app.

My Takeaways from Getting a DEXA Scan

My intention behind getting this DEXA scan was purely informational and more to satisfy my curiosity rather than to do anything specific about the results. I, personally, found the results to be helpful to learn more about fat and muscle, rather than bone density and bone health. However, there is some information about that too.

I won’t be posting my personal results, but the app does have a lot of information to browse through including:

• Body fat percentage and body fat in pounds broken down by total body, trunk, arms and legs
• Lean mass percentage and lean mass in pounds broken down by total body, trunk, arms and legs
• Belly fat, including visceral fat and A/G ratio (android fat/gynoid fat)
• Bone density T-Score and Z-Score, and bone mineral density by body part
• Biological age

It looks like the DexaFit app will be adding some AI technology and features, but, as of writing, they aren’t currently available.

I wouldn’t say there were any major surprises in my results. In terms of body composition, the app recommends that I add more muscle and lose fat. Adding muscle mass (and supporting my bone density) has been my goal for a while! In hindsight, I wish I had been able to get a scan done before I committed to lifting weights a few times a week using Caroline Girvan programs. It would have been nice to see my starting point and the progress I made. I was also extremely happy to see that the scan showed only low levels of visceral fat!

I don’t currently have a specific fitness journey/goal in mind, but I do think it would be neat to do a DEXA scan, commit to doing some sort of challenge, and then do a follow-up scan to see how my body composition changed. That may be something I consider doing in the future.

My Final Thoughts on Getting a DEXA Scan

Overall, the experience was what I had expected. I learned more about my body composition and have some goals to work toward. I was happy to see the lean mass in my left and right arms were equal, however, my legs could use some work. My left leg had almost a pound less of muscle when compared to my right leg! As a runner, I would like my legs to be nearly equal. I’m wondering if that could play a role in why it’s usually my left leg that experiences injuries.

Have you ever gotten a DEXA scan? Leave a comment with your experience below!