When it comes to health and fitness, the numbers on a scale only tell half the story. If you want to understand your body at a deeper level, you need precision tools that reveal what’s happening beneath the surface. At BodyView, our DEXA scanprovides the most accurate assessment of your body composition, giving insight into muscle mass, fat mass, and bone health.
But knowing your body composition is just the beginning. Every movement you make, from walking to sprinting, is powered by ATP, the molecule that fuels your muscles. Combined with our RMR testing, VO2 max assessment, and Longevity Report, BodyView offers a complete picture of your health, performance, and long-term vitality.
ATP and Endurance: How Your Muscles Fuel Performance and Power Every Workout
ATP, or adenosine triphosphate, is the fuel that powers every movement your body makes, from lifting a weight to running a marathon. In exercise, ATP is the immediate source of energy that allows your muscles to contract and generate force. During short, high-intensity bursts, such as sprinting or heavy lifting, stored ATP and creatine phosphate in your muscles provide rapid energy. For activities lasting longer than a few minutes, your body shifts to breaking down carbohydrates and fats through glycolysis and aerobic pathways to continuously regenerate ATP. Endurance performance depends on this steady supply, as the more efficiently your muscles produce and use ATP, the longer and harder you can exercise without fatigue. In fitness terms, ATP is not just a biochemical molecule but the engine behind every rep, every stride, and every second of sustained effort.
What is a DEXA Scan and Why It’s Essential for Body Composition Analysis
A DEXA scan (Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry) is the gold standard for measuring lean muscle, fat distribution, and bone density. Unlike scales or bioelectrical impedance devices, which can be affected by hydration, meals, or exercise, a DEXA scan gives reliable, accurate, and repeatable results.
At BodyView, our DEXA scans go further than just total body measurements. We provide regional body composition analysis, showing exactly how much muscle and fat is in your arms, legs, trunk, and around your vital organs. This insight helps you track progress accurately, tailor your training, and optimise your nutrition.
How a DEXA Scan Works
During a DEXA scan, you lie on a padded table while a low-dose X-ray passes over your body. The machine measures how X-rays are absorbed by bone and soft tissue, producing a detailed map of your body. You get precise measurements of:
Lean mass
Fat mass
Bone mass
Visceral fat around organs
This level of detail allows you to monitor subtle changes in muscle mass and fat distribution, which is critical for fitness, health, and athletic performance.
Why Body Composition Matters More Than Weight
It’s easy to focus solely on your weight, but numbers on a scale can be misleading. Someone might look slim but have low muscle and high visceral fat, a combination linked to metabolic and cardiovascular risk. Conversely, athletes may weigh more due to increased muscle mass but be healthier overall.
Understanding your body composition with a DEXA scan allows you to:
Track muscle growth and fat loss accurately
Personalise training programs
Optimise nutrition for energy and performance
Monitor bone health and longevity
DEXA scans reveal the truth about your body and give you the tools to make informed decisions.
How ATP Powers Muscle Contraction and Your Performance
Every movement relies on muscle contraction, and at the cellular level, this process is powered by ATP (adenosine triphosphate). ATP is often called the energy currency of the cell. Without it, your muscles cannot contract, and every action, from a casual walk to high-intensity training, would be impossible.
Here’s a simplified breakdown:
ATP binds to myosin, a motor protein in muscle fibres.
Myosin attaches to actin and pulls the filaments past each other, causing contraction.
ATP is broken down, releasing energy.
The muscle relaxes, ATP is regenerated, and the cycle repeats.
The more lean muscle you have, the more ATP your body can produce, enhancing strength, endurance, and overall energy levels.
How Your Body Produces ATP
Your muscles generate ATP through three main energy systems:
Phosphagen system: Provides immediate energy for short, explosive movements like sprinting or lifting
Glycolytic system: Breaks down glucose to fuel medium-duration efforts
Oxidative system: Uses oxygen to produce energy from fats and carbohydrates for long-duration activities
Having more muscle mass increases your ATP capacity, which improves performance and metabolic health.
Why DEXA Scans Are Crucial for Muscle Performance
A DEXA scan doesn’t just show how much muscle you have; it shows where it is located. This is essential for maximising performance and avoiding injury.
Regional analysis: Identify weak areas that limit movement or power
Progress tracking: Measure real gains in lean mass, not just changes on a scale
Energy optimisation: More muscle mass equals higher ATP production capacity
For athletes, fitness enthusiasts, or anyone wanting to improve strength and endurance, DEXA scans provide the insights needed to develop targeted, effective programs.
Muscle Health, Ageing, and Longevity
From your 30s onwards, muscle mass naturally declines in a process called sarcopenia. Loss of muscle impacts metabolism, bone health, mobility, and ATP efficiency.
DEXA scans detect these changes early, allowing interventions with strength training, nutrition, and lifestyle adjustments.
Paired with BodyView’s Longevity Report, you gain a complete view of your biological age and actionable steps to preserve muscle, energy, and vitality.
Nutrition and ATP: Fueling Muscle Performance
Muscle health is fuelled by the right nutrients:
Protein: Builds and repairs muscle fibres
Carbohydrates: Power glycolytic ATP production for high-intensity training
Fats: Support long-duration ATP production via the oxidative system
By combining your DEXA scan results with our RMR testing, BodyView can help you create a personalised nutrition plan that maintains lean mass and maximises ATP production.
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) Testing
RMR testing measures how many calories your body burns at rest. When paired with your DEXA scan, it allows precise calorie and nutrition planning to support lean mass, energy levels, and weight management.
VO2 Max Testing
VO2 max tests assess your cardiovascular fitness and aerobic capacity. Muscles need oxygen to produce ATP efficiently, so understanding your VO2 max helps optimise endurance performance. Combined with DEXA scans, you can plan training programs that improve both strength and stamina.
The Longevity Report
The Longevity Report combines body composition, metabolic rate, and other biomarkers to give a full picture of your health and biological age. It highlights areas where interventions can preserve muscle mass, enhance energy efficiency, and reduce the risk of chronic disease.
Practical Benefits of DEXA Scans and ATP Knowledge
Understanding your body composition and muscle energy systems enables actionable results:
Develop customised training plans to strengthen underdeveloped muscle groups
Track real progress with objective lean mass and fat measurements
Prevent overtraining or under-fuelling
Detect early health risks, such as low lean mass or high visceral fat
By combining DEXA scans, RMR, VO2 max, and the Longevity Report, BodyView delivers a full picture of your health, performance, and long-term vitality.
The Future of Body Composition and Energy Science
The combination of DEXA scans and ATP science is paving the way for highly personalised health and fitness programmes. Imagine pairing body composition insights with cellular energy markers, giving you a clear view of not just how much muscle you have, but how well it performs at the molecular level.
At BodyView, we use the tools available today to provide actionable insights that improve performance, metabolic health, and healthy ageing.
Conclusion: Knowledge is Power
A DEXA scan provides a detailed map of your body, while understanding ATP explains the energy behind every contraction and movement. Combined with RMR testing, VO2 max assessment, and the Longevity Report, BodyView offers a complete toolkit to optimise performance, health, and longevity.
Whether you are an athlete aiming for peak performance, a fitness enthusiast seeking smarter results, or someone looking to age gracefully, BodyView gives you the knowledge and tools to make it happen.
DEXA scans reveal the map. ATP science explains the engine. RMR, VO2 max, and Longevity testing show how to optimise fuel and performance. The result is a stronger, healthier, more energetic you.