Fat free mass, also referred to as lean body mass, is the component of body composition that results from the subtraction of fat mass from total body mass. Linear regression equations have been proposed to estimate fat mass from body mass and body height (see Hume, 1966, J Clin Path 19(4), 389-91).
More accurate results may be achieved by various more or less sophisticated measurement techniques, such as caliper-based measurements of skinfold thickness Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA; presumably still considered the gold standard), CT or MRI scanning or bioelectrical impedance analysis, to name just a few.
The Drinkwater-Ross anthropometric fractionation of body mass: comparison with measured body mass and densitometrically estimated fat and fat-free masses.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/1960800/
To be pedantic, the two compartment models can be chemically based (i.e. fat vs fat-free mass) or anatomical (i.e. adipose vs lean body mass). That is, LBM is not equal to fat free mass. LBM includes intracellular fat and adipose includes non-fat components.
Bruce
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