LA Boxing Baton Rouge – Burn up to 1000 calories per class in Baton Rouge

Myth Busted: Does Muscle Weigh More Than Fat?

Tuesday, December 28th, 2010

You have probably heard this time and time again, the old saying that fat weighs less than muscle. But is this true?
In one easy point: a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat. Regardless of how you weigh it, a pound is a pound.

The fact of the matter is that muscle is more dense than fat. Imagine if you have a perfect 6”x6”x6” block of muscle and an equal size block of fat. Separately weigh both blocks and results will show the block of muscle weighs more due to its density. I think we can all agree the appeal in the heavier muscle is that it’s much more firm, compact, and most certainly looks a lot better when you have to wear it!

It’s often deceiving to gauge one’s fitness progress simply by watching the weight. I’ve had the opportunity to train dozens of men and women who appear 20 pounds lighter than the scale reading simply due to their muscular build. There’s no doubt that if you plan to pack on some muscle you will inevitably put on a few pounds. The difference between this “quality weight” gain compared to the “holiday weight gain” is that you are acquiring lean muscle. You will look and feel slimmer but the scale will tell a different story. Forget the scale! I had one women explain to me that she had only 12% body fat but weighed 170lbs! A woman at 12% body fat is extremely low! This just proves that her body is composed mostly of lean muscle.

Obviously for strength training and muscle production it’s vital to throw out the scale. This should be your first plan of action. Find a more accurate form of measuring progress. You can buy a body composition scale or even fat calibrators to determine fat percentage. The most cost-efficient method is to simply take note of your progress. Keep logs and journals and even take pictures of yourself regularly to compare! I suggest picture taking once a month so you have a time frame for changes to occur.

In conclusion, muscle does not weigh more than fat; it’s simply more dense. An important fact to remember is that muscle is a lot more metabolically active than fat, so the more you have the more calories you are going to burn off. Build muscle and shrink the fat!

Tags: fat, FAT LOSS, health, L.A. BOXING, LA Boxing, muscle, weight
Posted in blog, featured, Press | No Comments »