My fat doesnt turn into muscle

amorrowmuffin

It seems no matter how much I work out, the fat around my core will not burn or turn into muscle. I lose inches no problem but i cant gain any muscle. I eat healthy and I drink plenty of water. I work out at least 3 times a week. Im really not a fan of weights, i try and stick to mainly cardio....swimming, belly dancing, walking, running. tennis.

Vansy

Fat won't turn to muscle.

If you want to GAIN muscle you need to do more then cardio. You should do some circuit work, plyometrics, calisthenics, weights, etc. if you want to gain muscle.

kdiamond

Well, you can't turn fat into muscle.

What you can do is burn fat through exercise and diet, and eventually replace that with muscle. Building muscle is all about eating at a surpus, and you would need to lift weights to build any substantial muscle. From what you're describing however, you have fat you want to get rid of and that occurs by creating a deficit either by diet and/or exercise.

If you're losing inches, you're doing good so far, keep at it.

sabolfitwife

It's been my experience that the more cardio I do, the more my gut shrinks. However, if you do weights (I'm currently using "Barbie" weights -- 5 lbs), you build up your muscles which in turn helps rev up your metabolism and helps you burn fat quicker. So, lift some weights, start small and move up. I cannot afford a gym membership or a weight bench or anything, I'm going to stick to my free weights, invest in a kettle bell and find heavy things at home to lift. I really would like to find a tire to work myself up to flipping!! Good luck!

ruststar

Nobodies' fat will turn into muscle - you have to lose fat to reveal the muscle and perhaps build up the muscle you already have. If what you're doing isn't getting results try shaking up your routine. Work out 5x a week, add some strength training if you're not doing any, and add more general activity into your daily life. Also, many people will tell you abs are made in the kitchen, meaning diet has more to do with it than exercise. I don't know how much I agree with that, but it never hurts to pay more attention to the quality and quantity of what you're eating.

Tilran

Im really not a fan of weights, i try and stick to mainly cardio....swimming, belly dancing, walking, running. tennis.

Unfortunately, muscle does not come from those activities. You need to add strength training to grow muscle.

Everything you are doing actually will eat away at fat and muscle which is why you are seeing size drops.

amorrowmuffin

Thanks everyone
Unfortunately I HATE weights LOL but ill up the cardio and start working with light weights high reps!

amorrowmuffin

Also, I eat extremely light and healthy already so the only thing left to do is go hard with the exercise :)

TavistockToad

Thanks everyone
Unfortunately I HATE weights LOL but ill up the cardio and start working with light weights high reps!

that wont really work.... lift heavy things...

sijomial

To build muscle you have to put the muscles under stress, easy with weights as you just lift heavier.
You can use cardio machines though - but you will have to slow the speed and increase the effort. e.g. walk on the running machine with maximum elevation. Crank up the resistance on the X-Trainer and consciously use your arms....
If you are running/cycling outside - find a big hill
Generally, varying your workout has more impact than just doing the same workout for longer.

Good luck!

amorrowmuffin

im planning on slowly upping the weights and resistance. I have scoliosis so my muscles and nerves dont take to it very well..I get muscle spasms all night if i go too hard too soon.

WendyTerry420

Thanks everyone
Unfortunately I HATE weights LOL but ill up the cardio and start working with light weights high reps!

I was going to respond "that would be magical" based on the title, but it looks like others have explained it.

If you "hate" weights, then my suggestion is to do things like push-ups and chin-ups and such. It is a good thing to be strong enough to lift your own weight. Also, you will lose weight faster and burn more fat when you incorporate body weight exercises in with your cardio.

mmapags

Thanks everyone
Unfortunately I HATE weights LOL but ill up the cardio and start working with light weights high reps!

that wont really work.... lift heavy things...

This^^ That won't develop your muscle tissue. Also, I don't know that you really need to "gain"muscle. You probably have good muscle tissue. You just need to burn off the fat and develop the muscle. Cardio will make your heart healthy and give you endurance and use calories but it is not the most efficient for burning fat and developing muscle. That would be strength training.

amorrowmuffin

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate it
I dont know much about anything beyond cardio :P

mfkn_Titanium

You're not eating the right foods. Eat pizza and drink vodka - my fat is turning into muscle....it's miraculous to watch.

mmapags

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate it
I dont know much about anything beyond cardio :P

Google Starting Strength. Stronglifts 5x5 and NROLFW. You'll find out all you need to know.

amorrowmuffin

awesome, thank you

amorrowmuffin

LOL, ill try that :P

peuglow

It seems no matter how much I work out, the fat around my core will not burn or turn into muscle. I lose inches no problem but i cant gain any muscle. I eat healthy and I drink plenty of water. I work out at least 3 times a week. Im really not a fan of weights, i try and stick to mainly cardio....swimming, belly dancing, walking, running. tennis.

Fat doesn't turn into muscle.... Fat is fat, and is broken down with proper diet. Muscle is built from ... get this .... other muscle. I'd recommend reevaluating your diet and working on some core strengthening exercises. If you don't like weights,try this for your abs:

Planks
Crunches (in all their glorious forms)
Leg Raises

you can find a wealth of other killer ab workouts online. For free.

HeidiMightyRawr

Im really not a fan of weights, i try and stick to mainly cardio

This is why you're not gaining any muscle. You need resistance to build muscle and cardio just doesn't cut it.

Also, it's VERY hard to gain muscle while in a deficit. You're eating to lose weight right? You can't really do both at the same time (burn fat and build muscle) apart from very small newbie gains, but you would have to be doing resistance training for that.

Also to add, fat doesn't turn into muscle. You burn fat or gain muscle, 2 separate things. Plus you can't spot reduce (ie: you can't make the fat come off your stomach first, it will come off where it comes off...with a calorie deficit.)

What you CAN do to help the situation, and what I would recommend is to stick with a small calorie deficit (you will lose fat on this) Eat adequate protein, start a resistance training program, one that challenges you, not just light weights with endless reps! - I always seem to find that the people who hate weights are doing such programs, I'd hate it too if I was doing light weight / high reps, it would bore me rigid and I'd never get to my goal!
Stick to this for a period of time and you should get the results you're looking for. Patience

lizziebeth1028

Body weight exercises are good too for building strength - pushups, planks, squats, lunges and other calisthenics. Just google and you can get a ton of ideas. Also Yoga!