Muscles are heavier than fat, right?

Jose2828

see for your self: http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=a+pound+of+fat+and+a+pound+of+muscle&qs=AS&sk=&FORM=QBIR&pq=a pound of fat and &sc=1-19&sp=1&qs=AS&sk=

kiachu

If you read the OP post, you would see what she is asking for! Not everyone wants to be lean muscle. This is a diverse world and what is good for one, may not be good for another. It may suck for you, but it doesn't suck for me. And from what the OP has asked for, it probably wouldn't suck for her either. Some cardio helps to build muscle as well, especially if it targets certain areas. Unstoppable!

I hope you are aware that purposely decreasing lean body mass decreases resting metabolic rate. Consider as you age, because you are not engaging in strength training to sustain lean body mass, it will be reduced even further, thus lowering resting metabolic rate even more. This will make maintaining weight extremely challenging in the future in addition to affecting your ability to lead an independent, high quality of life.

So let me get this straight, because I only run and do zumba to reach my fitness goals(the body I desire), I will not maintain it by continuing to run/zumba nor will I be able to be independent(it leads to a nursing home). Seriously?
I do understand and have heard about the resting metabolic rate(mine has lowered a bit). Plus, I do understand you need to add new exercises in as you progress because your body gets use to what you are doing and it no longer makes it change. To get what she wants now, what I suggested will work. But I do understand in order to make a change you have to keep changing because your body get use to what you are doing and stops producing results.

What they are saying is maintaining lean muscle tissue and strength is compromised the older you get. It could affect your ability to care for yourself.

geekyjock76

So let me get this straight, because I only run and do zumba to reach my fitness goals(the body I desire), I will not maintain it by continuing to run/zumba nor will I be able to be independent(it leads to a nursing home). Seriously?
I do understand and have heard about the resting metabolic rate(mine has lowered a bit). Plus, I do understand you need to add new exercises in as you progress because your body gets use to what you are doing and it no longer makes it change. To get what she wants now, what I suggested will work. But I do understand in order to make a change you have to keep changing because your body get use to what you are doing and stops producing results.

First, your lean body mass determines your metabolic potential - the greater amount of lean body mass, the more efficient the metabolism. By decreasing lean body mass, you decrease resting metabolic rate. This happens if you: a) do not consume enough protein; b) assume and maintain too great of a caloric deficit; and c) do not engage in at least moderate-resistance strength-training. As we age, we lose lean body mass by default - that is unless you offset that by doing the opposite of what is stated above. Thus, by doing entirely cardio-based workouts, complimented by aging's effect on lean body mass, you are essentially causing it to decline at a far greater rate compared to those who include moderate-intensity strength-training and are capable at minimizing loss of lean body mass throughout life. By maintaining or minimizing loss of lean body mass, you will prevent falls and injuries and be able to continue to do the same daily activities such as feeding, bathing and dressing yourself and even household chores without reliance on another person. Thus, out of all the components of fitness, muscular strength and endurance is the most important as we age.

Regarding your second remark: people's programs plateau primarily because they do not continue to challenge the body. You can engage in the same activities, but must adjust variables such as intensity and duration to allow for further adaptation to occur. If you keep running 3 miles a day at the same pace, you will not improve. Likewise, if a person stays with the same 5 lb dumbbell engaging in the same exercise, they will not get any stronger. Progression is the key, not necessarily the activity.

psuLemon

If you read the OP post, you would see what she is asking for! Not everyone wants to be lean muscle. This is a diverse world and what is good for one, may not be good for another. It may suck for you, but it doesn't suck for me. And from what the OP has asked for, it probably wouldn't suck for her either. Some cardio helps to build muscle as well, especially if it targets certain areas. Unstoppable!

Cardio does not build muscle (especially on a calorie deficit) nor will it target area's.. You can only target area's for strength but not where you lose fat. Fat loss comes from all over (opposite way of where you gain). If you gain in the stomach and butt first, it's the last place it will come off. Genetics alone will determine that.

I must admit, you are right that there are a lot of diverse people out there but it astonishes me that people would want more fat, burn less calories and have flabby body, but this is essentially what you get from low calories, high cardio. It is rare to see someone with that regime to have those type of results.

I could be wrong, but I believe it was a misunderstanding of how a body works to why the OP, along with many other women, feel if they do weight training they will bulk up. I would ask you to take a look at the link below and tell me would you rather look like the girl on the left or right? Either way, I will respect your opinion, but if you like the right, then it's important to have weight training. Some food for thought. I see where you are going but I don't feel it's where the OP was going. :cheers:


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/392784-skinny-fat-vs-fit-photo?hl=skinny+fat

I get your point, but honestly I don't see anything wrong with either photo.

But, concerning cardio doesn't build muscle with a calorie deficit. It does for me, I have killer leg muscles from running. Running has helped me tone my legs and rear really well. No fat on these, but I had to make some changes and started doing zumba for my abs and I am seeing a big change in them, a lot of definition.

Unfortunately, I believe you are confusing cutting body fat and increasing strength with creating new lean body mass. There are only three situations where a person can create new lean body mass from a calorie deficit; morbidly obese, noob gains and in some elite athletes that have a very small calorie deficit.

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon people confusing cutting fat and improving the efficiency of their muscles with muscle gains. Then add in the fact, it's even harder for women to gain muscle, it's very unlikely you gained any new lean body mass.

Jester522

Muscle is 3x heavier than fat deposits.

Vincentsz

Muscles are heavier than fat? A pound of muscle, a pound of fat, and a pound of feathers are weigh a pound. No, muscles are not heavier than fat. Also, when exercising, fat does not turn into muscle, fat is fat, muscle is muscle, and feathers are feathers. They do not change and become something else.

Quoted from http://www.everydayhealth.com/weight/busting-the-muscle-weighs-more-than-fat-myth.aspx

Muscle vs. Fat: Clearing Up the Misconception

Common sense tells us a pound of muscle and a pound of fat have to weigh the same, but they do differ in density. This means if you look at five pounds of muscle and five pounds of fat side by side, the fat takes up more volume, or space, than the muscle. That’s important when you’re on a diet and part of your goal is the lean look of muscle, not the flabby look of fat.

So why do people say muscle weighs more than fat?

“I find people make this statement when they put on weight,” says Stusek. “One person will say, ‘I gained three pounds and I’ve been working out.’ The good-friend response is, ‘It’s all muscle.’ And while this is a very comforting thing to hear, it’s just impossible to gain three pounds of muscle in a week. It is common for exercisers to lose fat and gain muscle without a change in body weight, so I understand why people often get frustrated.”

opuntia

*sigh* When people say "muscle weighs more than fat", they don't actually think that a pound of anything weighs more or less than a pound of anything else. Stop being pedantic. That's my job.

Haha! This.

My rule of thumb is that if I, being on the autism spectrum, know what the person means even though they didn't use the exact literal language, then I'm pretty sure everyone else does too!