It must be muscle
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Machka9
Posts: 25,016 Member
Is the idea .... muscle weighs more than fat, I've been working out a lot, I've gained a little bit of weight, perhaps the weight gain is muscle ... ever true?
Is there actually a time when that can happen?
I know that after a hard workout, it is normal to gain a little bit of water weight, which will go again in a couple days.
But what about lasting weight gain of, say, a kilogram or two because of muscle development?
I've always presumed the whole "it must be that I'm gaining muscle" thing was just wishful thinking, but I just thought I'd see what you thought.
And if it can actually happen, how could a person tell?
Is there actually a time when that can happen?
I know that after a hard workout, it is normal to gain a little bit of water weight, which will go again in a couple days.
But what about lasting weight gain of, say, a kilogram or two because of muscle development?
I've always presumed the whole "it must be that I'm gaining muscle" thing was just wishful thinking, but I just thought I'd see what you thought.
And if it can actually happen, how could a person tell?
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Replies
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Muscle takes up less room than fat. A pound of muscle and a pound of fat will weigh the same but the muscle will be smaller. It is difficult to gain muscle on accident and you usually have to eat at a surplus to gain muscle.0
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Women can only gain 1/2-1 lbs a month (closer to 1/2) eating at a surplus with macros on point following a progressive overload heavy lifting program so gaining a kilo or 2 of muscle even when perfect takes quite a while0
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People often say muscle weighs more than fat, and I suppose it does by volume - but as @Asher_Ethan rightly says a pound is a pound.0 -
Actually I'm pretty sure that image is incorrect and massively over exaggerated
yes muscle takes up less space than fat but on average it's around 80% the size0 -
Over what period of time?But what about lasting weight gain of, say, a kilogram or two because of muscle development?
Why would you think it's impossible to gain muscle?And if it can actually happen....
Change in measurements, visual change in physique...... how could a person tell?0 -
Over what period of time?But what about lasting weight gain of, say, a kilogram or two because of muscle development?
Why would you think it's impossible to gain muscle?And if it can actually happen....
Change in measurements, visual change in physique...... how could a person tell?
1) 2 or 3 months.
2) I don't think it is impossible to gain muscle.
3) And this is the information I'm interested in. If a person were to measure her thigh, when she is "heavy", and then measure it again when she is "muscular" what sort of difference might there be?
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What I'm getting at is that quite frequently I hear people say things like, "I started walking this week, and I gained a kilogram ... must be that I'm losing fat and gaining muscle". And of course, that's just silly.
However, over a period of a few months of fairly strenuous working out and watching what we eat, we do lose fat and gain muscle. But does it really make a difference in terms of weight?0 -
People often say muscle weighs more than fat, and I suppose it does by volume - but as @Asher_Ethan rightly says a pound is a pound.
This image is wildly inaccurate. Muscle tissue has a density of about 1.06kg/liter and fat has a density of about 0.92kg/liter. So the difference is actually only around 15%0 -
So that's a reasonable time frame.
The weight gain most likely shows you are in a very, very slight calorie surplus but water can be a confounding factor.
The most significant difference would be in appearance between someone fatter and someone more muscular at the same weight. The volume difference between fat and muscle does have an impact on measurements but it can be quite subtle.
As an example my measurements for quads and biceps increased so easy to see and quantify.
But at the same time my chest measurement stayed the same but I lost fat from my chest but increased size of my lats.
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Is the idea .... muscle weighs more than fat, I've been working out a lot, I've gained a little bit of weight, perhaps the weight gain is muscle ... ever true?
Is there actually a time when that can happen?
I know that after a hard workout, it is normal to gain a little bit of water weight, which will go again in a couple days.
But what about lasting weight gain of, say, a kilogram or two because of muscle development?
I've always presumed the whole "it must be that I'm gaining muscle" thing was just wishful thinking, but I just thought I'd see what you thought.
And if it can actually happen, how could a person tell?
The water weight doesn't necessarily go away after a couple of days. Your glycogen stores goes up as well when you start exercising or increase intensity. It requires water to be stored and can be a couple of pounds of added weight. And it typically stays there until you reduce or stop exercising. If you are in the process of losing weight, eventually the fat loss will catch up and you'll see the scale go down but this is often the reason people don't see the scale move for a few weeks.
If you are at maintainance, this weight might appear and stay there with you.0 -
What I'm getting at is that quite frequently I hear people say things like, "I started walking this week, and I gained a kilogram ... must be that I'm losing fat and gaining muscle". And of course, that's just silly.
However, over a period of a few months of fairly strenuous working out and watching what we eat, we do lose fat and gain muscle. But does it really make a difference in terms of weight?
What are you defining as strenuous working out as everyone defines this differently? To gain appreciable muscle the working out needs to be 3-4 sessions a week of heavy (for the person) resistance training targeting large muscles, generally with compound exercises. A 3 mile 3 MPH walk a couple times a week won't do it.0 -
What I'm getting at is that quite frequently I hear people say things like, "I started walking this week, and I gained a kilogram ... must be that I'm losing fat and gaining muscle". And of course, that's just silly.
However, over a period of a few months of fairly strenuous working out and watching what we eat, we do lose fat and gain muscle. But does it really make a difference in terms of weight?
I still say 2 kilos of muscle gain in a few months is not realistic unless you are a young man, have perfect genetics or are on the juice0 -
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Obviously 1 lb = 1 lb. All weight is relative to volume. Otherwise, you must say that everything weighs the same.0
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People often say muscle weighs more than fat, and I suppose it does by volume - but as @Asher_Ethan rightly says a pound is a pound.
You're right - it isn't a very accurate illustration - but it does illustrate a valid pointIs the idea .... muscle weighs more than fat,
. . . .Obviously 1 lb = 1 lb. All weight is relative to volume.
Edited for typo0 -
People often say muscle weighs more than fat, and I suppose it does by volume - but as @Asher_Ethan rightly says a pound is a pound.
I read that the extra weight is the water stored in muscle.
Then there's also extra muscle - if you were to line up 1 pound of muscle to this length of fat, it would probably be 4 pounds (or so) of muscle for this single length of 1 pound of fat. So when this one pound of fat is gone, it is replaced with four pounds of muscle.
That's how I see it and is another thing I read.
I've noticed the same thing though. Gained about 2 pounds but am getting slimmer and clothes are fitting better, yet I've gained weight.0 -
Let me just add that my question is mostly hypothetical.
It's just something I hear quite a bit ... every time someone has gained a little bit of weight, someone comes along to placate them with, "Oh don't worry dear, it's probably just muscle".
I've always been of the opinion that it is probably not muscle ... it's probably that they've eaten too much over the past couple weeks. But of course, I don't step in and say that. Or maybe they're retaining water.
However, I did get to wondering ... are there some cases where the weight gain could actually be because of an increase in muscle? How likely is that?
From the responses here, I'm getting the impression that it is not very likely.
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Blackdawn_70631 wrote: »Then there's also extra muscle - if you were to line up 1 pound of muscle to this length of fat, it would probably be 4 pounds (or so) of muscle for this single length of 1 pound of fat. So when this one pound of fat is gone, it is replaced with four pounds of muscle.
So for the same volume of fat and muscle, there's a 1:4 weight ratio?
Just for envisioning purposes ... if a cup of fat might weigh 1 pound then a cup of muscle might weigh 4 pounds?
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Blackdawn_70631 wrote: »Then there's also extra muscle - if you were to line up 1 pound of muscle to this length of fat, it would probably be 4 pounds (or so) of muscle for this single length of 1 pound of fat. So when this one pound of fat is gone, it is replaced with four pounds of muscle.
So for the same volume of fat and muscle, there's a 1:4 weight ratio?
Just for envisioning purposes ... if a cup of fat might weigh 1 pound then a cup of muscle might weigh 4 pounds?
Yeah. Like that. Not saying you would gain four extra pounds for every pound of fat lost. But the idea is a little bit like that.
I'm not an expert, so I don't know. It's just my own theory and what I've read online.
Either way it goes, something is going on because we look better yet have gained weight.0 -
Let me just add that my question is mostly hypothetical.
It's just something I hear quite a bit ... every time someone has gained a little bit of weight, someone comes along to placate them with, "Oh don't worry dear, it's probably just muscle".
I've always been of the opinion that it is probably not muscle ... it's probably that they've eaten too much over the past couple weeks. But of course, I don't step in and say that. Or maybe they're retaining water.
However, I did get to wondering ... are there some cases where the weight gain could actually be because of an increase in muscle? How likely is that?
From the responses here, I'm getting the impression that it is not very likely.
I mean, yes, some of it can be muscle. But I'd say a much smaller portion. In ideal situations, ie eating at surplus and lifting heavy, .5lb - 1lb of muscle a month is a reasonable goal for a female newbie.
So part of your answer could be muscle. Glycogen storage (which is covered by water retention) is another factor.
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