5lbs of Fat vs. 5lbs of MuscleHands down one of the most impactful pictures within my industry. Show You hear it all the time, "muscle weighs more than fat," or "you can get lean and still have muscle." So, is it true? Muscle is more dense than fat, which means it will take up less space than fat. To be more precise, muscle takes up approximately 4/5ths the space of fat. Since it is denser, muscle does weigh more than fat if you compare same-size portions. 1 liter of muscle weighs 1.06 kg, or 2.3 lbs., while 1 liter of fat weighs .9 kg, or 1.98 lbs. This may vary due to numerous factors including race, being extremely lean, or being extremely obese. Muscle Metabolism The truth is that muscle will burn 7-10 calories daily per pound. Fat only burns 2-3 calories daily per pound. Your basal metabolic rate (BMR), or the number of calories your body uses when you are at rest, typically accounts for 60 to 75 percent of the calories you burn in a day. Bodyfat High body fat percentages are associated with raised risk for obesity-related diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, breathing problems, gallstones and certain cancers. For optimal health, the best body fat range for women is 14 to 30 percent. For men, it’s 6 to 25 percent. You are considered obese if you are a woman and have more than 30 percent body fat or if you are a man and have 25 percent body fat. What are you carrying around? TB P.S. - If you're still struggling to find a weight loss program that delivers the results you are looking for, check out my Life Reset program. A 30 day program customized to fit your lifestyle, with everything you need to know to lose weight, increase energy, sleep more
soundly, and finally feel great again. P.S.S. - If you'd like a program that isn't too aggressive, but still promotes long term health change, don't miss the introductory rate of $49/month for our Health Coach 365 program! 365 days of fitness and nutrition coaching delivered right to your inbox each morning, by yours truly! Here is that link again >>> We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Here’s our process. You may have heard that muscle weighs more than fat. However, according to science, a pound of muscle and a pound of fat weigh the same. The difference between the two is density. Two things that weigh the same can be very different in size. A pound of marshmallows is going to take up much more space than a pound of steel. The same is true with fat and muscle. A pound of fat is bulky, fluffy, and about the size of a small grapefruit. A pound of muscle is hard, dense, and about the size of a tangerine. Not all pounds are created equal. In fact, your total body weight isn’t a clear indicator of how you look or what health risks you may face. Two different people who weigh the same amount can look very different when one has a high percentage of fat and the other has a high percentage of muscle. An extra 20 pounds of fat may give you a softer, less toned appearance. But an extra 20 pounds of muscle will look firm and sculpted. Muscle also serves a different function than fat. Fat helps insulate the body and trap in body heat. Muscle boosts your metabolism. This means the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn when you’re at rest. Researchers have found that people with a higher percentage of body fat have a higher overall death rate, regardless of their weight or body mass index (BMI). Fat increases your chance for developing conditions such as:
This means that even people with a low body weight but a poor muscle-to-fat ratio are at higher risk for obesity-related conditions. Keeping your body fat percentage low is important for preventing obesity-related conditions. That doesn’t mean you have to build an excessive amount of muscle. While muscle is never unhealthy and you can’t have too much of it, it’s fine to strive for more reasonable goals. The recommended body fat percentages vary a bit. The following recommendations, courtesy of Vanderbilt University, are based on gender and age and come from the American College of Sports Medicine guidelines: These can further be classified by averages seen among athletes and people who are fit, average, or have obesity: Testing your body fat composition is a bit complicated. Some gyms and doctors’ offices provide high-tech testing devices that use bioelectric impedance (BIA) to detect fat cells. There are also new home scales that use technology to estimate body fat percentage. These measuring tools can sometimes be imprecise. Outside factors, such as how much water you’ve been drinking, can affect the results these tools provide. You can find and purchase from a wide selection of these scales online. Muscle mass isn’t related to your BMI. Your weight and height determine your BMI, not your body composition. Research shows, however, that BMI is moderately related to body fat measurements. Furthermore, research indicates that BMI is as accurate a predictor of various disease outcomes — such as diabetes and hypertension — as more direct measures of body composition. If you want to build some lean muscle or bulk up a bit, try these tips:
Weight loss is about more than just building muscle. Here are some tips to help you lose weight:
If you have a dependable exercise routine and healthy eating habits, don’t worry so much about the scale. If you’ve recently upped your game and are concerned that you aren’t losing weight fast enough, try a different unit of measurement. If your pants feel loose around the waist and your T-shirts feel tight around the arms, then you’re probably losing body fat and building muscle. Does 5 pounds of muscle make a difference?"Five pounds can make a huge difference, especially in unilateral movements where you're working one side of your body," she says. "But you need to work on mastering that five pounds before you can get up to 10." If you don't move up, you're hindering your fitness game improvement.
What weighs more 5 pounds of muscle or 5 pounds of fat?However, according to science, a pound of muscle and a pound of fat weigh the same. The difference between the two is density. Two things that weigh the same can be very different in size. A pound of marshmallows is going to take up much more space than a pound of steel.
How long does it take to get 5 pounds of muscle?A more realistic pace is around 5 pounds of solid mass every six months. Many will need to take breaks from their bulk and cycle through cutting phases as needed. Plus as your muscles grow in size, the rate at which you can gain steadily decreases.
Why does 5lb of fat and 5lb of muscle tissue look different?The difference is that muscle tissue is denser than fat tissue and thus it takes up less space in the body for the same pounds. This is one reason why clothes fit better and you lose inches as you lose body fat. You look leaner and thinner overall because muscle takes up less space in the body than fat tissue.
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