If you have not noticed yet, I’m all about the health benefits of strength training… BUT the body composition/aesthetic changes (aka that toned look and loss of inches/lower body fat %) that come with it are prettttttttty legit too.
Muscle VS Fat tissue can be a difficult concept to understand when it comes to body composition. It is often easier (and common) to explain the difference between muscle tissue and fat tissue by just saying a blanket statement of “muscle weighs more than fat”.. but how is that possible?
First things first… a pound is always a pound. A pound of muscle and a pound of fat will always weigh the same, but they will look VERY different because of how much more dense muscle tissue is compared to fat. For my visual learners out there… you can see below they weigh the same, but they look very different in the space they take up.
So Sara.. then why does everyone say “muscle weighs more than fat” if a pound of each is the same? The best answer to that is to rephrase it and say “Muscle weighs more than fat.. BY VOLUME” instead. Think of it this way, if you take a handful of muscle tissue and the same handful (volume) amount of fat tissue - the muscle will weigh more because that handful of muscle tissue is more dense than the handful of fat tissue.
So why does this matter then?.. Well, knowing this tidbit of info may save you a headache and spare some frustrations when it comes to the scale changes you may (or may often not) see when you start strength training. The scale number alone won’t paint you the best picture of all the changes going on. Your body could be dropping fat while adding on the dense (yet awesome) muscle tissue and then you step on the scale and you may see the same number, maybe a small loss, or maybe even an increase. I know this can be discouraging, especially for the numbers people out there, BUT instead of fixating on the number on the scale alone, I’d suggest looking at other aspects like body measurements, how your clothes are fitting and how much stronger you start to feel… all non scale wins in my book. When body fat starts to drop and you add on muscle, you’ll often see inches start dropping on your legs, arms, torso, even neck and in turn you’ll feel it in how your clothes are fitting as well. Whip out the good ol’ tape measure from the sewing kit you probably don’t even use and measure the same various areas of your body every couple months. Another option is getting a scale (or having an assessment done at your gym) that tells you your body fat percentage and lean muscle mass. These metrics are often a better indicator of what is going on vs your weight alone on the scale.
Increasing your muscle and lowering your body fat is a marathon, not a sprint. Embrace the process for the long haul, enjoy feeling yourself get stronger and stronger along the way, and don’t get caught up too much on the scale.
If you are looking for a SIMPLE plan to follow - check out the dumbbell only program the SIMPLE 5 Training Program Available Now HERE
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