Fat or muscle - what is heavier in the human body?

Many athletes and people far from this, are wondering about what is harder: muscle or fat. A sufficient amount of controversial information exists on this account.

Full or weightlifter?

Often you can find a common example in comparing fat and muscle: a fat person can weigh 100 kg and look not so beautiful at the same time, and a bodybuilder who also weighs 100 kg but has a low percentage of fat, nevertheless, looks aesthetically pleasing. The same weight, but the shape is different. In the first case, the person will seem much larger in size than the second, but the weight in the meantime, they have the same, so what's the mystery?

Understanding the question "What is harder: muscle or fat in a person," everyone can clearly understand what actions he needs to take depending on his goal of building a figure. After all, only having certain knowledge in a certain matter, one can competently approach the solution of the problem.

Fat or muscle - which is heavier?

Understanding this topic, you can clearly understand why there are such dramatic differences in weight and appearance. If we consider the issue of "heavier muscle or fat?" From the point of view of the cellular structure, it can be clearly stated that the muscles are heavier, since their cells have a higher density than fat cells.

Muscle cells contain protein and water, fat is only fat, or lipids. You do not need to have special knowledge in the field of the structure of the body, to understand that the protein with water, they are the muscles, will be much denser in composition than fat.

Body fat functions

Fat is not a useless phenomenon, its critical level is a threat to health, so you need to responsibly approach the process of losing weight. The layers of fat protect the internal organs and create an additional source of heat in the cold, this explains the decrease in metabolism in the winter, because the body tries to store fat stores.

Having learned the answer to the question "fat or muscle - which is heavier", many people try to get rid of fat, which exceeds the amount of muscle by all means , but it is worth understanding that there is a limit for which it is inexpedient to go.

The lowest fat threshold for a woman is 12%, then problems with appearance and with women can begin. Men can also feel great with 5% body fat.

However, a high percentage of fat damages the body, as the likelihood of developing diabetes increases, energy is reduced, metabolism is slowed, and lethargy occurs.

Why does not the weight change?

Because of the difference in weight of muscles and fat when losing weight, weight can stand still. In the process of sports activity, both fat is burned and muscle mass is build up. Due to the fact that the proportion of fat deposits can be lower than the proportion of muscles, the effect of stagnation in weight change can be created. In other words, at the same time, two processes have taken place: fat has gone away and muscles have increased.

Based on this, do not attach great importance to the numbers on the scales. Visually you can see the changes, decrease in volumes in those or other areas, but remain at the same weight.

Many believe that if you are engaged in a gym, the figure in any case will become athletic, whether they had originally fat or muscle. What is harder - to burn lipids or build up a dry mass?

It is necessary to understand that fat does not pass into muscles. Intensive loads, of course, reduce in some sense the fatty layer, but a good result can only be achieved by limiting carbohydrates.

Heavy bones?

The full person has a large share of fat in the body, the proportion of muscle and bone tissue varies slightly. To suppose that weight can increase due to the growth of bones, it is inappropriate, since a change of even by 10% of the proportion of bone tissue leads to an increase in body weight by only 1-1.5 kg.

You can achieve a sharp increase in weight, subject to physical exertion and proper nutrition, since the muscles are heavier than fat and bones. Because of this, the athlete will have a large muscle mass and weight, respectively. Although the classification of acceptable parameters and weight, it will belong to the group with excess weight, while having a low percentage of fat stores.

Today there is a so-called bioimpedance analysis, which allows you to calculate the percentage of muscle and fat tissue in the body. Based on this, we can conclude whether a person needs to lose weight or gain weight.

If you are interested in fat or muscle - which is harder, you need to consider a variety of factors that affect weight gain.

In some cases, for example, in premenstrual syndrome in women or in heart disease, weight can grow because of fluid retention in the body. In this case, you need to see a doctor. But still almost everyone has excess weight associated with excess fat.

Understanding the question "What is heavier: muscle or fat?", It is important to pay attention not only to weight, but also the distribution of fat by parts of the body. So, a woman, even having excess weight, can look harmoniously folded, which is due to a uniform distribution of body fat throughout the body.

The ratio of hip and waist sizes, accepted for the norm, for women - 0.7, for men - 1.

Shape types

There are two types of figures: for the female type - "pear" and for the male - "apple".

People of the first type have a concentration of fat on the buttocks and in the lower part of the abdomen.

Those who are of the second type have deposits, usually in the upper part of the body. These people are prone to obesity, diabetes, ischemia, atherosclerosis.

It is necessary to realize that weight does not play a big role, it is much more important, from what this weight develops. The same weight of fat and muscle will look different. How? - many will ask. So, for example, 1 kg of muscles takes up to 2 times less than 1 kg of fat.

To replace fat with muscle, you need to eat protein and give up harmful foods, then you will no longer be concerned about what is harder - muscle or fat in a person.