Muscle Myths & Fat Facts
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
(Photo credit: evillalba)
Can muscles turn to fat if you stop working out? I’ve heard this one a lot over the years, but there’s still no truth to it. Body fat and muscle are two completely different tissues. They have different structures and functions and react to training in different ways.
When you exercise, your muscles become larger and stronger because exercise causes extra protein building blocks, called amino acids, to deposit in muscles. These are passed from the muscles into the bloodstream and then back into muscles continually. Exercise is the major stimulus to forces amino acids back into muscles.
What happens when you stop exercising is that fewer of these amino acids go into your muscles, and so they get smaller. Your body has no way to store extra protein, so amino acids that are not used in your muscles are picked up by your liver, which uses them for energy or converts them into fat for storage. (http://www.drmirkin.com – “Muscles Don’t Turn Into Fat“)
When we define each, we see that muscle tissue is approximately 70 percent water, while fat is less than 25 percent water, with the rest being…well…fat. A pound of muscle contains under 700 calories whereas a pound of fat comes in at 3500 calories. Additionally, a pound of muscle is approximately 18 percent smaller by volume than a pound of fat.
Muscles use fat for energy to contract (move your body). This is why the more muscle you build, the more fat that is used up. But within 72 hours of your last workout, muscle mass starts to decrease. So muscles that used to burn calories and crank up your metabolism while at rest, do not work as efficiently and hence less calories burned. The body at this point does not burn fat as efficiently and then fat gains get accelerated. (http://www.sideroad.com – Do Muscles Turn Into Fat?)
You also don’t want to keep eating the same way when sedentary, as when you worked out, since body fat is completely related to calories. The amount that we have is directly influenced by the number of calories consumed versus calories expended. You know the old saying: “You have to keep your “calories in” smaller than your “calories out”, or your fat cells will begin to bloat and gloat.”
If you stop training, but compensate for this with a slight reduction in diet, your body fat will not increase. You can also keep fit with activities such as swimming or tennis (combined with a wholesome diet) to prevent fat from taking over your body!
–
Filed under: Fitness Myths Tagged: Adipose tissue, Amino acid, Calorie, Fat, Muscle, Physical exercise, Weight loss, Weight training Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
