Does muscle weigh more than fat? Many people think that muscle weighs more than fat but according to scientific studies it weighs the same. But the significant difference is the density between the two. A good example is that a pound of fat is fluffy and soft, but a pound of muscle is hard and dense.
Does muscle weigh more than fat? iStock- photo credit: MADUAart
An extra 15 pounds of fat will give you a softer less toned but an extra 15 pounds of muscle will make you look firm, hard, and sculpted. Muscle and fat both possess two different functions. Muscle drives the rate of your metabolism whereas fat helps to insulate the body and trap in body heat.
What many people don’t realize is the more muscle you have the more calories you burn at rest. It is important to make sure you don’t have high body fat levels. Research studies show that people that have high body percentage have a higher overall death rate.
High body fat increases the risk of heart disease, hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, etc.
According to the American College Of Medicine the healthy recommendations for bodyfat for all ages are the following:
Female
Age: 20- 29- bodyfat- 16%-24%
Age: 30-39- bodyfat- 17%- 25%
Age: 40-49- bodyfat- 19%-28%
Age: 50-59- bodyfat- 22%-31%
Over the age of 60- bodyfat- 22%-33%
Male
Age: 20-29-bodyfat- 7%-17%
Age: 30-39-bodyfat- 12%-21%
Age: 40-49- bodyfat- 19%-28%
Age: 50-59- bodyfat- 22%-31%
Over the age of 60-bodyfat- 17%-25%
Your BMI, which is called Body Mass Index, is determined by your height and weight. But it is important to know that muscle mass has nothing to do with your BMI. That is why people that have a lot of lean muscle mass tend to have higher than normal BMI. The BMI’s accuracy is skewed if you are an athletic person that has a lot of lean muscle mass.
One of the reasons why is how much weigh doesn’t really mean anything when it comes to how you look. A 190-pound person with 8 percent bodyfat will look much different than a 190 person with 25 percent bodyfat. And the main reason is the 190lb person with 8 percent bodyfat has more lean muscle than the 190lb person with 25 percent bodyfat.
How much muscle you have and how low your body fat will make you look different visually speaking than someone that has less muscle and higher than normal body fat.
Two important tips to help you build muscle are increasing your protein intake up to 1 gram and a half of protein per pound. Some good protein foods to incorporate into your diet is chicken, turkey, fish, beef, steak, etc.
The second tip is incorporating resistance training in your workouts at least 3 to 4 days a week.
Some good body workouts you can do if you don’t have access to a gym are push-ups, chair dips, lunges, body squats, etc.
The Bottom Line is muscle does not weigh more than fat as it weighs the same, but the difference is the density of the two. Muscle looks and feels harder where fat looks and feels softer.
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References
- Park J, Kim S. Validity of muscle-to-fat ratio as a predictor of adult metabolic syndrome. J Phys Ther Sci. 2016 Mar;28(3):1036-45. doi: 10.1589/jpts.28.1036. Epub 2016 Mar 31. PMID: 27134408; PMCID: PMC4842420.
- Vanderbilt University- https://www.vumc.org/health-wellness/resource-articles/body-fat-percentage
- ACE- https://www.acefitness.org/resources/everyone/blog/
- CDC- https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_bmi/index.html
