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This idea continually gets mentioned by the ill-informed. They see someone becoming weaker through lack of exercise, resulting in a nice extra dollop of body fat and they assume it is the muscle turning to fat. Well, as with a lot of gym based myths, I am going to try and do my part to end this notion.
Where is our muscle and fat?
Our muscle joins across our joints to our bones via tendons. By being positioned across joints they are able to create movement across that joint by contracting and relaxing. Our fat on the other hand sits above the muscle layer in its own separate section between the muscle and skin and it is able to keep us warm and gives us energy when we need it. The rather simple diagram below shows the positions of the two in a cross section drawing.
So where does the myth come from?
It is tough to be precise but it is mainly due to the fact that when they stop training people have noticed that they lose muscle and gain body fat. So without understanding how the body works they coined the phrase “muscle turns to fat”. I hope that from the diagram you can see this cannot be true as they are two separate entities.
So what actually happens?
Muscle is one of the most reactive tissues in our bodies. If it is put under pressure it responds and develops in order to be able to perform those tasks. For example if you start running regularly you will notice that over time it becomes easier. Part of the reason for this is that the heart (a muscle – Beeble) has become stronger and is able to handle the pressures. You will also find that your legs become stronger with the new load they are having to take on and the muscles are growing in size and strength. Also due to exercise, by using up energy you will reduce your body fat % which is just stored energy. This of course does not mean that your fat has turned into muscle, but merely that your body has adapted to the outside forces placed on it. You will notice that the change happens at the same time but the processes are very separate.
What happens when you stop training
So there you are, all fit and healthy after your running regime but then something changes and prevents you from continuing your running routine. The muscle is no longer being pushed and the energy is no longer being used up. So what happens is the body reacts and your muscles get smaller because they no longer need to be as strong to perform the tasks required in your training routine. Your body is adapting to its new lifestyle. With your muscles getting smaller your metabolic rate will also reduce so that whereas before you were easily able to burn off the calories, you no longer can as the size of your muscle directly affects your metabolic rate. You are also not needing as much energy so a lot of the food you are taking on is not needed any more. When the body has surplus energy, in the form of food that it does not need, it will store it as fat.
There are other examples that will cause this change but this is the main example and it is where the phrase originated from. Whilst it is unlikely that you will see a reduction in muscle without seeing an increase in fat (apart from illnesses – Beeble) you will now know that its is not a transformation of your muscle but your body adapting to the outside forces that you are putting on it. So I hope you can now see why it is not the case and also why it is important that you know exactly what your body is doing. By understanding how your body works you will be able to achieve your fitness goals so much more easily.
If you have any questions on this subject then please send them on through and I will try and answer any questions you have. Good luck with your training and lifestyle changes and remember be safe.
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March 4th, 2008 at 2:42 am
A point of confusion may arise from the fact that excess amino acids in the diet do not go towards protein synthesis, but are burned as energy or converted to fat via conversion to acetyl-coA. Amino acids may become fat, but only dietary amino acids and not those derived from body protein. Am I correct?
March 4th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Quite correct and it is an important aspect for people to realise that if their lives become less active for whatever reason then they must adapt their diet accordingly. If you don’t do as much then you don’t need as much energy or muscle growing amino acids in your diet. If you do not adapt your diet and continue to eat the same then any excess protein you are taking on will be stored as our enemy….. fat!
March 11th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
I really need help. I am a female who lost nearly 75 pounds through sensible diet and 5x weekly exercise at Curves gym. I made so much progress I thought I was nearing the end of what my gym could do for me, so I switched to a popular “muscle confusion” program I ordered from an infomercial. I did this religiously for nearly 11 weeks and got very strong, but I also got huge. The program was very weight heavy and I didn’t consider the cardio I was losing (although there was still a bit of cardio involved). As a result, I had lots of muscle under a seemingly thick layer of fat. I quit the program and went back to Curves after regaining nearly 15 pounds. Since then, I have found it impossible to lose weight, though I used to lose nearly a pound a week (on average). I can barely stave off weight gain, even though I’m doing the same program as I was prior to switching programs…same exercise and same food level. What do I need to do to start seeing results again? Your explanation above made a lot of sense as to why I’m in a rut. I just don’t know how to fix it. I even went on the Nutrisystem program three weeks ago. It helped me in the past, but now it also seems ineffective. The only other thing I should add is that my stress level has gone from zero to high over the last few months. Can that be having a significant effect also?
July 28th, 2008 at 11:16 am
Gosh! Have read the Anon post and it’s just what I want to avoid. It’s my first time on this blog and it’s really intriguing me.
I should give a re-shape to my body, but I am very very afraid of chosing the wrong trainer. I am big of complexion with big bones and don’t want to become a bulky one.
Is it possible to see my own muscles come back without letting them increase of size?
Maybe Hugo too busy to answer?
Thank you anyway it’s a wonderful blog.