Does muscle weigh more than fat? In a nut shell, 5 lbs of muscle takes up LESS space than 5 lbs of Fat. When placed on a scale, one pound of fat is going to weigh the same as one pound of muscle BUT they will look very different. A great analogy I read once is to picture a 1 lb brick and 1 lb of feathers. How different do they look? Muscle and fat differ in density. Would you rather have 5 lbs of lean, dense, smooth muscle tissue or 5 lbs of bulky, lumpy fat? I will take the muscle!

The difference in volume between muscle and fat makes muscle appear to weigh more. When a cubic inch of fat and a cubic inch of muscle are measured the cubic inch of muscle will weigh more. Body weight may increase as you add muscle mass to your body. The truth is pound for pound muscle and fat weighs the same. It is not just the numbers on the scale so don't get discouraged if you know you are eating clean, exercising and doing weight -bearing, functional exercises and the scale goes up a bit. Instead of being obsessed with the scale use your performance as a way to measure fitness. For example, just like running a 5k for time. Time yourself in a workout in January and do the exact same workout again in February, see if you can do it faster. If you do it faster you are certainly fitter! Try this workout below..

First, warm up properly then set the timer. 3-2-1 GO!

3 rounds for time:
5 burpees
10 sit ups
15 air squats

See how fast you can do this workout with perfect form. Never sacrifice your form for speed. As you get fitter your speed will come. It is always body mechanics first, then consistency then intensity(speed).

The Benefits of having more lean muscle mass:

Reduce the risk of injury

Builds beautiful, lean, strong body

Increases your confidence

increases your metabolism

Body burns fat efficiently

Increases energy

Improves athletic performance

Increases strength and endurance

more calories you will burn at rest

Improves posture

In the first picture above to the right I exercised a lot, mainly running and spinning classes. I ate grains. My children were young so I was trying to get in what I could for exercise with little time. By the time Conor was 13 and Chloe was 10 Mark discovered CrossFit. Mark would say, "Caitlin, check this out, this is going to be HUGE someday." We all started "dabbling" in it. We would practice exercises in our garage/barn. I started a kids class that both my kids attended. We were hooked. Eventually, I got certified to Coach it then Mark did. The best thing I could have done for my mind and body was to start CrossFitting. CrossFit is about performance not how you look. I am competitive in nature. I absolutely love to challenge my body, my mental toughness and my fitness. When I started doing CrossFit 3-4x a week I was thrilled that in a “Box” there are no mirrors, no scales…It was refreshing! The only thing that mattered was performance and body mechanics(your form). Lifting heavier weights completely changed my body and my fitness. My body fat went way down without me even thinking about it. All I had on my mind was to get stronger and to learn how to perform the exercises. CrossFit is about doing more work in less time. It was just what I needed. Who wants to spend hours and hours in the gym. Who has time? Not many.

As you can see in the pictures of Mark and me our bodies look very different with more muscle even though our weight is the same in each picture. In conclusion, now that my focus has shifted to how I perform, getting stronger and faster in my athletic performance I don’t mind stepping on the scale and checking my body fat. I look at it very different. If I gain a couple pounds than I know the next time I go for a 1 rep max clean and Jerk I will definitely be able to push more weight. Find the exercise that you love to do and do it. Change it up once and a while so your body responds, be happy with the body you were given, make your body strong and healthy. It is truly a machine!

Does Muscle Weigh More Than Fat

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