Muscle Mass

By Jonny Bowden

Muscle is what gives tone and shape to your body and helps you look great in a bathing suit. But there's endless confusion about it. People always want to know: Does muscle weigh more than fat? How much should you put on? What's the best way to do it?

As you might have guessed just from a cursory observation at the gym, not everyone puts on muscle at the same rate. While some people seem to just look at a dumbbell and their biceps grow, other people known as “hard gainers” have to work doubly hard for every improvement.

These individual variations have a lot to do with a person's genetic distribution of muscle fiber types. There are two basic types of muscle: Type 1 fibers and Type 2 fibers. Type 1 fibers (predominant in marathon runners and also known as “slow twitch”) are red muscle and dense with blood vessels, which carry tons of oxygen and can therefore sustain aerobic activity. The Type 2 fibers are called “fast twitch” and they're made for short, intense bursts of energy, such as lifting weights rather than running a 10K.

The Type 2 muscles are the ones that grow, so when you're lifting weights you're basically training those muscles. The more you have of them to begin with, the easier it is to put on muscle mass. It's probably no accident that marathoners become marathoners or power lifters become power lifters -- each picks a sport that makes the most of the type of muscle fiber that's predominant in their bodies.

So what does this mean for you, the average person wanting to tone and shape up? The best way to gain more muscle is by doing an activity that makes those Type 2 fibers grow, and that means weight training. The weight training can be in the form of actual weights (dumbbells, weight machines), or by using resistance bands or even your own body weight (push ups, pull ups). But the key is to push your muscles to the point of fatigue -- the point when you can't lift anymore. When that happens, tiny tears occur in the muscle, and when they repair themselves during the time you rest, they build new muscle and get bigger.

How much strength training it takes to put on muscle is varies enormously from person to person. Most experts recommend starting with enough weight so that you can only do 8 to12 repetitions. If you can't quite do 8, then you need to use less weight. Do two sets of 8 to 12 repetitions three times a week. Coupled with the right diet, you'll be on your way to a taut body.

Diet is also key to putting on muscle. One of the biggest myths is that protein by itself will make your muscles grow. Eating protein is like putting gas in your car. Your car won't run without it -- but merely putting gas in the tank doesn't make the car take off. You have to turn on the ignition and put your foot on the gas pedal. It's the same with muscle. Weight training is the gas pedal -- it's the impetus for making your muscles grow. Protein provides the fuel for them to repair themselves after a workout and get stronger.

Many women fear that weight training will make them bulky. If you train with weights, however, you're not going to look like the women who compete in bodybuilding contests. Those women train for a living, not just an hour every other day. Not to mention that many of them are often are chemically assisted. A woman doesn't normally make enough testosterone to get that big, so rest assured, strength training will make you strong, toned and shapely, not huge.

Another great thing about building muscle is that it can actually help you lose body fat. Why? Because calories and fat are primarily burned in little power centers of the muscle cell called mitochondria. The more muscle you have, the more of these fat burning factories your body has, so putting on muscle is actually one of your best weapons in the battle of the bulge.

And one more thing: Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat. (Remember, a pound of feathers and a pound of bricks both weigh a pound.) But muscle is more dense than fat. It looks tighter, firmer, and healthier on your body than the same number of pounds of fat.