A common misconception among beginner gym goers, or even someone who has been lifting for awhile but doesn’t have much knowledge of whats actually going on inside of their body is… they think Fat can turn into muscle. It can not!
Let me start by saying Fat and Muscle are two completely different cells in the body and it is physically impossible for fat to actually turn into muscle.
There are 2 different types of fat. Visceral and subcutaneous. Visceral fat in found in the abdomen and surrounds your organs. Having some of this fat is necessary as it protects your organs. Too much of this type and you are in trouble. Ever see a guy with that big rock hard looking balloon gut? Thats because all his fat in deep inside of him, putting pressure on his organs and can cause heart disease, stroke, hypertension, inflammation and many-many other complications.
Subcutaneous fat is found just under the skin, its sometimes visible as cellulite. Cellulite is mostly found on women because of the way the fat cells take shape. In women its more of a cross hatching, so the fat seeps through causing the dimpling look. Guys fat cells all go one way, which creates a more smooth look.
We have approximately 640 muscles in the human body. Each muscle is attached to a bone by a tendon. There are many biochemical reactions that take place in the muscle cells (sliding filament theory, lactic acid build up, kreb cycle, creation of ATP,ect…). When lifting weights in the gym to make a muscle bigger you are actually breaking down the muscle fibers. You grow after you leave the gym, when your resting, with properly refueling and letting your muscles repair themselves.
A reason why people may mistake fat turning into muscle is because it’s possible to shrink fat cells through diet and exercise. When peeling of that fat layer, your muscles are more visible and defined which a lot of times making them appear bigger.
