Weighed in and were shocked by the scale, even though you were training? Learn to identify whether what you gained after weight training was fat or muscle!
Although many people still die from laziness, in the fight against weight loss, physical exercise and a balanced diet are our main allies. And, even though many people invest all their money in ergometry, weight training also helps with weight loss.
The “magic” happens when lean mass increases, which ends up forcing the metabolism to accelerate as well, as it needs to keep up with this and burns more calories to maintain the muscles acquired.
Bodybuilding and weight gain
The problem is that those who choose bodybuilding tend to have one complaint in common: the difficulty of seeing the results on the scale. Has this ever happened to you? If so, find out why!
Despite the visible loss of measurements that frequent weight training provides, many people complain about not being able to lose weight. Some even gain weight after training or during cycles.
According to experts, it is normal for this to happen and you need to learn to identify whether you have actually gained fat or whether you are heavier due to muscle gain. But, to know the difference, you need to know in what body conditions you left a sedentary lifestyle and started working out.
Physical assessment is the solution
This type of monitoring, obviously, needs to be carried out by a nutrition or physical education professional. Before starting the bodybuilding cycle, these professionals will evaluate your physical composition and tell you the percentage of fat mass and lean mass in your body.
Over the months, checking these results will indicate whether you are really gaining weight and need to change your diet to consume fewer calories; or if you are, in fact, exchanging fat for muscle in your composition. This happens, especially, if your focus is hypertrophy.
If you want to lose weight in a healthy way, don’t be scared by the numbers on the scale. Reducing fat and increasing muscle is the most efficient way to lose weight in the long term, which is what bodybuilding does.
Therefore, in relation to aerobic training, such as walking and running, weight training has the capacity to maintain caloric expenditure for longer post-workout, due to a faster metabolism. Therefore, an intense 30-minute weight training workout can be equivalent to a moderate 1-hour walk, in terms of caloric expenditure.
Muscle vs fat
But don’t worry, this doesn’t mean that muscle and fat have different weights. A kilo of fat mass weighs exactly like a kilo of muscle mass, the difference, however, lies in the volume of these pieces.
You can take the test at a butcher’s shop, for example. If you order a kilo of fat and a kilo of muscle, you will see that the fat has more volume, while the lean meat is more compact.
According to experts, this means that muscles take up less space in the body than fat. This is why clothes start to fit us better after a few months of daily weight training, even if on the scale you have increased or maintained your weight. Therefore, the results begin to appear when it is possible to notice that your measurements are smaller.
Furthermore, it is possible to see the results in the sagging and firmness of the skin. When you notice this, it means that the fat has given way to muscle. And, as we have already shown, 1 kilo of muscle has less volume than the same amount of fat.
Forget the scale!
Get it now? So, if you have adopted bodybuilding training for life and want to know whether your weight gain was from fat or muscle, the best way to monitor this is using a measuring tape and an adipometer, which measures body folds. .
Although it’s great when the results are visible on the scale, it may not be your best friend in this endeavor. So forget the scales and focus on the real measurement results. It is very difficult for your fat level to increase with adequate training and a balanced diet. But remember: the bodybuilding process is slow and long-term, so don’t give up! You will see results in less time than you think.
Still not convinced? So check out the reasons for you to start bodybuilding right now!
4 reasons to invest in bodybuilding
Weight training, in addition to helping with weight loss, brings other benefits to the health of the body. It is possible to observe these results, both externally and internally.
Check out now the benefits of weight training and why it should be an ally when it comes to losing weight.
1. Maintains caloric expenditure for longer
Unlike aerobic training, which maintains calorie expenditure only as long as the exercise is carried out, strength training, which includes weight training, can maintain calorie expenditure for longer. Therefore, weight training continues to act on your body for up to 48 hours after training. This happens because the body spends calories to repair the muscle that was strengthened during training.
In this way, weight training helps you continue to lose weight even after strength and resistance training. Furthermore, if combined with aerobic training, weight training can contribute to accelerated weight loss.
2. Burning fat as fuel for bodybuilding
Studies show that fat burning is enhanced after weight training. Therefore, during training, the energy used comes from carbohydrates, but after training, to repair the muscles, it is fat that is the fuel for bodybuilding.
In fact, this is a great explanation for the expression “gaining lean mass”. In other words, fats are replaced by muscles, which consequently makes you reduce measurements.
3. Helps in the control and prevention of diabetes
For those who suffer from diabetes, know that weight training can help you maintain good insulin levels in your blood.
Therefore, there are already specific training sessions for diabetic people to lose weight and maintain good shape. Furthermore, for anyone who wants to start bodybuilding, the exercises will help improve the body’s metabolism, which will also help prevent possible insulin resistance.
4. Regulates hunger and satiety
This is not a specific benefit of bodybuilding, but it is also present during more intense training. Studies show that during these workouts there is a reduction in hunger and an increase in satiety. This happens because there is an inhibition of the hunger hormone, ghrelin.
Furthermore, the satiety hormone also changes during physical exercise. Therefore, in heavier people, it cannot signal the nervous system when the person is satiated. Physical activity reshapes this characteristic, and therefore the person can feel more satiated.
So, did you learn? And, while we’re at it, there’s no point in getting involved in bodybuilding without changing some habits that make you fat, as you can see in this other article: 5 things you do daily that increase localized fat.
Source: Minha Vida, UOL
Images: Alexandre Bubilla, Personal Virtual, Smart Fit, Jefferson de Almeida, VIX, Veja, Bianca Lobianco, Nutrition Tips, Exercise and Health, Veja, Boa Forma
Featured image: Performa Academia
