One of the most popular misconception is that fats convert into muscles when we exercise. Does it really do that?
Firstly, what makes people think of it this way to begin with?
Well, there’s lots of radical before-and-after transformation that gives the impression that fat seems to have “harden” or transformed into blocky muscles somehow.
But the truth is, IT DOESN’T.
The Difference
Muscle and fat are two very different things.
Muscle is active tissue that burn calories and allows your body to perform mechanical actions throughout the day. It is mostly made up of protein, water and glycogen (a form of carbohydrate).
Fat on the other hand is just a storage of excess energy, due to calories surplus and a less active lifestyle, to be tapped into when the need arises.
So what actually happen between fat and muscle?
When we exercise, energy is needed for us to perform the task. These energy is obtained from fat, carbohydrate and protein depending on the type to exercise (aerobic/anaerobic) and energy systems (ATP-PC/glycolytic/oxidative) involved. Similar to cars, if we want to move it, we need fuel. Depending on the type of car (diesel/petrol/electric), different type of fuel will be needed.
Fat act as a fuel during your workout session and through your resisted training and sufficient protein intake, you build muscle. This results in a reduction of fat storage in your body and an increment in muscle through your training.
Thus, what you actually see in the before-and-after transformation picture is that the models have lost fat (due to being on a calories deficit) and gained muscle (due to resisted exercises and sufficient protein intake) at the same time, resulting in a more define body.
Conclusion
To sum it up, fat does not directly convert into muscle but it is used as part of the energy system required to fuel your resisted workout for building muscle.
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