Muscle and fat are two different tissues. Thanks Women’s Health and Fitness Magazine for helping NOT to educate people!
One myth that many people get wrong is that muscle can turn into fat and vice versa. This is simply not possible as they are two very different compounds The picture above should show you from a visual perspective – muscle is red and fat is white/fleshy. Muscle can increase and decrease and fat (or fat cells) can do the same but they simply do not under any circumstance turn into each other.
The purpose of muscle is contraction and relaxation and to allow our bones and body to move. Fat cells however just either store or release fat and fat is adipose tissue.
Our job in the health, fitness and Personal Training industry should be to educate, explain and help people learn and understand this notion. At Just In Time Personal Training this is what we do and should do (https://www.justintimept.com/).
We are being paid to help our clients get results and to do that, part of the process is to help our clients understand and therefore engage in the process of change, understanding and knowing. That way we are well on the path to getting the results they are looking for.
What astounds me about this notion is that many Personal Trainers that have come to me for job interviews (for now over 25 years), simply don’t know this – but that’s another story for another day!
What intrigues me is that a magazine that has a high readership amongst women and is advertised frequently on my Facebook feed, prominently features in newsagents and has a very high readership continues to perpetuate a myth that so easily could be remedied and help many people learn and understand about their bodies and in turn help them get positive results.
Women’s Health and Fitness Magazine had a post on Facebook that read “Worried about excess fat on your upper arms? Here are some strategically designed moves to target those trouble spots. Hurrah! Click here to get started”.
Whilst it doesn’t affect what job I and our Personal Trainers do (we will always use science and knowledge to educate our clients), it is a real shame that many people will continue to foster the notion that they can just simply perform the attached exercises and that will “tone up the fat on their arms”.
It doesn’t make sense to me.
In any case, if you didn’t know the difference between fat and muscle – you do now, so do me a favour and pass that message on to others that don’t know. In fact I urge you to.
If you have a Personal Trainer perhaps quiz them if they know the answer to the following questions as I would phrase it as part of my interview process “Can Muscle turn to fat? Can fat turn to muscle? Why or why not?”
If they can’t answer you with a rather quick response of “no and no” and then give a succinct and valid answer – perhaps you need to look for another Personal Trainer?
If you don’t have a Personal Trainer and you are thinking of getting one, please use my FREE 12 point “How to choose a Personal Trainer checklist“.
Justin Moran
Just In Time Personal Training
0411 798 934
