Does Muscle Turn Into Fat When Gaining Weight? Lets Find Out!

A lot of people believe that muscle can turn into fat, or fat can turn into muscle. This opinion is often one of the untrained athletes. They will see a person who used to be fat and out of shape reduce their body fat levels and increases their muscle mass and believes that the fat this person once had has turned into muscle.

Alternatively, you may see a guy who use to be muscular but has lost the motivation to train on a consistent basis and therefore has gained a bit of weight. The obvious assumption is to think that his hard-earned muscle has suddenly turned into fat.

Is this really true? Does muscle turn into fat once we stop training?

NO!

Of course, it doesn’t. The thought of muscle turning into fat is laughable. I mean seriously, what people are constantly spreading this myth around the gyms? I can take a good guess. However, I won’t criticize people for thinking this because in a way I can understand it. If you see a guy with a tremendous amount of muscle mass who suddenly gains weight and loses muscle definition the most simple explanation is that his muscle turned into fat. This, however, is not true.

Muscle cannot turn into fat nor can fat turn into muscle, however, if you want to gain muscle you must gain weight.

Why Muscle Cannot Turn Into fat – it’s pretty simple.

Muscle cannot turn into fat because muscle and fat are two entirely different types of body tissue. Muscle tissue and fat also have entirely different cell structures. The fact that they are so different makes it impossible for one to turn into another.

So Why Do Muscular People Always End Up Overweight When They Stop Training?

Athletes or bodybuilders who have built up a significant amount of muscle mass over the years will often gain weight when they stop training. Not all of them but some of them.

Did their muscle turn into fat?

No.

Muscle cannot turn into fat, it’s simply not possible. Here’s why muscular people, athletes or bodybuilders often end up looking overweight or fat. When an individual trains to build muscle they are sending signals to the muscle to grow bigger and stronger. Calorie intake (weight gain) is increased to help support muscle growth as is protein intake.

Additional calories are used to promote muscle growth. When you stop training your calorie intake does not need to be as high as it was when you were training. People often neglect this and will consume the same number of calories each day as they did when training to build muscle. Since your body no longer needs these additional calories guess what happens? That’s right, it gets stored as fat and you put on weight.

If training and diet is neglected your muscles will shrink and you will put on weight. This is the top reason why muscular people put on fat when they stop training. It is not because their muscle turns to fat, it’s because they eat too much when they stop training.

If you stop training then you need to reassess your calorie intake for each day. Lower your calories and find your maintenance level to ensure you don’t gain too much fat.

So How Do Fat People Put On Muscle?

Now you know the real reason muscular people often end up putting on weight and body fat, your probably wondering how fat people look like they have turned fat into muscle. Again, turning fat into muscle is not possible as they are two different tissues. However, the reason people think this is simply because the fat person has lost a lot of weight.

Two things happen when someone loses a lot of weight. For one, the person appears a lot more fitter and healthier. Also, when a fat person loses a lot of weight their muscle definition begins to reveal itself, creating the illusion of muscle growth.

Depending upon where you lose fat, your muscles are likely to become a lot more visible due to the layer of fat around them being removed. People who have no knowledge of bodybuilding or weight loss will jump to the conclusion that this person has turned his fat into muscle. Not true. Your diet and exercise regime is your number one tools when it comes to achieving the physique you want. You cannot turn muscle into fat and you sure as hell cannot turn fat into muscle.

The only way to create this illusion is through your training and diet. Work hard in the gym, be consistent and discipline yourself to stick to a solid diet and you have every chance of achieving a fantastic physique.

Dumbbell Tricep Extensions For Strength, Mass & Weight Gain – How to do Dumbbell Tricep Extensions

Dumbbell tricep extensions are often performed later on in your workout depending on how you like to structure your routine, they’re a great exercises to pack on some mass & strength, however for that, you must be gaining weight, otherwise, it’ll be hard to increase both mass and strength.

For me I like to perform tricep exercises such as skull crushers or the close grip bench press first in my routine and move on to exercises where I will be lifting a lot less weight such as the dumbbell tricep extension or tricep pulldowns. This isn’t to say you should always structure your routine like this, try switching the order of your tricep exercises around every so often to switch things up a bit. It does however make sense to place main lifts such the skull crusher and close grip bench press first in your routine where you are able to lift the most weight.

We suggest you read one of our articles about the best weight gainer supplements for ectomorphs that will link you to one of the greatest guides about gaining weight by intaking a weight gainer, however, they’re not entirely necessary as long as you’re eating enough and getting enough calories in your body.

Let’s take a look at how to do dumbbell tricep extensions with good form.

• Find a Bench. Grab a bench and set it so that it is upright with a very slight incline. Dumbbell tricep extensions can be performed by standing up or sitting on a bench. In this article we will focus on sitting down whilst performing the exercise. Don’t worry if you prefer to do it standing up then that’s no problem. The same rules will still apply.
• Grab a Dumbbell. For the dumbbell tricep extension you will only need to use one dumbbell. If this is your first time performing the exercise then pick a weight you know you can handle. No need to go too heavy on these to begin with. Once you master the form you can then bump the weight up.
• Sit Down on The Bench. With the bench positioned in an upright position, sit down on the bench and press your back firmly against it.
• Position the dumbbell on your thigh. Now you will need to get the weight up into position in order to perform your first rep. This is a lot easier if you have a workout partner available to just hand you the weight. If you don’t then you will have to manoeuvre the dumbbell into the starting position on your own.
• Getting The Weight Into Position. If the weight is reasonably light it’s possible to just rest the dumbbell on your thigh, grip the dumbbell with two hands and simply raise it up above your head and into the starting position. If however, the weight is a little heavier then try this.
• Rest the dumbbell on your thighs, grip it tight with both hands and raise it up to your shoulder by kicking your leg up and guiding the dumbbell onto your shoulder. Now rest the bottom of the dumbbell on your shoulder. Note: When raising the weight you will need to flip it when in mid air so that the opposite side of the dumbbell is resting on your shoulders compared to when it was resting on your thighs. Once the dumbbell is resting on your shoulder you should now have the ability to adjust your grip and extend both your arms up above your head. Position the dumbbell slightly behind your head.
• Grip. When you are in position, you should be gripping the dumbbell with both hands/palms wrapped underneath the top of the dumbbell.
• Lowering the Weight. By now the weight should be positioned up in the air and slightly behind your head. Arms should be extended with hands wrapped underneath the top part of the dumbbell. Now lower the weight back behind you while keeping elbows as still as possible. Keeping elbows still will allow the weight to travel in the right direction and should help prevent the weight fro banging you on the head on the way down/up. When lowering the weight it is also important to try and keep your elbows tucked in. Do not start the movement with your elbows purposely flared outwards.
• Lifting the Weight. Now push the weight back up by extending your arms and keeping elbows as stationary as possible. Try not to lift the weight up and across. This will make the lift feel awkward and position the dumbbell in the wrong place for your next rep. You may even hit your head on the dumbbell. If you keep elbows still and focus on pushing the weight up towards the ceiling then you should be perfectly set up for your next rep.
• Starting Position. Always start the rep with the dumbbell positioned up and slightly behind your head. Do not position the weight directly above your head. This will cause you to lower the dumbbell incorrectly and will cause you to move your elbows slightly in order to avoid hitting your head on the dumbbell. Position it slightly behind your head at the top of the movement to begin the rep.
• Keep Elbows Still. Keep those elbows still throughout the movement in order to perfect your form. This will help keep tension on your tricep muscle, improve your form and make the lift feel far more comfortable.
• Head Position. It’s best to either look forward or down. As you can imagine, looking up will make the lift feel uncomfortable. Look straight ahead or downwards towards the floor.
• Variations. As mentioned earlier, you can perform the dumbbell tricep extension standing up but you can also perform it using one arm at a time. Both are great variations. Choose which ever one you feel most comfortable with.

Gaining Muscle Mass With The Best Weight Gainer & By Doing Dumbbell Rear Delt Raises

How to do Rear Delt Raises

Dumbbell rear delt raises are a great exercise for really hitting and isolating those rear delts that often get neglected when training shoulders, they’re great for building mass and when done while taking the best weight gainer supplements on the market your shoulders will blow up when compared to before.

Weak points are often found when you get further into your training so ensure your adding some kind of rear delt exercise into your routine to prevent weak links in your physique, preferably the dumbbell rear delt raise.

Here’s how to perform rear delt raises with correct and proper form:

Before you start the exercise you have a few options on how you wish to perform your dumbbell rear delt raises. To begin with, you should also consume & pick the best weight gainer, for that we suggest you read this article on the cheapest weight gainers on the market, afterward, If your using dumbbells you can either perform the exercise standing while bent over at a 90 degree angle or seated at a 90 degree angle. Switch between the two to see which one suits you and to add a bit of variety into your routine every now and again.

For this exercise guide we will focus on the standing dumbbell rear delt raise.

• Grab a Pair Of Dumbbells. Choice of weight is important here. Since the rear delts are a relatively small muscle group you may find yourself starting off with extremely lightweight. This is normal. Pick a weight you can get 12 reps with and focus on perfecting the form and really working those rear delt muscles. It’s not always about the weight you lift but more about how you lift it. Rear delt raises are a great example of this. Once the weight gets easier you can then start progressing up in weight.
• Bend Down To A 90 Degree Angle. This is important when targetting the rear delts properly. Your back should be horizontal or close to horizontal and should also be flat. Try not to round your back. Even though you are using lightweight and injury is unlikely, it’s far more comfortable to maintain a flat back. This will help you lift more freely.
• Place Dumbbells Together Infront of You. Whilst bent over dumbbells should be out in front of you side by side. When i say side by side this means dumbbells are together (touching) and palms are facing each other. Depending how tall you are dumbbells should be positioned just below knee level (roughly) while in the bent over position.
• Lift! Raise your arms out to your sides until dumbbells reach just below shoulder height. The key here is to focus on maintaining a bend in the elbow throughout the movement and to really help squeeze those rear delts, imagine you are lifting with your elbows. Once you’ve done this a few times and can really feel the rear delts getting activated throughout the lift you will understand what I’m talking about. Do not raise the dumbbells too far forwards. Focus on lifting them out to your sides in a straight line and ever so slightly backwards. This will activate the rear delts more. It can also be a good idea to rotate your hand slightly using your pinky finger when lifting the weight up.
• Return The Weight. Return the weight back down to it’s starting position in front of you with dumbbells side by the bar (palms facing each other). To make the exercise harder try and lower the dumbbells in a more slow and controlled manner.
• Rear Delt Raises – Things To Think AboutPerfecting The Form. Try and perfect the form of this exercise in order to reap the full benefits. If your finishing your sets and not feeling a slight burn, ache or worked feeling in your rear delts your probably not lifting the weight with your rear delts. Keep elbows bent, maintain a bent over position, focus on lifting with the elbows more and lift the weight straight out to the side with a slight backward movement to really activate the rear delts.
• Start Off Light. Similar to the above point. It’s always good to start off light and perfect the form instead of starting too heavy and getting caught up in bad form and jerking the weight up. The rear delts are a small muscle group. You will get a better muscle contraction and burn with lighter weights when first starting the exercise. Form will improve and once it does you can focus on adding more weight.
• Maintain a Bent Over Position. Try and maintain your bent over position throughout the lift and resist the urge to stand more upright as this can transfer the stress placed on the rear delts over to the side delts. A slight movement when lifting and lowering the weights should probably be expected with this exercise but you should still be able to maintain a horizontal (or very close to horizontal) position throughout.