Free Personalized Fitness Resources at MikesFitness. com
Free Personalized Fitness Resources at MikesFitness. com
Irving, TX (PRWEB) October 10, 2005
Here's a small preview of the Q&A that takes place many times each day as visitors to www. MikesFitness. com ask Mike for fitness and health advice. Join Mike's Fitness revolution today!
Q: I have gained muscle mass even though my muscles dont look bigger. Can weight trainig cause my muscles to increase in density without an increase in volume?
A: Muscle density is always more or less constant. There're some controversial theories that suggest that cardio-tranined and strength-trained muscles are more dense than bodybuilding-trained muscles. But even if these theories are true, the difference in densities would be far too small to observe with the naked eye.
But you may well be correct that you've gained muscle mass even though your muscles don't look bigger for a number of reasons:
Fat is less dense than muscle (in other words, fat takes up more room), so if you lose some fat from, say, your upper arms and replace it with the equal weight of muscle, your upper arms will actually become a little smaller even though they'll be more muscular. You should be able to notice the difference in the hardness of that area (upper arm or other) now versus relative flabbiness before.
Even more likely, you lost significant amount of fat and replaced it with a lesser amount of muscle -- this will result in the same effect, only even more pronounced. Again, notice how hard your muscles feel now even though they make look smaller or the same. This is because you've lost all the extra fat around them.
You may also be assuming that you've gained muscle mass because you are stronger now. That's not always a correct assumption. Most of the beginner strength gains come not from larger muscles but from more efficient use of the existing muscles by your nervous system (muscle recruitment). Of course having more strength is a very good thing in its own right -- it'll help you lift greater weights and build muscle faster that way. So it's a win-win situation in either case.
You may have actually gained muscle and it really is bigger now, but it's just not easy to see with the naked eye. This can be especially true for things like muscles of the back. You can use tape measure to keep track of your muscle growth, so you don't need to rely on your eyes (commonly measured areas are flexed upper arms at the bicep peak, chest at the nipple level, mid-thigh, calves, and neck). You can also take periodic progress photos (aka before and after pictures), either relaxed or flexed. The photos especially can be a great self-motivation tool down the road and I highly recommend them.
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