Percentage of Fat in Muscle Gain: Any idea?

[jonathan]

Is there a general standard as to how much fat is gained together with muscle? Will the breakdown of a 10kg gain be like, 9kg muscle, 1 kg fat? Or 6kg muscle, 4 kg fat?

[Greentea]

It will be too general to give such ratio . Many factors plays a parts during hypertrophy and deposity of adipose tissue/increase fat cells .

[ultimate]

jonathan said:

Is there a general standard as to how much fat is gained together with muscle? Will the breakdown of a 10kg gain be like, 9kg muscle, 1 kg fat? Or 6kg muscle, 4 kg fat?

Probably a range, depending on genes, calories/diet composition, drug status.

[jonathan]

Hmm ok thanks. I've read other answers like 25% muscle 75% fat.

[Greentea]

I bet it's from US forum .

[irx]

more like 1:1 for genetic average.

generally, the faster you gain/lose, the ratio becomes worst for gains/loss.

does not apply for newbies.

[ultimate]

This is a very interesting topic. I will email my lecturer in uni if she has the chart and data on this. The 1:1 or 1:3 muscle to fat gain sounds scary on paper. If that is true for every kg of muscle we put on we gain 1-3kg of body fat.

If the 1:1 ratio is true, that mean if I am 70kg now at 10% body fat. If I gain 2 kg of muscles. My weight become 74kg with 2 kg of extra body fat on my body. At 74kg, my body fat is now 12%.

If the 1:3 ratio is true, that mean if I am 70kg now at 10% body fat. If I gain 2 kg of muscles. My weight become 78kg with 6 kg of extra body fat on my body. At 78kg, my body fat is now 16.67%.

Both sound quite reasonable after calculation.

[irx]

it doesn't happen in a set manner.

thyroid, leptin, hormones, etc etc all come into play.

ultimately it's how much you eat in how long - like i said speed. this is where the greatest variance lies. the same person who gains 5kg in 1 week vs a genetic copy who gains the same 5kg in a month, is, sadly, going to gain mostly fat.

[ultimate]

irx said:

it doesn't happen in a set manner.

thyroid, leptin, hormones, etc etc all come into play.

ultimately it's how much you eat in how long - like i said speed. this is where the greatest variance lies. the same person who gains 5kg in 1 week vs a genetic copy who gains the same 5kg in a month, is, sadly, going to gain mostly fat.

I believe even with the same genetic set, and drug free, based on how smart the peron traina and eat the ratio will vary. But bear it in mind that our body is not good at having very low fat percentage and high amount of muscles for prolong period. Even if one that do that, the gain will be near zero without the extra food and fat to jump start the natural anabolic burst. ;D