Okay so since I’ve been back at college, I’ve talked to a few guys who are much bigger than me that I know what they’re weighing these days, as they’re my height or just a bit bigger. They say they’re 175 lbs, and that’s the same weight as me. However, they look so much bigger than me, and can lift a lot more than me too. One catch though is that they hardly if ever work their legs, and when doing squats, only go like 1/4 of the way down, and virtually never do deadlifts. I keep squats and deadlifts as my main days and give them my best effort, going all the way down on squats. These lifts I’m able to lift just as much or more than them, even with their only going 1/4 the way down. Is this why I’m their same weight yet look significantly smaller? Btw my legs still look smaller than theirs too… :-\
You answered your own question. It’s common sense… developed legs can account for a significant amount of body mass. I generally don’t look as big as other people my weight/height because I have bigger-than-average legs.
Well, I would have guessed that the OP’s legs were simply bigger than the other guys’. But, he said that their legs look bigger too. In which case, I don’t get that. How much of a difference in weight are we talking here? If you weigh yourself in the morning and you’re at 170 versus 175 midday, plus the fact that your scale could be 3lbs off or so on the low end your weight could seem a lot less than theirs if their scale is off adding a few pounds plus a midday weigh in. That alone could account for 10 lbs.
But the important thing is that it shouldn’t matter. Focus on how you look and don’t worry about the other guys. Especially how much they weigh, it doesn’t matter.
-MAtt
[quote]However, they look so much bigger than me, and can lift a lot more than me too.
One catch though is that they hardly if ever work their legs, and when doing squats, only go like 1/4 of the way down, and virtually never do deadlifts. Btw my legs still look smaller than theirs too… :-[/quote]
If they are bigger and stronger but weight the same it is because they have more muscle than you. You must have a higher bodyfat percentage than them.
[quote]tpa wrote:
However, they look so much bigger than me, and can lift a lot more than me too.
One catch though is that they hardly if ever work their legs, and when doing squats, only go like 1/4 of the way down, and virtually never do deadlifts. Btw my legs still look smaller than theirs too… :-\
If they are bigger and stronger but weight the same it is because they have more muscle than you. You must have a higher bodyfat percentage than them.
[/quote]
there was a point in time when i would have logged on to T-Nation thinking that this kind of information should be obvious, at least to everyone else that even comes to this site, let alone the people that actually log in to post. its really a shame that something this simple has to be spelled out for people.
it seems simple. if youre 170lbs with 15% bf, youve got an entire 17lbs more fat (read “less muscle”) than someone that is the same weight, but at 5% bodyfat.
and before we have a discussion about the op’s bf% vs. the guys that hes comparing himself to, just using easy numbers to illustrate the point.
furthermore, Matgic is as spot-on as he usually is, what does it matter about these other guys? id say that a good number of us have been in the same boat as you. i can at least say that i was in the EXACT same boat, in that soph year of college i was flirting with 180lbs, while my lifting partner was 168-169lbs, yet i was envious of his size because he was ~10lbs lighter, but much leaner than i was, and therefore he was actually a little bigger, but without the extra bf that i had spread around. the thing is, what does it matter? at the end of the day, youre going home with your physique, not theirs. when you bring that slute home, shes seein your naked ass, not theirs. just worry about your own progress. worrying about weight discrepancies and shit will drive you crazy, and actually mess with your head when you see these guys in the gym.
[quote]tpa wrote:
However, they look so much bigger than me, and can lift a lot more than me too.
One catch though is that they hardly if ever work their legs, and when doing squats, only go like 1/4 of the way down, and virtually never do deadlifts. Btw my legs still look smaller than theirs too… :-\
If they are bigger and stronger but weight the same it is because they have more muscle than you. You must have a higher bodyfat percentage than them.
[/quote]
Doesn’t muscle weigh more than fat?
[quote]Jolt wrote:
tpa wrote:
However, they look so much bigger than me, and can lift a lot more than me too.
One catch though is that they hardly if ever work their legs, and when doing squats, only go like 1/4 of the way down, and virtually never do deadlifts. Btw my legs still look smaller than theirs too… :-\
If they are bigger and stronger but weight the same it is because they have more muscle than you. You must have a higher bodyfat percentage than them.
Doesn’t muscle weigh more than fat? [/quote]
Yes it does.
[quote]
Doesn’t muscle weigh more than fat? [/quote]
Muscle doesn’t weigh more than fat. A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat – one pound. But muscle is more dense than fat. Ever looked at the drippings after cooking a Thanksgiving turkey? The fat sits in a layer on top of the water because it’s less dense than water. Muscle is mostly water. And body fat is, well, it’s fat.
[quote]tpa wrote:
Jolt wrote:
tpa wrote:
However, they look so much bigger than me, and can lift a lot more than me too.
One catch though is that they hardly if ever work their legs, and when doing squats, only go like 1/4 of the way down, and virtually never do deadlifts. Btw my legs still look smaller than theirs too… :-\
If they are bigger and stronger but weight the same it is because they have more muscle than you. You must have a higher bodyfat percentage than them.
Doesn’t muscle weigh more than fat?
Yes it does.
[/quote]
Weighs more and is more compact - but a muscular person will always look larger than they are.
[quote]Defender wrote:
Doesn’t muscle weigh more than fat?
Muscle doesn’t weigh more than fat. A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat – one pound. But muscle is more dense than fat. Ever looked at the drippings after cooking a Thanksgiving turkey? The fat sits in a layer on top of the water because it’s less dense than water. Muscle is mostly water. And body fat is, well, it’s fat.[/quote]
Well yeah - but I think most of us understand that by volume it weighs more. OR should I say, that I would think that most of us would understand that.
But thank you for reminding me that We can not make such assumptions around here any more.
If they lift more, and look bigger, and there legs look bigger, then maybe they have more muscle, and you have more fat, just like everyone is saying.
[quote]firebug9 wrote:
Defender wrote:
Doesn’t muscle weigh more than fat?
Muscle doesn’t weigh more than fat. A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat – one pound. But muscle is more dense than fat. Ever looked at the drippings after cooking a Thanksgiving turkey? The fat sits in a layer on top of the water because it’s less dense than water. Muscle is mostly water. And body fat is, well, it’s fat.
Well yeah - but I think most of us understand that by volume it weighs more. OR should I say, that I would think that most of us would understand that.
But thank you for reminding me that We can not make such assumptions around here any more.
[/quote]
Hey firebug, I do stand corrected on the superhero thread. You have it goin’ on, lol.
[quote]relativelyfunguy wrote:
firebug9 wrote:
Defender wrote:
Doesn’t muscle weigh more than fat?
Muscle doesn’t weigh more than fat. A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat – one pound. But muscle is more dense than fat. Ever looked at the drippings after cooking a Thanksgiving turkey? The fat sits in a layer on top of the water because it’s less dense than water. Muscle is mostly water. And body fat is, well, it’s fat.
Well yeah - but I think most of us understand that by volume it weighs more. OR should I say, that I would think that most of us would understand that.
But thank you for reminding me that We can not make such assumptions around here any more.
Hey firebug, I do stand corrected on the superhero thread. You have it goin’ on, lol.
[/quote]
Thanks! oh, wait, you are still just being an a-hole aren’t ya!
By the way, I hope you are not going to be an English teacher. If you are you might want to think about taking Freshman English again.
The density of fat and muscle is very similar
[quote]1. The density of mammalian skeletal muscle is 1.06 g/ml.
“… 1.06 g/cm-3 which is the density of mammalian skeletal muscle”
Source for quote: The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological
Sciences and Medical Sciences 56:B191-B197 (2001)
Specific Force Deficit in Skeletal Muscles of Old Rats Is Partially
Explained by the Existence of Denervated Muscle Fibers
Melanie G. Urbancheka, Elisa B. Pickenb, Loree K. Kalliainenc and
William M. Kuzon, Jr.a,d
http://biomed.gerontologyjournals.org/cgi/content/full/56/5/B191#R23
Reference given by the authors: Mendez J, Keys A, 1960. Density and
composition of mammalian muscle. Metabolism 9:184-188.
- The density of adipose tissue (fat) is about 0.9 g/ml
“…by multiplying the density of adipose tissue (0.9196 g/ml)”
Source: Association of adiponectin and resistin with adipose tissue
compartments, insulin resistance and dyslipidaemia
M. S. Farvid1, T. W. K. Ng2, D. C. Chan2, P. H. R. Barrett2 and G. F. Watts2*
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1463-1326.2004.00410.x
“…on the assumption that the density of adipose tissue is 0.9g/cm3”
Source of quote: Pediatric Research 55:437-441 (2004)
Distribution of Adipose Tissue in the Newborn
TRACEY A.M. HARRINGTON, ELIZABETH LOUISE THOMAS, GARY FROST, NEENA
MODI and JIMMY D. BELL
Source given by authors:
Ross R, L?ger L, Guardo R, De Guise J, Pike BG 1991 Adipose tissue
volume measured by magnetic resonance imaging and computerized
tomography in rats. J Appl Physiol 70: 2164?2172[/quote]
[quote]EdChap wrote:
The density of fat and muscle is very similar…[/quote]
According to that, there is about an 11% difference. However, it will also depend on the amount of fat within muscled areas.
So, were those trained lean rats or just sedentary rats put through a blender? 
[quote]Defender wrote:
Doesn’t muscle weigh more than fat?
Muscle doesn’t weigh more than fat. A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat – one pound. But muscle is more dense than fat. Ever looked at the drippings after cooking a Thanksgiving turkey? The fat sits in a layer on top of the water because it’s less dense than water. Muscle is mostly water. And body fat is, well, it’s fat.[/quote]
whats heavier, a pound of feathers or a pound of lead?
[quote]baretta wrote:
whats heavier, a pound of feathers or a pound of lead?
[/quote]
Deeze Nutz.
[quote]relativelyfunguy wrote:
[/quote]
I laugh every time I see this name.
That is all.
[quote]firebug9 wrote:
relativelyfunguy wrote:
firebug9 wrote:
Defender wrote:
Doesn’t muscle weigh more than fat?
Muscle doesn’t weigh more than fat. A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat – one pound. But muscle is more dense than fat. Ever looked at the drippings after cooking a Thanksgiving turkey? The fat sits in a layer on top of the water because it’s less dense than water. Muscle is mostly water. And body fat is, well, it’s fat.
Well yeah - but I think most of us understand that by volume it weighs more. OR should I say, that I would think that most of us would understand that.
But thank you for reminding me that We can not make such assumptions around here any more.
Hey firebug, I do stand corrected on the superhero thread. You have it goin’ on, lol.
Thanks! oh, wait, you are still just being an a-hole aren’t ya!
By the way, I hope you are not going to be an English teacher. If you are you might want to think about taking Freshman English again.
[/quote]
What grammar/spelling mistake did i make that was so awful?
[quote]chewie wrote:
relativelyfunguy wrote:
I laugh every time I see this name.
That is all.
[/quote]
ME as well!