Want to Know How Much Does Muscle Weigh?

Want to know how much does muscle weight? Please read on…

Muscle mass constitutes a big portion of our overall bodyweight. Yet, most of us don’t acknowledge – and are neither aware of – the importance of muscle mass for our health.

Muscle is regarded as the largest organ in the human body and it is the major determiner of our health. In fact, muscles constitute at least 20% of muscle mass in a healthy person. Nonetheless, the minimum muscle mass required for a particular body truly depends on age.

In this article, we analyse at length: how much of an individual’s bodyweight is made up of muscle mass?

So, for those of you who often wonder how someone can look so sleek but still weigh more, read on below!

What Are Muscles And What Is Muscle Mass?

Muscle mass is the measure of the number of muscles in one’s body. As mentioned earlier, muscle is a crucial part of the body and is primarily responsible for, and the enabler of, many movements. This is because our bodily movements are a combination of contraction and relaxation.

Simply put: without muscles, we can’t survive. And here’s a fun fact for you: you will be amazed to know that the heart is the strongest muscle in the human body.

Muscle consists of a large number of smaller pieces called muscle fibers that perform all the actions of the body. They are responsible for the movement and repair of muscles. There are two types of muscle fibers, Type I and Type II.

Type I fibers are smaller in size, and they work for contraction. On the other hand, Type II fibers are larger in size and work for relaxation.

Every cell in the human body has many muscles fibers in its tissues and this total number of muscles fibers determines the muscle mass. Every person’s muscle mass is slightly different because of genetic makeup.

How Much Does Muscle Weigh?

If we take the mass of our muscles and compare it to our body weight, we’ll find that a few of our muscles are more in mass than others. According to Withings, the leading manufacturer of smart scales, muscles can weigh as low as 20% to as high as 70% % of the total body mass.

It is also possible for two people with the same bodyweight to have different muscle masses. For example: a fat person and a bodybuilder both can weigh 280lbs, but the former has a higher fat percentage and lower muscle mass than the latter. It is a myth that people with higher body mass have higher muscle mass.

Anyway, higher or lower muscle mass is not a permanent condition. It can change with proper nutrition and exercise.

Importance Of Muscle Mass

Most people overlook the importance of muscle mass, muscle strength and endurance. Muscle fibers protect your joints and keep you safe against muscle cramps and other muscle-related ailments. Muscle mass also plays an important role in burning calories and fat by regulating muscle glucose production.

Furthermore, muscle mass plays a very crucial role in well-being. The number of muscles you have defines the overall look and health of your body. Most of the people that go to the gym to gain weight do so by gaining muscle mass.

With a proper diet, you can increase your weight by increasing the muscle mass without increasing the calories you take in. All these and more are very important reasons to have a healthy weight.

How To Measure Muscle Mass?

It is usually a hard task to measure muscle mass at home. Also, you can’t just go to the gym and measure the muscles directly. You have to use a proper scale or a machine to measure it.

The figures you get after muscle mass measurement depend on the method of measuring. Hence, it would be very difficult to jump to any conclusions on this.

The best way to measure your muscle mass is to take a medical imaging scan or a certain type of X-ray scan. You can then use some equations to calculate the number of muscles fibers and the volume of muscle you have.

However, there are several devices available on the market as well that measure your muscle mass.

Is High Muscle Mass Bad?

No, it is not. Muscle mass is good for your health.

Muscle mass plays an important role in the development and growth of muscle tissues. However, if muscle mass is in an abnormal amount, it can hamper your daily routine. Also, your body will seek to decrease muscle mass as an exercise.

There are several exercises to build muscle mass. As we know, regular exercise increases your metabolism, and this increases your calorie-burning rate. So, muscle mass is good and can be beneficial for you as you will engage in physical activities.

However, your muscle mass and its functionality depend on your level of fitness. Therefore, if your body is fit and in good shape, you will gain more muscle mass and stay quite healthy.

Do Males And Females Have Different Muscle Masses?

There is a clear difference between men and women when it comes to muscle mass. Men tend to have more muscle mass than women. An average man who weighs 150 pounds (64.5kg) may have 10% more muscle mass than an average woman who weighs 240 pounds (109kg).

What Should Be The Minimum Muscle Mass?

The minimum muscle mass varies based on your age and gender. In general, from the age of 18, one should have a minimum of 40% of muscle mass.

According to researches, an individual must have a minimum of 25 grams of muscle per body mass for every kilogram of body weight.

Ladies, you should be aware that you must consume at least 2.2 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight. Moreover, you will have to increase it by 0.5 grams for every increase in body weight.

How Much Muscle Mass Should You Aim For?

There are very few reliable sources that provide trustworthy data about average muscle mass percentages. However, we have made gender-wise charts for you after going through the most credible source available.

Here is the table for men:

Here is the table for women:

Tips On Growing The Muscle Mass

We can lose the muscle mass gradually, but it’s not possible to maintain the same level of muscle mass. Many think that your muscles are the same all the time, and they are only increased in size by physical activity. This is also not true completely. If you keep eating the same things and working the same way, your muscle mass will also reduce after a certain time.

Now let’s talk about growing your muscle mass. It’s your best bet for overall physical well-being. There are two different ways in which you can grow the muscle mass of your body.

1. To increase muscular muscle mass, one has to do some form of aerobic activity, including resistance training in their daily fitness routine. You should focus on a combination of strength training with resistance training.

Strength training allows your muscles to build muscle mass, while resistance training helps you in reducing the fat in your body. People with significant weight loss should try to add strength training as they are more likely to lose weight in the long term.

2. The other method is to increase your caloric intake. The second is to work out. Muscle mass is just an attribute of your body. You must be wondering what is caloric intake and how it works? Well, calorie intake is the number of calories you consume in the form of food daily.

Your caloric intake will increase the total amount of energy you take in. It can be done by either increasing the calories you eat or decreasing the number of calories you consume. If you decrease the calories you consume, you can see a good effect on your muscle mass.

Benefits Of Muscle Mass

Now that you know how muscle mass contributes to our strength, let’s discuss some of its benefits. We have listed a few benefits of having an above-average muscle mass:

• Increases Lifespan

• Helps in improving metabolism

• Builds Stronger Bones

• Improves Agility

• Increases Stamina

• Helps in Hormones Regulation

• Helps in Tolerance to Stress

How Much Does Muscle Weigh: Conclusion

Muscle tissue constitutes the largest part of our bodyweight. To maintain muscle tissue, we need to consume a lot of calories, which means you need to eat a lot of food. By a lot of food, we mean a lot of calorie-rich food, not fat-rich food like burgers or pizza.

Now you know what muscle mass is, its importance, and how much do muscles weigh! We hope that you got valuable insights from the article. Do leave your questions, suggestions, and concerns in the comments below so we can address those for you as well!