Myth-busting time! So, I noticed all my other posts have been total essays. Sorry about this, I tend to get carried away 
So what about the ol’ ‘I don’t have a high body fat percentage’ and so I can’t build muscle’ complaint? Hmm..
1. Don’t complain too openly about your low body fat percentage or your inability to put on weight, because a lot of people are going to hate you (haters gon’ hate)
2. You don’t need fat to build muscle – you need good nutrition and a suitable weights program. Read on, grasshopper…
Can fat turn to muscle?
No, scientifically speaking. The reason many people think it can is because a lot of people build muscle underneath a layer of fat and end up looking “bigger” and “fuller” but they’re not “shredded” or “defined” (which is SHRN).
Another theory is that people who do have a higher percentage of fat eat more, have a higher appetite and thus carry more of the nutrients naturally in their body to build and repair muscle tissue. A low-cal diet can often restrict certain nutrients.
So what do I eat then if I can’t eat like Homer Simpson?!
Well, do you reaaaallyy want to look like him anyway? Sexy. Don’t eat more, eat right. You have no idea how many times I hear ‘yeh I’m just going to smash 10 cheeseburgers then hit the gym’. Pleeeeease don’t do this – it won’t work and it’s so unsustainable. Best thing to do is have carby pre-gym snack (like a banana and greek yoghurt with honey) and then smash out your reps with the heaviest you can lift and afterwards, have a balanced meal of carbs/protein (fish & starchy potatoes, chicken & rice with vegetables, hell – even low-fat chocolate milk if you feel it).
You’ll find that if you’re diet is right, you can eat a lot of it (who ever heard of restricting vegetables, which are great for repairing muscle tissue by the bye). Obviously don’t go Furious Pete OTT with your portions though.
be mindful that johnny bravo is either a) freakishly disposed to build only massive amounts of upper body muscle or b) using steroids
Then why does my friend build muscle more easily?
It depends so much on so many different factors: your body type/composition (do you build muscle easily? do you build fat easily? do you find it hard to put on weight? where are your main fat deposits? how tall are you?), your gender, cultural and racial factors such as your background, your diet, your exercise plan, your genes etc. If you really have this as your main goal (muscle building), I suggest you go and find yourself a personal trainer who specialises in this and also get yourself a good dietician because it’s not really as easy as 1, 2, 3 to get Arnie’d up.
My advice to those of you in pursuit of your better body & health, is not to sweat the small stuff. Eat well and train crazy and you’ll get there, I promise 
There are so many of those little body issues that bother us, which is fair enough as the media promotes a lot of this insecurity, but it’s unnecessary and you’re great as you are. *inspirational*
Also – just to serve as clarification – muscle can not turn into fat. Muscle can diminish from under-use and it is either replaced by fat or appears “flabbier” because there’s not that hard muscle to give it a toned look. Muscle diminishes pretty quickly though, so use it or lose it!
Questions? Feel free to ask!
Train Happy,
Faith xxxo
