Mass vs. Weight: A Scientific Discussion

Today I learned an important fact about my body. There is a huge difference between body mass and body weight. If you don't know the difference, let me attempt to explain...

Mass is the amount of matter in an object while weight is the gravitational pull on an object. If you don't understand that jargon (trust me, I don't), let me try to explain a different way. Think of a ping pong ball. It is light and contains very little actual matter. The only contents it has is a tiny plastic shell. Compare that to a cotton ball. In my mind, a cotton ball and a ping pong ball weigh nearly the same amount. However, the cotton ball has more mass. Why's that? The cotton ball takes up more space with matter. The cotton ball is cotton all the way through. Sure, it's still a light object, but it's matter takes up more space.

Our bodies are the same way. There are a lot of parts that make up our bodies. There's water, bone, blood, muscle, fat, organs, and an assortment of other material. Weight is only one way to measure what we are made of. Muscle weighs more than fat, so muscle has a greater mass than fat. If you took a cup of muscle and a cup of fat, the muscle would weigh more. Why? Because the mass of muscle is much greater than the mass of fat.

You may be wondering why I was thinking about all this. Every few weeks, I check my fat content to see if the gains I've made are fat or muscle. So far, my fat content has stayed relatively the same, but today it was a bit higher than normal. I immediately panicked and contacted Derek. He then went on to explain to me this very important principle. I used to just multiply my weight times the percentage of fat content and see if I had gained muscle, but that is completely incorrect. The reading of fat content was not telling me what percentage of my weight is fat. It was telling me what percentage of my mass is fat. And that's a big difference. Fat might take up a little more space, but the muscle is denser. That's what matters. That's why there can be a huge difference between two people who weight 200 pounds. One can look extremely well-built and muscular while the other is overweight.

Our lives are the same way. There are all sorts of things that can make us look really good, but when it comes down to it, those things are just "weight". We can go to church, say the right things around the right people, don't get anybody pregnant before we're married, read the Bible, don't do drugs or get drunk - and to most of the world, we look great. But again, those things are all "weight". They're important, but are we really saturated with God? Do we do things and stay away from other things just to look good in front of people, or is it because we truly feel in our hearts that we want to live for Him? We need to make sure our mass is authentic, not just our weight. In the end, weight matters very little. Mass is where the difference is made.

Saturate yourself with God. Build "mass" and be authentic. Otherwise, you just look like a lazy slob.

 “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!" (Revelation 3:16 NLT)

**Just a note about this Bible passage. It does NOT mean that God wants you to be for Him or against Him. God does not desire that anyone be against Him. What it means is that He is unable to do anything with someone who is not completely passionate for Him. Hot water is useful. Cold water is useful. I can't think of a single good use for lukewarm water. God is saying to be sold out to Him either way. Not for Him or against Him.**

Workout:

4x12 on all exercises.
Clean pulls - 125 pounds
SLDL - 125 pounds superset with close grip pull down - 90 pounds
Power shrugs - 115 pounds
Barbell shrugs - 160 pounds
One arm seated rows(overhand) - 40 pounds superset with reverse flys - 15 pound dumbbells
One arm seated rows (underhand) - 40 pounds

Best Songs of the Workout:

1. Give Me Faith by Elevation Worship
2. Never Once by Matt Redman
3. It Girl cover by Michael Henry and Justin Robinett

Till next time,

Peace and much love.