Increase Your Lean Muscle Mass For Powerful Fat Loss
ByMany of my clients ask me at what level they should train for powerful fat loss. Now this isn’t a simple answer. You see, many people when they start exercising want to just lose weight, or get rid of the love handles, without even once mentioning building muscle. The truth of the matter isĀ powerful fat loss comes as a result of good diet and an increase in lean muscle mass. The more lean muscle a person has on them, the more calories they will burn at rest-doing absolutely nothing. This is known as a person’s “resting metabolic rate”. Many people overlook this and concentrate only on the “weight issue”, which can be a very tricky thing to understand.
Let me give you an example. Let’s say there are two, 200-pound men. The first one is a “gym rat” of sorts and is very conscious about his
health. He eats well, exercises everyday and has 6% body fat. Now the second man is somewhat sedentary, and has a bit of a beer belly. He gets maybe one or two days of exercise in during the week, if that. He has 25% body fat. Now both men weigh exactly the same, but look very different. The more fit man burns nearly 3-fold as many calories in his sleep as does the sedentary man. Why, you ask? Because he has more lean muscle, and muscle burns fat.
You see “weight” or “mass” doesn’t determine how “fit” you are. Rather you need to look at the big picture-body composition. Where does the body weight come from? Is it fat, water, blood, muscles, tissue, bone? All these things make us who we are. Now the goal is to have a healthy balance of each of these to reach fitness excellence.
Hopefully this example gives a little but of insight into how the fitness thing works. Weight loss in itself is not difficult to understand. If you burn more calories than you consume, you lose weight. If you increase your lean muscle mass, you will automatically burn more calories than before and this will in turn (with a good diet) help “tip the scale” in your favor.
So the next question is, how to increase muscle mass, right? Well, along with a nutritious diet and good cardio regimen, strength training is part of the backbone of any powerful fat loss diet. Strength training increases muscle mass, strength, and even makes your bones stronger. What’s not to love? Now the difference between being in great shape and out of shape sometimes boils down more to motivation and perseverance than anything else. Make a conscious decision to change. Tell yourself you want to be fit, and stop making excuses. It’s your health, your body, your choice. We are all busy, but when it comes down to our health, we need to find time care for our bodies so that we can improve in all other areas of life.
Take Charge!
P.S. Want to: Learn the “Easy” way to get and stay in shape? Discover the secret to quick fat loss? How to exercise less and get better results? Discover the secret to ripped abs without doing endless crunches? Then be sure to get my “Amazing Fat Burning Formula” HERE.
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2 Comments
August 29th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Finally someone who understands and articulates well the concept of resting metabolic rate. Indeed the more lean muscle you have the faster you burn fat. This is a missing link for many people. Thanks for clarifying it.
September 2nd, 2009 at 4:42 pm
This explains why we get fat when we age, or once we stop being
active – age and inactivity decreases our metabolic rate which leads to muscle loss and fat gain (which leads to even more inactivity, more muscle loss and even more fat gain.. Hands up to your comment – vision, decision, and some discipline (not excuses!)
Thanks for bringing it out