2. Add More Muscle
We all know muscle is more metabolically active than fat but there's some confusion over just how many calories a pound of muscle actually burns. In the past, most of us thought that number was 50-70 calories per day, but we've learned that number is a little high. In my FAQ, How many calories does muscle really burn?, I found it was around 5-10 calories per pound per day while other experts, like Dr. Len Kravitz estimate it's around 12-15 calories per pound per day. Whether it's 10 calories or 15 calories or somewhere in between, it may seem like adding muscle doesn't make that much difference when it comes to weight loss.
But, having more muscle can have a lasting impact on both weight loss and health. If you look at the fact that most people will gain about 2-5 lbs of muscle from strength training and that each pound will burn about 15 calories per day, that's 30-75 extra calories burned each day. That may not seem like a big deal, but 75 calories adds up to almost 8 lbs a year. Not too shabby, right? And don't forget, lifting weights also strengthens the bones and connective tissue, helps protect you from injury and, of course, helps prevent weight gain and loss of functionality that can occur from loss of muscle mass as we age.
Just like NEAT, adding more muscle makes a big impact when you look at the big picture. You just need to make sure you're lifting regularly and challenging yourself.
Maximize It
- Train your muscles at least twice a week. How often you train depends on your goals and the type of workouts you're doing. If you're focusing on fitness and weight loss, try to get 2-3 sessions a week for each muscle group and make sure you take a day or two of rest between workouts to allow your muscles to recover. Learn more at Weight Training 101.
- Challenge your muscles. This may seem obvious, but many people don't lift enough weight to overload their muscles, which is necessary for building lean muscle tissue. Choose a weight that you can ONLY lift for the desired number of reps - the last rep should be difficult, but not impossible.
- Use Compound Movements. The most effective strength moves involve multiple muscles and multiple joints. These compound movements (e.g., squats, lunges, pushups, etc.) allow you to lift more weight and burn more calories because you're using the large muscles of the body.
- Change your program. The body will always adapt to what you're doing but you can avoid that and continue progressing by changing different elements of your workouts. You can do this by changing your method of training or by changing your exercises, reps, sets and/or type of resistance.
Whatever program or schedule you choose, work hard and really challenge your muscles to get the most out of your workouts. You can find a variety of workout ideas at my Workout Center.
Next Page: Maximize the After-Burn
