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You may have heard, more muscle increases your metabolism. But, is it true?
If you have more muscles in your body, they burn more calories for proper functioning. Hence, you can eat more without worrying about your weight. Let us discuss how increasing muscle mass increases our metabolism.
1. More muscle burns more calories
All cells in the human body need energy to function. This energy is generated from the food we eat and the beverages we drink. However, the human body does not need external energy to perform some of the processes like blinking and breathing. It’s what we can resting metabolic rate.
The amount of calories you burn at rest is high if you have more muscles because all of them are working. On the other hand, you do not need too much energy if you are lean. So, the more muscle you have, your body will convert the food into fuel faster to generate the required energy for all your thew.
2. High BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)
Another reason why more muscles burn more calories is that they need energy to contract and relax. This energy is needed even if you are not moving. Do you know BMR is responsible for around 60% of the energy consumed? Hence, more muscles in your body result in more energy expense and a high metabolic rate
3. Improves Nerve Function
Good muscle mass increases blood flow, improves nerve function and boosts metabolism. Sedentary individuals have poor blood flow to their bodies, especially legs and hands. Hence, their nerve functions become limited and their metabolism decreases. Such a situation decreases the muscle mass even further. Therefore, you should include strength training in your lifestyle to increase your muscle mass.
4. Lowers harmful LDL cholesterol
Increased lean muscle mass lowers the levels of harmful cholesterol like low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) that generally causes heart diseases. Therefore, there are minimal risks of cardiovascular diseases and several types of cancers.
LDL causes plaque buildup in the arteries. With the help of strength training, you can increase muscle mass and stay safe from such problems. Hence, your heart stays healthy and your metabolic rate remains high.
5. Increases Growth Hormone
You might be amazed to know that growth hormones are helpful in almost all aspects of body rebuilding, including repairing bones, rectifying bones and maintenance of body fat levels. Increased muscles in your body ask for more growth hormones from the pituitary gland in your body. Hence, the number of growth hormones in your bloodstream increases. It accelerates tissue repair and healing, which ensures proper metabolism and good health.
Do Muscle-Building Exercises Improve Your Metabolism?
Every 450 grams/one pound of muscle burns 6 calories per day. So, even if you add 4.5 kilograms/10 pounds of muscle, they burn only 60 extra calories every day. However, the hard work you apply to build and maintain your muscles makes positive impacts on your body & metabolism.
Strength training burns more calories than you can imagine. In addition, these exercises keep your metabolic rate high for around 48 hours after you finish your workouts. You might find it unbelievable, but around 90 per cent of the total calories you burn with the help of weight training occurs AFTER you are done with your exercises. It’s called the “afterburn” effect.
Conclusion
More muscles increase your metabolism at rest and also decrease the risk of several diseases. With such health benefits, you can easily maintain a healthy weight and easily perform all the daily activities, including standing, sitting, working out and more. Moreover, muscles need more calories to burn even if you are resting. Hence, you can consume nutritious food and enjoy a fit & healthy life.
Thank You🙏
- Increasing muscle mass to improve metabolism
- Skeletal muscle metabolism is a major determinant of resting energy expenditure.
- Role of metabolic stress for enhancing muscle adaptations: Practical applications
- Maximizing Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review of Advanced Resistance Training Techniques and Methods
- Impact of Skeletal Muscle Mass on Metabolic Health
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