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There is a common belief that building muscle helps burn fat, but is this true? Muscle does not burn fat directly, but having more muscle mass increases your metabolism and means you burn more calories at the same body weight than if you had less muscle mass. This is because muscle is a metabolically active tissue that requires energy to maintain, while fat tissue is not. Strength training and muscle-building exercises can, therefore, contribute to fat loss, as they increase the number of calories burned during and after workouts.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Muscle burns more calories than fat | Muscle burns 3-6 more calories per pound than fat. |
| Muscle is more metabolically active than fat | Muscle tissue contributes approximately 20% of your total daily calories burned, while fat tissue contributes only 5%. |
| Building muscle raises metabolism | Muscle-building exercises like strength training and weight training can increase metabolism and calorie burning. |
| Muscle prevents weight gain | Maintaining muscle mass and gaining lean tissue can prevent weight gain as people age. |
| Muscle improves health | Muscle strengthening can improve mood, sleep, cognitive function, and reduce anxiety, stress, and the risk of diseases like osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and cancer. |
| Muscle improves fitness | Muscle strengthening improves coordination, balance, and prevents injuries. |
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What You'll Learn
Muscle burns more calories at rest than fat
The reason muscle burns more calories at rest than fat has to do with the nature of lean mass. Lean mass, which includes muscle and bone, requires more energy to maintain than fat. As a result, individuals with a higher ratio of lean body mass to fat mass will have a higher resting energy expenditure. This principle holds true even when comparing two individuals of equal weight; the person with a higher muscle-to-fat ratio will burn more calories at rest.
Research supports the notion that building muscle through exercise increases resting metabolic rate and leads to more calories burned at rest. For example, a study at Tufts University in 1994 found that participants who engaged in a resistance-training program gained lean mass and subsequently burned more calories at rest. However, another study at Columbia University in 1997 found no significant difference in resting energy expenditure between subjects on a diet who were assigned to either a resistance-training or aerobic program. This discrepancy may be due to differences in experimental conditions, as dieting can slow down metabolism, potentially overriding the boost provided by increased lean mass.
While building muscle can help burn more calories at rest, it's important to note that the combined energy expenditure of vital organs like the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, and liver is substantially more significant than that of muscle and fat tissue. Additionally, other factors such as gender, age, fitness level, and activity level also play a role in metabolism and calorie burn. Overall, while muscle does burn more calories at rest than fat, it is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to understanding weight loss and metabolism.
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Building muscle increases metabolism
Building muscle mass through strength training is one way to increase your metabolism. Strength training not only prevents muscle loss but can also increase muscle mass and keep your metabolism up. While the metabolic rate of muscle tissue has been loosely estimated to range between 4.5 to 7.0 calories per pound of body weight per day, it contributes approximately 20% of your total daily calories burned, compared to 5% for fat tissue.
Weight training has been shown to increase energy expenditure and fat burning, even after exercise. This is because muscle is metabolically active and burns calories, so adding muscle mass by lifting weights should increase energy expenditure and resting metabolic rates. For example, after six months of heavy lifting, muscles will burn more calories simply because they are larger.
However, the impact of strength training on metabolism is not fully understood. Some of the metabolic effects of weight training on fat stores seem to occur immediately after exercise, suggesting that something happens at a molecular level right after resistance workouts that targets fat cells.
Additionally, the impact of strength training on metabolism may depend on various factors, such as body mass, genetics, and age. For instance, taller people with larger bone structures will have a higher basal metabolic rate (BMR) than shorter people with slimmer builds. Furthermore, other basic body functions, such as breathing, circulating blood, and repairing cells, also contribute to BMR.
Finally, while building muscle mass through strength training can increase metabolism, it is important to note that other factors, such as diet, also play a role in metabolism. For example, research has found that certain foods can affect diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT), which may boost resting metabolic rate.
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Muscle is denser than fat
It is a common misconception that muscle weighs more than fat. In reality, a pound of muscle and a pound of fat weigh exactly the same. However, muscle is denser than fat, meaning it is more compact and takes up less volume. This is why individuals with higher muscle mass appear slimmer or more toned than those with a higher percentage of body fat at the same weight. This distinction is important to note when tracking fitness progress, as the scale may not always reflect the changes in body composition.
The difference in density between muscle and fat is due to their distinct tissue types. Muscle is a dense, fibrous tissue that aids in movement, posture maintenance, and metabolic regulation. On the other hand, fat is less dense and bulkier, contributing to a larger physical size. This density difference is utilised in body composition analysis, where a small electrical current is passed through the body to estimate the fat and fat-free mass. The current travels faster through less-dense tissue, such as fat, compared to denser tissue like muscle or bone.
The impact of muscle and fat composition goes beyond physical appearance. Muscle is metabolically active and burns more calories, even at rest. This means that building muscle through strength training or weight training can increase energy expenditure and resting metabolic rates. Additionally, muscle mass helps prevent injuries, improves coordination and balance, and strengthens bones and connective tissue. Maintaining muscle mass is particularly important as we age, as it supports independence in daily activities and reduces the risk of various health conditions.
While fat has a negative perception due to its association with obesity and related health issues, it is important to remember that both fat and muscle play crucial roles in the body. A healthy body requires a balance of both components. Therefore, rather than focusing solely on weight loss, it is more beneficial to prioritise improving overall health, fitness, and body composition. This can be achieved through strength training, which helps build muscle, reshape metabolism, and prevent obesity.
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Muscle repair and growth burn calories
Muscle repair and growth do burn calories, but perhaps not as many as some might wish. Muscle is more metabolically active than fat, and building muscle raises your metabolism, which can help you lose weight. Researchers at the University of New Mexico estimate that muscle tissue contributes approximately 20% of your total daily calories burned, versus 5% for fat tissue.
The metabolic rate of muscle tissue has been estimated to range between 4.5 to 7.0 calories per pound of body weight per day. However, it's important to note that the combined energy expenditure of organs like the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, and liver is substantially higher than that of muscle tissue. Other factors, such as gender, age, fitness level, and activity level, also play a role in metabolism and calorie burning.
Weight training and strength training can help build muscle mass and lead to increased energy expenditure and resting metabolic rates. Studies have shown that weight training can boost energy expenditure for at least 24 hours after a workout, and high-intensity strength training can result in an "afterburn" effect, burning extra calories for up to 72 hours post-workout.
Additionally, strength training provides numerous health benefits beyond weight loss. It improves mood, sleep, and cognitive function, reduces anxiety and stress, and lowers the risk of various diseases, including osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and cancer. Strength training also helps prevent the loss of lean body mass that can occur with ageing, keeping individuals independent and able to perform daily tasks.
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Muscle-building exercises burn more calories
Muscle-building exercises, such as weight training, strength training, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT), are effective for burning calories and promoting weight loss. While cardiovascular exercises like running, bicycling, and swimming are traditionally associated with calorie-burning and weight loss, muscle-building exercises offer additional benefits in this regard.
Firstly, muscle tissue is more metabolically active than fat tissue. Muscle tissue has a metabolic rate estimated to range from 4.5 to 7.0 calories burned per pound of body weight per day, contributing to approximately 20% of daily calories burned, whereas fat tissue contributes only about 5%. This means that by increasing muscle mass, your body will burn more calories at rest, even when sleeping or sitting.
Secondly, muscle-building exercises can lead to higher levels of excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). EPOC refers to the amount of oxygen required by the body to return to its pre-exercise or resting state, and weight training often results in higher EPOC levels than cardio. This means that the body continues to burn calories for up to 24 to 72 hours after a muscle-building workout, a phenomenon known as the "afterburn" effect.
Additionally, muscle-building exercises have long-term metabolic benefits. Gaining muscle mass through strength training increases your overall basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is the number of calories your body burns at rest. This means that over time, as your muscles get larger, they will inherently burn more calories, even without additional exercise.
While the exact number of calories burned through muscle-building exercises may vary depending on individual factors such as gender, age, fitness level, and weight, these types of workouts are an effective way to increase calorie expenditure and promote weight loss. Combining muscle-building exercises with cardiovascular exercises in a well-rounded fitness regimen can maximise your individual calorie burn and overall health.
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Frequently asked questions
Muscle doesn't burn fat directly, but having more muscle mass means you burn more calories at the same body weight than if you had less muscle mass.
Muscle is metabolically active tissue that requires energy to maintain. The human body naturally burns more calories each day to maintain a pound of muscle than it does to maintain a pound of fat.
Researchers at the University of New Mexico estimate that muscle tissue contributes approximately 20% of your total daily calories burned versus 5% for fat tissue.
Strength training and resistance training are great ways to build muscle mass.
Yes, building muscle mass helps with fat loss in the long run because of the way it affects metabolism.
