Fat Loss 101: How To Lose Fat And Build Muscle Mass
Mar 21, 2023 ∙ 3 mins read
Have you ever heard of the saying, "muscles burn fat?" It's true!
Cutting calories and cardio might help you lose weight in the short term, but when it comes to long term effects and benefits, nothing beats strength training. Like those supermarket offers, “buy one get 3 free!”, strength training absolutely can help you lose fat, build muscle and feel happy doing it!
Let’s show you how muscle building can be a practical part of any weight loss plan and how it can help you reach your goals faster.
More Muscles = More Fat Burn
As surprising as it sounds, having more muscle in your body can help you lose fat faster!
To break down the science for you, building muscle burns more energy, compared to shedding fat. This helps your body to burn stored calories away rather than storing them as fat, thereby increasing your weight loss potential.
Strength training actually makes for a totally sustainable fat loss strategy.
Maintaining Muscles Increases Your Resting Metabolic Rate
The resting metabolic rate (RMR) is the number of calories you body burns at rest. Strength exercise increases the amount of lean muscle in your body, which helps to raise your RMR. According to Coach Raj Ganpath, “When resting after a workout, you will continue to burn calories as your body works hard to maintain lean muscle mass, thereby increasing your resting metabolic rate. This is important because your resting metabolic rate constitutes 60-70% of your daily energy expenditure.”
If you have lean muscle mass, you will need more energy (calories), even at rest, to maintain them. So, naturally, the more calories you burn, the more you shed those extra pounds off your body.
Burn fat while chilling
Did you know that your body will burn fat even when you have stopped exercising? It is true! Long after you finish up your strength training session, your body continues to consume more oxygen and expending more energy, even as it tries to get to its pre-exercise state. This is called EPOC - Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption - and can take as little as 15 mins to as much as 48 hours.
And what is happening during this period? That’s right - fat burning!
EPOC is epic or what?!
Don't Worry; You Won't Hulk Out
Are you worried that all this work will make you look bulky? No, it won't. Not like how you see in the fitness magazines and posters, anyway.
Most people just want to lose the extra fat they have been carrying around, improve their fitness levels and just feel good about themselves and their body. All of this is totally possible with strength training.
But looking like Mr and Ms Universe takes plenty of dedicated body building that takes sustained effort, some heavy duty lifting and plenty of protein, among other things. Not basic strength training!
If you're someone who only wants to get fit, strong, and feel good about your body, strength training will do wonders for you.
Don't Just Lose Fat, Get Better Overall Health Too
There's so much more to weightlifting than just fat loss. You also improve other aspects of your life like mental health, confidence, and self-esteem. Not just that, but your cardiovascular, brain, and joint health also improves. With this, you're setting yourself up for a long and healthy lifestyle. It's a great package, right?
When you gain muscle, you can observe how it affects your body and feelings. When you commit to and discipline yourself with your strength training workout program, your excellent habits and dedication may spread into other aspects of your life. The more you exercise, the more aware you become of your body's needs.
In Coach Raj’s words, “Strength training helps you lose fat, build muscle and feel like a million bucks!” Too right!
The Final Word
Adding strength training to your fat loss plan is an effective strategy. It won't only help you shed those extra pounds, but it will also give you so much more - better physical and mental health.
By combining exercise and nutrition, you'll be able to maximize the results and achieve your desired fit body faster!
So if you're looking for an effective way to lose weight and improve your overall health, strength training is something that can definitely put you on the right track.Get in touch with us today and book yourself a trial session - you can see for yourself what strength training is all about!