Building Muscle Is The Road to Fat Loss

April 26, 2009 by "Big Jim" 


Building Muscle
Is The Road
to Fat Loss?



I had a buddy that really knew how to eat during his in between weight training and muscle building routine schedules.

His breakfast was a very large bowl of cereal topped with tinned fruit. The pile of food was huge!. He would then make a packed lunch. This consisted of sandwiches – not just one or two – but enough to use up half a loaf of bread. The pile of sandwiches was almost a foot high – and those were just 2 meals of many.

My was buddy complaining that he couldn’t stop losing weight and it was annoying him. This conversation confused me. At that time I thought weight loss was about dieting and dieting meant eating nothing but lettuce and carrot sticks.

Build Muscle to Lose Fat

So what was the secret?
You don’t need money to work your muscles.The only secret about losing fat is that there is no secret. However there are principles that many people are not fully aware of.

Mega-Metabolism
My roommate must have had a metabolic rate that was through the roof. He was well over 6 feet tall, had ample amounts of muscle, and not a lot of body fat. He played competitive sport in a representative team. He trained many times a week, of which many sessions included weight training.

Muscle is metabolically active. Fat is not. Even at rest, muscle tissue requires energy – not crazy huge amounts of energy – but enough to make a difference in BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate).

Excuses?
It amazes me how many people believe that resistance training is not for them. There are so many excuses. The fear of getting big is a major issue among women. Building size is not easy and rarely happens by accident. Most people that do “get big” are intentionally consuming the appropriate foods and applying intensive weight training. Then there are those who happen to “accidently” consume a pint full of androgens…

Is Cardio Overrated?
We used to call it aerobics – get on the treadmill for 30-45 minutes 4 times a week. If you are quite overweight – that can take a real toll on the joints. On the other hand resistance training can actually strengthen the joints and bone mass.

Rethink Weight Training
If weight training and muscle building is something that you have shunned for various reasons – maybe it’s time to have a rethink. Having a strong and useful body is quite an asset. Your body is not just a clothes-hanger for other people to gawk at.


Filed under: Fat Loss, Lean Body Mass, Muscle Building Info
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