This article will discuss the impact of strength training on weight loss. First let's look at why losing muscle mass is so detrimental to your health. The average adult loses ½ pound of muscle per year? In a decade that's 5 pounds, in 20 years that's 10 pounds, in 30 years that's 15 pounds of muscle lost. So you might ask yourself, if losing muscle appears to be the norm why do most people gain weight? The answer is: because muscle burns more calories than fat. Therefore, your body is burning fewer calories, and if you continue to consume the same amount of calories they will be turned into fat.
When caloric intake exceeds calories being used the result is a surplus; typically your body will not just gain weight, but gain body fat-the worst kind of weight for health and appearance.
If you are losing muscle, it is because you are not using it, which most likely means that you are not exercising or active in a way that is putting enough stress on the muscles to stimulate growth or at least maintain them. The old adage, "if you don't use it, you loose it" definitely applies here!
Losing muscle means that you are losing your body's ability to optimally burn calories. In fact a pound of muscle burns many more calories that a pound of fat. A pound of fat burns 2 calories whereas a pound of muscle burns anywhere from 12 to 35 calories - depending on the source of research you read. While researchers can't agree on how many calories a pound of muscle actually burns, they are all in agreement that muscle burns more calories than fat and that the more muscle you have the higher your basal metabolic rate (BMR). The BMR is the amount of calories your body burns while at rest.
The more muscle you have on your body, the more efficient your metabolism is at burning calories. This is why young, athletic men can seemingly consume an endless number of calories while not gaining a pound. Literally, their body's internal "furnace" (BMR) are burning the calories faster than consuming them.
Additionally, muscle burns calories 24 hrs. a day, not just during the time you exercise. Compare that to aerobic exercise which burns calories primarily during the activity only. When you are strength training you are burning calories not only during the exercise, but you are burning calories every hour of every day, even on the days you haven't exercised because you have made your metabolism much more effective. This is not to say that aerobic exercise is bad, it is an important part of any fitness program because it does help to burn calories and improve circulation. If weight loss or maintenance is your goal, then you need to have some strength training in your exercise program. Strength training includes any exercise that provides your muscles resistance against an external force. Some examples of this include using dumbbells, barebells, kettleballs, exercise machines, and using your own body weight.
Now let's take a look at what happens when you go on a so called "diet." Let's say you lose 20 lbs. in two months and don't do any strength training. Some of the weight you have lost will be muscle - valuable calorie burning muscle! At this point you are 20 lbs. lighter and if you are like most people you will revert back to your old ways of eating. 95% of diets fail! Here's the problem: now you have less muscle which means you are going to be far less efficient at burning calories. The 20 lbs. comes back on quickly and maybe you even add some pounds on top of that. Feeling frustrated, you give up or try some other quick weight loss scheme, making your metabolism even slower and less efficient at burning calories. This is known as the "Yo-yo" cycle of dieting and has a tremendous negative impact on long-term health and well-being.
If you want to lose weight and successfully keep it off you must to do three things:
1. Include strength training in your weight loss program to maintain and build muscle.This will increase your basal metabolic rate (BMR). Not only will you lose weight more easily but you will keep it off for the long term as long as you include strength training as part of your life.
2. Lose weight slowly. It takes more time to build muscle than to lose it. Additionally, research has shown that people who lose weight slowly over time are most likely to keep it off.
3. Have a solid program of nutrition that features whole foods and avoids processed foods.
Finally, if you are struggling to lose the last 10 or 15 lbs. adding some strength training to your weight loss program will make all the difference!
Howard VanEs is an author, wellness writer, and yoga instructor with over 16 years of experience teaching yoga. He is passionate about helping people use natural methods to heal and empower their lives. His latest book "Ageless Beauty & Timeless Strength" shows women how to build upper body strength without any special equipment is available at Amazon athttp://www.amazon.com/dp/B006Y35RP0. His blog is http://www.exercisesforupperbody.com
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