Fat burning facts and why you should build a little more muscle
Posted on February 07 2017
Each pound of muscle you have burns around 50 calories give or take a day. So if you do, say, a lot of endurance/cardio and you get into a catabolic state and start losing muscle, you are increasing your chances of actually gaining more fat in the long run.
So make sure you don't get catabolic (eating your own muscles) by having a 2:1 protein/carb mix drink or snack before training and after training to stop muscle break down. Consider good quality protein or adding branch chain amino acids pills to help. I discovered this after doing thousands of miles ultra running and never losing signficant amounts of body fat. I literally trained my ass off but never actually trained my ass off putting it bluntly. Yes I was slim but not ripped. I finally worked out why and there are many reasons but this is one of them.
So if you lose just 5 pounds of muscle a year think about how many thousands of calories less you are burning. Building muscle in the right places also ensures a good strong body that can maintain running with good form.
So include resistance training in your programme even if you only want to be a runner or a cyclist.
I hear some saying but I don't want to carry about extra bulk. I am not talking about becomings a body builder but we have as a tendency as we age to lose muscle anyway, add to that getting catabolic from too much endurance/cardio training and you can end up biting yourself in the bum so to speak.
Muscle loss = slowing your metabolism = burn less fat.
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