BY Scott Sonnon
We’ve known for years that muscle tissue is highly active
metabolically, and it helps us burn more calories during the day. So
more muscle equals better fat burn, right? Unfortunately that’s only
partly true — and not to the extent we once believed. A pound of
muscle is now thought to burn an extra 6 calories per hour (as
opposed to the 25 or more per hour we once believed). You’d have to
pack on an awful lot of beef to make much difference.
But that’s only one side of the equation. Muscle mass provides a
number of other important benefits, foremost of which is better
management of insulin. Insulin is your “storage” hormone. Its job is
to transport fuel into your cells. The higher your ratio of fat to
lean tissue, the less sensitive your lean tissue becomes to insulin.
Basically, when your body fat percentage creeps too high and insulin
comes knocking, your lean mass stops answering the door. If you see
a vicious cycle in all of this, you’re right!
One way to encourage your muscles to start answering the door again is through resistance exercise aimed at growth. Why is it important to improve insulin sensitivity? Well, if your muscles don’t answer the door, guess who will… Yep, your fat cells are always ready with a warm welcome.
To top it all off, long slow cardio can actually cause you to LOSE
muscle because it increases your level of cortisol. If you focus
instead on short bursts of high intensity effort using exercises
that target the entire body in all its ranges of motion, you can
actually BUILD muscle while you do your cardio! Fat burning just got
easier, and a lot more fun.
Turn Your Body Into A Fat Burning Machine with a program from The ALIVE EXPERIENCE.