Myth: Building Muscle Significantly Increases Metabolism

Misleading to stop there. Article continues...

Does this mean you should give up weight training all together and not worry about muscle mass at all when losing weight? Absolutely not! I recommend doing cardio at least five times a week and resistance training two to three times per week for the most success when actively trying to lose weight. When you lose weight and create a caloric deficit, your body does not discriminate between fat (your fat stores) and muscle (your lean body mass), so it just takes where it can.

Resistance training helps to preserve your lean body mass when you create a caloric deficit, leaving you strong and not emaciated. Do you have your weight training schedule ready for your weight loss program? Talk to a personal trainer or take a circuit training class at your local gym. This will ultimately help you stay lean and lose weight at the same time.

 

"females can add up to half a pound of muscle per month"...but it doesn't say anything about the 3-8 pounds of ____ from the box of chocolates during the third week!

 

It's not about how much existing muscle burns. It's about how much energy is required to repair muscle.

When you do loadbearing exercise you stretch and tear muscle microscopically. Your body goes to work repairing it immediately and this burns calories while you sleep. The fibers grow back denser which builds mass. Cardio only burns calories in the moment for the most part and is much less efficient for losing weight, but has other fantastic benefits.

I hadn't heard that existing muscle burns calories, but it certainly requires more to maintain.