I read that a pound of muscle can burn as much as 50 calories a day. Is this true? I was thinking if this was the case, then building muscles is also the best strategy for long term fat loss as well. It would also explain why so many people who just diet gain back the weight and then some(because they lost muscle as well as fat).
So when I do the math, assume I gain 1/2 pound of muscle a week working out in the gym consistently. That is 2 pounds of muscle every 4 weeks of consistent training. That is 100 extra calories you can burn every day as long as you maintain that, correct? 100x30=3000, That means for every 5 weeks you work out in the gym, assuming the rate of muscle growth continues, you will lose a pound of fat a month if your caloric intake stays the same and you maintain that muscle. And that would be cumulative if you continue to gain muscle mass. 10 weeks of training at this level would result in a loss of 2lbs per month, either that or you can now get away with eating an extra 250 calories a day and maintain your bodyfat.
Is this how it works in the real world, or is this just a mathematical abstraction I came up with? If true then it would seem that building muscle would be the best way to lose fat and keep it off, it takes longer than a crash diet, but if you maintain muscle mass you would be a lot less likely to gain the fat back unless you really ate like a pig, correct?
I am also curious, for a 5'8"-5'9" man how many pounds of muscle would I gain to have a BMI of 25 and look athletic. I have no desire to look like the Incredible Hulk or some sort of steroid monster, just to have nice, natural looking well defined musculature, like Bruce Willis or something. How many pounds of muscle is that for a guy my height?
So when I do the math, assume I gain 1/2 pound of muscle a week working out in the gym consistently. That is 2 pounds of muscle every 4 weeks of consistent training. That is 100 extra calories you can burn every day as long as you maintain that, correct? 100x30=3000, That means for every 5 weeks you work out in the gym, assuming the rate of muscle growth continues, you will lose a pound of fat a month if your caloric intake stays the same and you maintain that muscle. And that would be cumulative if you continue to gain muscle mass. 10 weeks of training at this level would result in a loss of 2lbs per month, either that or you can now get away with eating an extra 250 calories a day and maintain your bodyfat.
Is this how it works in the real world, or is this just a mathematical abstraction I came up with? If true then it would seem that building muscle would be the best way to lose fat and keep it off, it takes longer than a crash diet, but if you maintain muscle mass you would be a lot less likely to gain the fat back unless you really ate like a pig, correct?
I am also curious, for a 5'8"-5'9" man how many pounds of muscle would I gain to have a BMI of 25 and look athletic. I have no desire to look like the Incredible Hulk or some sort of steroid monster, just to have nice, natural looking well defined musculature, like Bruce Willis or something. How many pounds of muscle is that for a guy my height?
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