What does this mean? Well lets start with some basic terms. BMR or basic metabolic rate is the amount of calories a person burns in 24 hours if they were to do absolutely nothing - it is the amount of calories your body uses to perform all it's basic functions. Someone that has more muscle mass will have a higher BMR relative to someone with more body fat - you may have heard this before. I know I did, and honestly I used this drop of knowledge as an excuse to go way above my calorie intake. I use to think, "hey I lift, I'm muscular...I can eat 1000 extra calories today, right?" No...unfortunately the BMR of the muscular person is just not that much higher than its less muscular counterpart.
Based on our research we found that for 1 pound of muscle your body burns 10 calories compared to 3 calories for 1 pound of fat (rough estimate obviously not every person is exactly the same). This statement means that (generally speaking)....for every 10 pounds of muscle mass gained a person's BMR can go up by 100 calories. When people begin to lose weight and gain muscle there can be a false sense of security that this new found muscle now allows them to increase their calorie intake more drastically then what is realistic. I know that was true for me...but 10 pounds of muscle gain is an amazing accomplishment and to reward yourself - you can have....1/3 of a pint of halo top (roughly 100 calories)!
This information is useful to all and you can fit this in no matter your goals. If you are trying to bulk or cut you would have to adjust your calories accordingly to either be in a caloric surplus or deficit respectively. And, if you are trying to maintain your current body composition this can be helpful to realize so you do not go too overboard with the rewards.
Adding muscle mass is so beneficial to your overall health and can help sculpt your body, and improve bone strength. But, contrary to some (my) thoughts - it just may not be as impactful on BMR as people (me) would of hoped for.
Fitness information is always changing, that is why we are big proponents of listening to your own body, being patient with yourself, and making adjustments as you go. It was once thought that 1 pound of muscle increases BMR by 50 calories a day... which would equate to 500 extra calories per 10 pounds of muscle. This is quite a significant difference and could cause a person (whose goal is to maintain) to gain weight over the long term if they are using that generous assumption. But how nice would that be...that would mean 1.5 pints of halo top for every 10 pounds of muscle gain! Oh a girl can dream.
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