Muscle burns more calories?

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natpalit
natpalit Posts: 113 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey I've always believed that lifting will help me develop more strength, and gain muscle mass, and so help me to get the body I want. BUT after reading this article : http://bradpilon.com/healthy-ramblings/how-many-calories-does-a-pound-of-muscle-burn-2/ I'm feeling a bit disheartened. I'm a small framed 5'3" woman; my body type is somewhere between an endomorph and a mesomorph. Because of my small size gaining 1lb of muscle for me is not that easy, and to learn that it will only burn an extra 6 calories a day, makes me feel as though my hour at the gym would just be much better spent wholly on cardio.

Even if I gained 20lbs of muscle, that would only be an extra 120 calories a day according to that, and I just feel like it's a lot of hard work for little gain. I really enjoy weights, and I like the idea of getting stronger, but I just feel really disheartened, and think maybe I'm wasting my time, and maybe I should just switch my focus to cardio.

What are your thoughts? Any advice, and encouragement would be hugely appreciated. Thanks.
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Replies

  • EmmaM2211
    EmmaM2211 Posts: 536 Member
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    Muscle looks better than fat - it's not all about how many calories it burns for me.

    I'm only 5'2" but I plan to build as much muscle as I can, going to start lifting this week and keep up with my cardio at the same time to burn the fat off.
  • shivles
    shivles Posts: 468 Member
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    Diet and anaerobic exercise are the best tools for fat loss, plus muscle looks much better :)

    Fat loss is more important than calories burned.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    Why not do both? A well rounded fitness program includes both strength and cardio.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    That's not the way it works. it's not the "extra muscle" that burns more. It's the TON of calories your body churns thru to repair the damage you do while strength training. First the calories go to replenishment, then repair, then they try to build. That's where the weight management effect of strength training comes into play, not from the 100 extra calories a day a decent amount of added muscle would burn. As an added benefit, this is in effect on your rest days as well as training days.
  • ahamm002
    ahamm002 Posts: 1,690 Member
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    The 6 calories thing is a strawman b/c it's referring to muscle that's at rest all day long. But when you move, and especially when you exercise, you use your muscles and they become very metabolically active. So anyone who isn't laying in bed all day will in fact be burning a lot more than 6 extra calories per day per pound of extra muscle.
  • Love2LaughMK
    Love2LaughMK Posts: 18 Member
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    I motivate myself more with the appearance of muscle tone and less with the amount of additional calories I would burn a day ... but maybe this article will help a little =)

    http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/8-ways-to-burn-calories-and-fight-fat
  • Tony_Brewski
    Tony_Brewski Posts: 1,376 Member
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    I tried just cardio ... didnt do much for me... I tried straight strength... saw some good results... I now mix the two and holy crap! I'm melting away!
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
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    Muscle looks better than fat - it's not all about how many calories it burns for me.

    I'm only 5'2" but I plan to build as much muscle as I can, going to start lifting this week and keep up with my cardio at the same time to burn the fat off.

    I'm 5'4 - toned is better; how many calories I can burn is less important
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
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    Hmm.. I don't know. I don't strength train for a calorie burn so I guess I just don't get why it matters.
  • natpalit
    natpalit Posts: 113 Member
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    Hey,

    Thanks for all the replies.

    @ Brian Sharpe, I currently spend about 50% of my time on each, and was just wondering whether it would be better to shift my focus more to cardio, for my current goal, which is to lose about 4kg. Because I currently have quite a high body fat percentage, and a large motivation for building more muscle is to look better, I just felt, that considering I have quite a bit of fat to get rid of first, perhaps shifting to cardio, would speed up shifting the weight, and so help me to get better defined looking muscles in the long run. But yes I totally agree, wouldn't switch to pure cardio forever.

    @DavPul, thanks very much for that insight, I hadn't at all considered the energy that would be burnt in repairing muscular tears.

    @jacqueling I definitely agree that toned is better... I just feel I have too much fat in the way hiding it at the moment, and maybe it would be better to concentrate on shifting that first.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    Hey I've always believed that lifting will help me develop more strength, and gain muscle mass, and so help me to get the body I want. BUT after reading this article : http://bradpilon.com/healthy-ramblings/how-many-calories-does-a-pound-of-muscle-burn-2/ I'm feeling a bit disheartened. I'm a small framed 5'3" woman; my body type is somewhere between an endomorph and a mesomorph. Because of my small size gaining 1lb of muscle for me is not that easy, and to learn that it will only burn an extra 6 calories a day, makes me feel as though my hour at the gym would just be much better spent wholly on cardio.

    Even if I gained 20lbs of muscle, that would only be an extra 120 calories a day according to that, and I just feel like it's a lot of hard work for little gain. I really enjoy weights, and I like the idea of getting stronger, but I just feel really disheartened, and think maybe I'm wasting my time, and maybe I should just switch my focus to cardio.

    What are your thoughts? Any advice, and encouragement would be hugely appreciated. Thanks.

    There is more to resistance training than either direct calorie burn or effects of gaining muscle mass. Even without any increase in fat free mass, groups that combine cardio+resistance (diet neutral) do better than those who do cardio only or resistance only.

    Articles such as the one you cited are written, in part, to offset some of the overhyping of resistance training benefits that has become all too common in recent years. However, they should not be interpreted as a call to stop lifting weights.

    Keep lifting along with your cardio. You don't have to do more than 2 sessions per week, but it is time well spent. Resistance training is essential IMO, not only for conserving lean mass during weight loss, but also for maintaining weight loss long-term.
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
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    Why not do both? A well rounded fitness program includes both strength and cardio.

    meh. a lot of people are pretty fit without cardio.
    depends on your goals
  • NWCountryGal
    NWCountryGal Posts: 1,992 Member
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    Why not do both? A well rounded fitness program includes both strength and cardio.

    ^^This
  • jcstanton
    jcstanton Posts: 1,849 Member
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    Hey I've always believed that lifting will help me develop more strength, and gain muscle mass, and so help me to get the body I want. BUT after reading this article : http://bradpilon.com/healthy-ramblings/how-many-calories-does-a-pound-of-muscle-burn-2/ I'm feeling a bit disheartened. I'm a small framed 5'3" woman; my body type is somewhere between an endomorph and a mesomorph. Because of my small size gaining 1lb of muscle for me is not that easy, and to learn that it will only burn an extra 6 calories a day, makes me feel as though my hour at the gym would just be much better spent wholly on cardio.

    Even if I gained 20lbs of muscle, that would only be an extra 120 calories a day according to that, and I just feel like it's a lot of hard work for little gain. I really enjoy weights, and I like the idea of getting stronger, but I just feel really disheartened, and think maybe I'm wasting my time, and maybe I should just switch my focus to cardio.

    What are your thoughts? Any advice, and encouragement would be hugely appreciated. Thanks.

    Do what you know is good for your body, and the results will follow. Granted, maybe not as quickly as you would like, but you will get there. Don't let someone else's opinion, even those of the so-called "experts", get you down. This may come as a shock, but even the experts get it wrong sometimes. Especially in the area of health and fitness, which is why there is always new methods, research, etc... popping up in the media. One thing EVERYONE agrees on is that exercise is good for the body, so keep exercising. Keep that body active and guessing. You WILL succeed with perseverence and determination.
  • taylor5877
    taylor5877 Posts: 1,792 Member
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    If I had to chose between strength training and cardio, I'd never do cardio again and wouldn't think twice.

    You get some cardiovascular benefit from strength training anyway, and cardio has very little added benefit vs. strength trianing other than burning calories.

    I f###ing hate cardio, but I do a little almost everyday anyway.
  • tangal88
    tangal88 Posts: 689
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    5' 2" tall - I have done cardio only, have done lifting only, now do a combo of both (heavy weight, low reps) - the combo give "me" the all around best results, fat loss, building lean muscle, better definition, look better overall, also have strength gains which is very beneficial in real life, injury prevention, bone health etc.

    Lifting only for me, did not give enough fat loss, I am older (age 47) short, and female. So for "me" - I need cardio AND resistance, to reach "my" goals. my fat loss is better with both, vs one or the other alone.

    Lifting NOW with Cardio, will actually give you better overall results then cardio only, even though you are heavier now.

    You may not "see" the muscle yet, but you will still tighten up underneath, so you will lose inches faster, clothing will fit better, (smaller sizes) and when you do "start" to see some muscle definition - you will seem to see very fast results, because you have already build that muscle, but now you finally see it. Just getting fat off the top. And it really is very encouraging to help you keep going, no matter what your goal.

    If you wait, you may loss a lot of weight, but likely will loss more lean muscle, (doing only cardio) and though you may be "smaller" you will be lossier and "flabbier" and still look "fat" when actually you are seeing loss skin, and loose muscle that must be tighten. Thats pretty depressing, when you feel like you have been working so hard for the past moths, and this is where you now are.....

    Its also hard for women to gain muscle, you really do not want to lose to much muscle now, if you can avoid it, because it can be very difficult to regain. Easier to try and keep what you have at least, and try to also lose the fat.

    http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/cardio-vs-strength-training-workouts

    Adding in heavy lifting to my routine has made dramatic changes to my body look, feel, tightness and tone. I look WAY better now, with extra muscle. Even though the scale says I weigh 15 lbs more then I did doing cardio only, when I was previously at this same "goal" size - I look much better, smaller and leaner - then I looked in the past with less muscle.

    I fit in smaller clothing, don't jiggle (where I should not), and look good dressed or nakkid. :)

    Even when I was heavier, with 50 lbs to lose, the muscle I had made me "look" better, smaller etc.

    See pics below, from an earlier post I made, for some examples on the way added muscle changes appearance.

    Heres some pictures that may help you.
    My results have been similar, I am 10-15 pounds heavier then my "rough goal weight" but am already AT my goal clothing size, and physically I am about 1-2 times smaller clothing wise, then last time I was at my goal weight (when I had less muscle) - So I look tighter leaner and smaller, then before at my "small" weight. (size 7/8)
    So to everyone else I look like I am already at my goal weight. But I am scale weight heavier, which is fine :) Ignore the scale.
    Less weight - yep you will look good dressed and may fit the smaller clothing size - but, add more muscle and a bit more scale weight - you also fit the smaller clothing size, AND look good dressed AND look good nakkid. Thats a win-win :)

    5 lbs heavier in after pic, but tighter and leaner
    236227942924235826_gkkV70hE_f.jpg

    Not same girl, but cute example
    283304632779084974_6m2KFBn5_f.jpg

    Same weight, after was when she started lifting heavy
    75153887501416986_Y1GnYQpg_f.jpg

    Different girls but both size 4
    Size4Comparison-300x182.png

    Same girl, before and after lifting heavy weights, she lost 5 lbs
    tumblr_lr5tonlb3A1qgyxugo1_500.jpg

    Stacy, read her story here: She is 14 lbs heavier in after
    http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
    160933386653933440_XDkHzL9R_f.jpg

    10 lbs heavier in after
    160933386653912536_Q9O5CANq_f.jpg

    10 lbs heavier in after
    160933386653912535_fBi9urCv_f.jpg

    Different girl, but both size 2
    size2.jpg?w=288&h=223

    5 pounds difference - big body change
    216243219577967315_E53yF3Co_f.jpg

    Fat vs Muscle
    160933386654082592_NvIGFFZy_f.jpg
    191473421627428288_b8i1XCl4_c.jpg

  • metalvegan
    metalvegan Posts: 133 Member
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    meh. a lot of people are pretty fit without cardio.
    depends on your goals

    Um, only guys are replying. I don't think it's the same for girls...
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
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    The article mentioned, and others like it, are meant to clarify the notion that adding pounds of lean muscle will considerably increase your resting metabolic rate so you'll burn noticeably more calories throughout the day at REST - not during exercise. Your muscles are not that active during rest, no real surprise there. The findings do not however address the contribution to energy expenditure with lean muscle gains during exercise and for post-exercise recovery of muscle tissue.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    meh. a lot of people are pretty fit without cardio.
    depends on your goals

    Um, only guys are replying. I don't think it's the same for girls...

    Actually, it is the same. The difference is that women more about what women want to believe more than they have some completely different metabolism. That belief is enforced by countless women's magazines overpromoting cardio and 5 pound weights.
  • StarvingDiva
    StarvingDiva Posts: 1,107 Member
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    meh. a lot of people are pretty fit without cardio.
    depends on your goals

    Um, only guys are replying. I don't think it's the same for girls...

    Actually, it is the same. The difference is that women more about what women want to believe more than they have some completely different metabolism. That belief is enforced by countless women's magazines overpromoting cardio and 5 pound weights.

    I just started doing P90x a few weeks ago, but lifting weights has totally changed the composition of my body. 5 years ago I was 20 lbs lighter, mainly doing cardio and maybe 1 day a week of weights. I just pulled a shirt out of my closet that I bought back then (but it was too tight) and wore it on saturday, not only did it fit, but it was loose in my waist/stomach area. So despite being 20 lbs heavier, my body has changed drastically from lifting weights. I only needed that to convince me.

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