Can strength training increase basal metabolism

The short-term effect is limited. If you insist on regular training for a long time and the muscle mass is indeed increased, it can indeed improve the basal metabolism, but the improvement is far from as exaggerated as what is reported online.

The fitness circle has been arguing about this for a while. One group said that every kilogram of muscle gained can burn 50 more calories per day, and that one can eat one more hot pot meal while lying down after training for a year. The other group directly used research data and said that 1 kilogram of muscle only consumes 13 kcal per day at rest. It would be better to walk two more steps and burn more calories. It is completely IQ tax.

I have a programmer friend who has been practicing for three years. At the beginning, he was only 130 pounds at 175cm, with a body fat of 22%. The basal metabolism measured by the body meter was 1580 kcal. In the past three years, he has been practicing strength training 3 days a week for about an hour each time. He has also controlled his diet. Hu Eats Haese, now weighs 142 pounds, body fat has dropped to 15%, and muscle mass has increased by 4 kilograms. The basal metabolism measured recently is 1720 kcal. Calculated, each kilogram of muscle contributes about 35 kcal more consumption per day, which is right in the middle of the disputed values ​​between the two sides.

In fact, both sides are correct. The in vitro muscle consumption measured in the laboratory is indeed low, but the living muscles on our bodies are not dead. Daily maintenance of muscle tone and repair of minor damage caused by training consume energy. If you just finish training in the past few days, the consumption will be even higher; those who say it is useless, most of them have practiced for two days. For three months, I went to eat barbecue milk tea every time after training. My weight increased and my body fat increased. The basal metabolic rate did not increase. Naturally, I thought it was a scam - after all, if you can gain 0.5-1 kilogram of pure muscle every month during the novice period, you are considered a good talent. The changes in two or three months are already small, and when they are offset by the increase in body fat, they are not noticeable at all.

I previously calculated the intake of two girls who weighed the same 120 pounds. One who practiced strength training all year round had a body fat of 20%, and the other who was sedentary in the office had a body fat of 30%. They both did not do extra aerobics and just commuted to work. The one who masturbated could eat 1,800 kcal a day and was not fat, while the sedentary one had gained weight even if she ate 1,600 kcal. The difference of 200 kcal was basically the difference in basal metabolism caused by muscle mass.

But don’t exaggerate this effect. Even if ordinary people train seriously for three to five years, an increase in basal metabolism of 150-200 kcal is already very impressive. To say that relying on strength training to increase basal metabolism to several thousand is a gimmick to sell courses. If you really want to control your weight, you still have to have a two-pronged approach with diet and exercise. The metabolic improvement brought about by strength training can at most give you half a cup of milk tea.