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Speeding Your Metabolism By Building Muscles

Muscle tissue is your largest organ. Most lay articles and trainers overestimate the effect of muscle on metabolism. The best estimate is that muscle contributes 6 kcal/ lb, to the overall metabolism which is about 20% to the day’s total.

What is the Effect of Increasing Muscle Mass on Daily Metabolism?

Not as much as you might think. The majority of peer reviewed resistance studies in humans (lasting 2 to 12 months) reported an increase of only 2.2 to 4.5 lbs. of muscle mass! Not what you hear in the gym. This would increase the metabolic rate by about 50 calories per day at best. Perhaps the real value of building muscle mass is that it helps prevent the loss of fat-free mass. Therefore the additional muscle you build up, the greater you’re resting metabolic rate (RMR). Every muscle fiber burns up calories for you, even while you rest, and increases even more when you exercise. This is the only way to truly increase your metabolism permanently. More on exercise in the HCG diet in chapter 11.