How does this work? First, a couple of definitions: Your metabolismrefers to
the number of calories you’re burning at any given moment, whether you’re
watching The Weather Channel or riding a bike. But when most people use
the term, they’re referring to your resting metabolism, the number of calories
your body needs to maintain its vital functions. Your brain, heart, kidneys,
and other organs are cranking away 24 hours a day, and your muscle cells are
constantly undergoing repair. All these processes require energy in the form
of calories simply to keep you alive.But here’s the key: Your resting metabolic rate depends primarily on your
amount of fat-free mass— everything in your body that’s not fat, including
muscle, bones, blood, organs, and tissue. The more fat-free mass you have,
the more energy your body expends in order to keep going. So, you want to
be muscular. You can’t do anything to increase the size of your liver or brain,
but you certainly can make yourself more muscular, and lifting weights is the
primary way to do just that.Keep in mind, however, that packing on a few more pounds of muscle isn’t
going to turn your body into a calorie-burning inferno. For every 1 pound of
muscle you gain, your body may burn an extra 30 to 50 calories per day.
That’s not a lot, especially if you compensate by eating one extra Hershey’s
Kiss (24 calories) per day. However, in the long run, even that small meta-
bolic boost can be significant. If you burn an extra 25 calories per day, you
can burn 9,125 calories in a year — enough to lose nearly 3 pounds, or at
least prevent a 3-pound weight gain. And if you add 10 pounds of lean muscle,
you can burn an additional 300 to 500 calories per day!If that’s not impressive, consider the flip side: If you don’t lift weights, your
metabolism will slow down every year, as your muscles slowly waste away.
And with a more sluggish metabolic rate, you’ll gain weight even if you eat
the same amount of food. How’s that for incentive to hit the weight room?One final point: The metabolism-boosting benefits of weight lifting are par-
ticularly important if you’re cutting calories to lose weight. Dieting alone
tends to cause a loss in muscle as well as fat; if you lift weights while cutting
back on your calorie intake, you can preserve muscle — and maintain your
metabolism — while losing fat.Building Muscle: Myths and Reality .........................................................
There sure are a lot of misconceptions about weight training. Many people
have no idea what changes to expect when they begin lifting weights, so they
ask some not-so-dumb questions, like the ones that follow.166 Part IV: Lift and Curl: Building a Stronger Bod with Weights