If you expect more muscle mass to give a big boost to your daily metabolism, as is often claimed, think again. "Add two pounds of muscle, and you burn about 24 calories of extra metabolism per day," said David Nieman, director of the Human Performance Laboratory at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C. "If it's four pounds of muscle, you get on the order of an extra 50 calories burned per day."
I have heard this before. It may be true, but they never clarify how active the people are from which they derive these numbers. I think activity levels have a lot to do with how much more energy you actually require.
Also, are they taking into account the fact that when you have additional mass on your body, it requires more energy to perform any activity, even if that weight were fat or a backpack? Or, is this purely the number of calories required to maintain that muscle mass itself?
Their statement requires clarification in my opinion. Furthermore, it becomes more significant when you gain 20+ pounds of muscle as many of us have.
That adds up to 350 calories in a week -- or about the energy contained in a tenth of a pound of fat. "You would have to go for 70 days before that would translate to burning a pound of fat," Nieman said. Sure, over the course of a year, Nieman said, these calories could add up. "But keep it in context with everything else," including other daily activities and a healthy diet.
True enough. Most people who are overweight don't reach their desired level of body fat by weight training alone. Proper diet is key, and additional exercise/activity helps.
Here are some other myths about strength training:
Added protein is needed to build muscle. Most Americans already eat about 90 grams of protein per day, "enough protein to meet the needs of a professional bodybuilder," Nieman said. "To take in a protein supplement is just crazy. It's not needed."
This is a highly debateable topic. I found an awesome debate between two PhD's on
www.t-nation.com about the protein requirements for bodybuilders and atheletes. The conclusion I have come to is that high protein diets have been proven time and time again. As well, protein is extremely important during cutting phases as it somehow aids in the retention of existing muscle mass.
Furthermore, whey protein has many other benefits besides merely adding protein to one's diet. Concentrate (The variant which contains a small, but still significant, amount of fat) contains various hormones that positively affect growth (IGF-1 comes to mind). Also, whey protein has the benefit of increasing insulin levels (Good after a workout) without the need to ingest starchy, refined, carbohydrates.
Pumping iron burns a lot of calories. It feels like weight training should translate to a big calorie burn, but brisk walking eats up far more calories than weight training sessions. Even heavy lifting generally burns "just 15 to 55 calories per workout," said Kraemer. "It's very low when you calculate it. People do a lot of resting between sets, and the sets are usually very short." Circuit training, where you rev your heart rate by moving rapidly from weight machine to weight machine, could help burn a few more calories.
I wonder if they are taking into consideration the metabolism boost that remains hours after you are finished working out? They aren't clear on that one.
However, it is probably true that traditional cardio and circuit training burn more calories.
Dietary supplements can help build muscle. Creatine and L-carnitine are two popular dietary supplements purported to help build muscle. In healthy, high-functioning athletes, creatine, which is made by muscle cells, will bulk muscle a little, "but it's primarily due to water retention," Nieman said. Creatine may help elite athletes do a few more reps in weight training, he said, but " it's not for the average person ." As for L-carnitine, "there's no good data there to support" the claim that it builds muscle in anyone, Nieman said.
Well, they pretty much just reiterated what everyone already knows about creatine. I know nothing about carnitine. I do, however, disagree that creatine is not for the average person. They don't really say why.
Muscles bulk up fast. Studies show that it takes a minimum of 12 to 15 weeks to build muscle, provided that you do three to four sessions per week. The typical workout is six to 15 repetitions--or sets--of eight to 12 different exercises. Few people stick with the regimen long enough to build significant muscle. Those who do typically gain "only on the order of three to five pounds of fat-free muscle mass and water," Nieman said.
I like this one. People think that touching a barbell is going to turn them into Ronnie Coleman, and don't realize it takes years of hard work, dieting, and drugs to come anywhere near that level. I believe that's the crowd being addressed here. However, at the same time, it's all relative. My gain of about 15 pounds of muscle in my first 6 months of lifting felt fast.
I also believe that the average pussy that goes to the gym only gains a few pounds of muscle. That doesn't mean humans aren't capable of much more. I've gone from 160 to 185, and my body fat levels are as low as ever. I may even have less fat on me than when I began lifting.
Using heavy weight provides the most benefit. Too much, too soon is a recipe for injury . "Start small," said registered dietitian Leslie Bonci, Director of Sports Nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "Spend the money to learn the technique. Not everyone does well with an instructional video. The goal is not to do one rep with maximum weight."
This depends highly on the individual and their inherent fiber types in various muscles, as well as factors related to one's central nervous system. They are trying to discourage all those fools who max out with bench press on day one, but that doesn't mean lifting heavy doesn't have it's place.
Maximum attempts are an advanced technique, and totally unecessary for beginners. However, maximum attempts are a must, at least periodically, for lifters purely concerned with strength. I also believe them to be beneficial for the pure bodybuilding crowd as well.
Better to pick free weights or a piece of weight equipment at the gym "where you can do the exercises comfortably, you're not in agony and you like it enough that you can go back" to do it again, she said. Progress slowly and expect modest gains.
True true. Don't perform a lift that hurts you...
