HOW MUCH CAN STRENGTH TRAINING INCREASE YOUR BASE METABOLIC RATE?
SUMMARY: FOR MEN, UP TO 10% INCREASE IN CALORIE CONSUMPTION, CORRESPONDING TO FAT LOSS OF 650 TO 1000 G OF ADICULAR TISSUE PER MONTH.
In the study by Lemmer JT, Ivey FM et al. the effect of strength training on the basal metabolic rate was investigated. It is already known from previous studies that muscle training can lead to an increase in basic energy requirements of 4 to 7% over 24 hours. This is attributed to the increased protein synthesis processes in the trained muscles after such training, which are very energy-intensive. Strength training is therefore considered to be essential for weight loss. What was new in the current study was that these metabolism-boosting effects were investigated in an age- and gender-specific manner. 10 men and 9 women between the ages of 20 and 30 and 11 men and 10 women between the ages of 65 and 75 carried out regular strength training (3 times a week) for 24 weeks. The resting metabolic rate was determined before and after.
Across all subjects, the result was INCREASE IN BASIC METABOLISM BY 7% as a result of the 6-month training. Even taking into account the increased fat-free body mass, there was still a significant metabolic-boosting effect. The increase in the basal metabolic rate was demonstrated regardless of age, i.e. in both the young and the older subjects. However, the increase in the basal metabolic rate was significantly higher in men at 9% than in women, where only a 4% increase in metabolism was found.
The reasons for this are, on the one hand, the higher estrogen content in women and, on the other hand, the fact that harder training in men leads to greater metabolic activation. The higher testosterone levels in men could also be responsible for the higher "afterburn effect".
WITH THE INCREASE IN METABOLISM CAUSED BY STRENGTH TRAINING, FAT LOSS OF UP TO ONE KILO PER MONTH IS POSSIBLE.
Thus, for men, a significant, age-independent increase in the basal metabolic rate can be observed through regular strength training, which is almost 10%. This corresponds to a daily increase in consumption of 150 to 250 kcal. This amount does not seem to be much at first glance, but can easily add up to 4500 to 7000 kcal over the course of a month, according to the LOSS OF 650 TO 1000 G OF PURE FAT TISSUE PER MONTH .
If you also consider that strength training indirectly promotes fat loss by maintaining muscle mass when calories are reduced, it is clear that this type of exercise is indispensable in a diet. What was interesting in this context was that this effect of boosting metabolism was not only indirectly caused by the increase in fat-free body mass (i.e. by the increase in muscle mass), but also apparently by a direct effect of this training on the basal metabolic rate. This supports previous data that attribute these effects to energy-intensive metabolic processes.
The results are also interesting for women, who are naturally more interested in losing weight, although the metabolism-boosting effect appears to have been less pronounced than in men.
However, the effect of strength training on maintaining muscle mass was just as great as in the male group and thus also contributed to an increase in metabolism. Therefore, women also benefit from strength training for fat loss and should include this in their training plan.