By now you’ve heard me talk (a lot) about the importance of strength training for a variety of reasons. One of those many reasons is to boost metabolism.
But you may not know exactly how strength training boosts your metabolism. Well, wait no more – that info is right here!
Strength training helps burn calories in three different ways.
First is the workout session itself. When you exercise, you burn calories. Simple as that. The harder you work, and the more muscle mass involved, the greater the calorie burn. So a leg exercise (which works large muscle groups) will burn more calories than a bicep (arm) exercise.
Second is the post-exercise calorie burn. After a strength training session, your muscles will continue to use energy (burn calories) to help muscle repair and recovery. Another important factor with post-exercise calorie burn is the source of the calories. During strength training exercise, our body uses carbohydrates; after a workout, more fat is burned. The higher the exercise intensity, the more fat will be burned afterward.
Last, but not least, is the addition of muscle mass. As we age, we lose muscle mass. Muscle burns more calories at rest than other tissue. So, the more muscle, the faster our metabolism. So we burn more calories, even at rest.
Strength training is the number one activity you can do for yourself to maintain a healthy metabolism.
If you have any questions about it, contact me!