Does building muscle burn fat?

[Parish0852]

Not a question for my benefit to start off. I hear this question commonly, and I hear mixed answers. Say a guy wanted to build muscle, AND burn some belly fat. He has a good diet, with good cardio. Should he wait to lose the fat before building muscle, or just do it all at once. I figured atleast some of you guys would know.

 

[markzeus]

Yes muscle burns fat because. Muscle need energy and oxygen to survive they become your own personal fat burners, as you build muscle your fat cells begin to shirnk becasue the muscle cells are growing hence burning the fat.

 

[Driven2lift]

... Disregard the previous broscience posts.

The implication that growing muscle will simultaneously burn fat is incorrect. To be anabolic and growing new muscle tissue you need to be eating above maintenance, this will come with fat gain. Eating less over maintenance calories will limit this fat gain.

Is muscle growth beneficial for fat loss? Yes.

The more lean mass you have the more calories your body will be using to maintain this mass and feed this muscle.

Concurrent fat loss and muscle growth is not generally (without starting out very overweight or untrained) possible. But build up muscle and then losing weight will be much easier. Not to mention your bodyfat % will decrease as lean mass increases, netting you some aesthetic improvements.

 

[markzeus]

... Disregard the previous broscience posts.

The implication that growing muscle will simultaneously burn fat is incorrect. To be anabolic and growing new muscle tissue you need to be eating above maintenance, this will come with fat gain. Eating less over maintenance calories will limit this fat gain.

Is muscle growth beneficial for fat loss? Yes.

The more lean mass you have the more calories your body will be using to maintain this mass and feed this muscle.

Concurrent fat loss and muscle growth is not generally (without starting out very overweight or untrained) possible. But build up muscle and then losing weight will be much easier. Not to mention your bodyfat % will decrease as lean mass increases, netting you some aesthetic improvements.

Yes i agree with your statement that "more lean mass you have the more calories your body will be using". But i feel Concurrent fat loss and muscle growth is possible i read article on these at bodybuilding.com

 

[Obernodo]

The calories you burn while you are lifting weights or doing other strength training are only the beginning. When it comes to weight loss and fat reduction, your muscles keep working even after the workout is over. Exercising revs up your metabolism.Every body function requires calories and therefore burns some degree of fat. Muscle tissue requires more fat just to maintain itself than other tissue. So it inevitably burns fat.

 

[kingjameskjf]

Muscle has a higher metabolic demand and so it uses more calories. Working to build muscle will burn calories. This will come from various sources depending on your nutritional level and exercise demands placed upon your body. For example, working out with a low VO2 max will have your body drawing energy mainly from fatty acid mobilization and utilization, fat oxidation. As you increase your body's demand for energy with increasing intensity, this energy need begins to shift to carbohydrate metabolism to provide a quicker fuel source (ATP and PC vs glycolytic). There is some overlap (which also includes amino acids but they are usually a nominal source of energy production with adequate nutrition), but the shift is still there and focuses on energy needs. Does that mean that only low intensity exercise should be done to maximize fat oxidation? Not necessarily because higher intensity may predominately depend on carbs but it also burns more overall calories with a continued EPOC and metabolism boost with subsequent caloric expenditure to meet the body's needs adequately. I personally like a combination of both as they both have different effects. So no, the muscle tissue itself isn't burning fat in a direct sense, but the demands of working the muscle and its needs contributes to it as specified. More muscle mass also creates a greater caloric consumption and demand with a higher energy need. It is very difficult to try and balance the body's energy needs is such a way that you can both build muscle (requiring a caloric excess) and concurrently be in a state of beta oxidation (through specific exercise/energy demands and a caloric deficit). It's more complex then that but that's a pretty broad sum of it. This is of course, without ancillary use. One dieting method that may get close would be LeanGains IMO.

 

[jonson789]

Hi...!
I think when we start exercise for muscles or for anything fats burn and convert muscles into a good shape . Am i right ?

 

[David147]

Yes. Building muscle does burn more fat. You may gain weight at first due to muscle gain but it will burn the fat your body doesn't need.

 

[Rocket3015]

In a word "Yes"

 

[JudoJosh]

Increasing lbm increases rmr which in a way increases fat burning, sort of. It is an extremely simplistic way to look at it.

Now as for concurrent weight loss and gain. Yes it is possible but requires lots of planning and work. Tackling one at a time is far easier for most people.