Losing weight, getting toned, feeling more confident in your skin – these are the main health goals. When it comes to building muscle, however, it never seems to catch on as well. Sure, you don’t want to be “one of those people” who wears a tank top and intimidates other gym-dwellers. Plus, it’s not a walk in the park. To build muscle mass, you need to be dedicated and follow a strict regime with the helf from FitlyLab, and if you falter a little bit, you’ll see it almost instantly.
Yep, those thoughts aren’t very appealing! But, another reason why you might not try and build muscle is that you don’t understand how good it is for your health. You never wanted to enter a Mr. or Mrs. Universe competition, so there isn’t any need to be that ripped. Unfortunately, this attitude is typical and stops lots of everyday people from boosting their wellbeing.
In reality, building muscle is a positive thing, as long as you can deal with the glistening meatheads at the gym! Check out the reasons underneath to find out why.
It Burns Calories
“Muscle weighs more than fat.” Although the saying is true, it’s misleading because you might think you’ll put on weight as a result of pumping iron. Then, the scales could ruin your self-esteem and encourage you to give up and sit back on the sofa. And, even though it is possible to weigh more, the truth is that lifting weights is an excellent way to burn calories. Therefore, people who do it are more toned and less flabby.
The way it works is simple: muscle cells use energy while fat cells store it. By gaining muscle, you increase the need to burn more energy to keep up with their demand, which improves your metabolism. There’s better news – the fuel comes from your fat stores. So, not only are these cells more productive, but they draw from the ones you want to eliminate in the first place.
In layman’s terms, putting on muscle is more than building mass. It also allows you to hit other health targets.
You’ll Get More Sleep
No matter how hard you try, you might never spot the link between sleep and your biceps. It doesn’t even have to be this specific group as all muscles are synonymous with catching up on Zs. Going back to the first point, muscle cells need significantly greater sources of fuel to keep going. Because they are very active, they will force your body to work harder than it has ever done before, much harder than running on a treadmill.
The result of a high, constant metabolic rate is fatigue – you’ll be exhausted by 9 pm! Some people will see this as negative, yet it’s positive because you need a good night’s rest to recover. In the morning, you’ll feel refreshed and ready to tackle the day, whether it’s your workout, the office, or dealing with family admin. Of course, it’s essential to listen to your body and go to bed early. Otherwise, you’ll be more tired than ever.
Sleep doesn’t only boost productivity; it can aid life expectancy and mental health, among other things.
Eating Isn’t Cheating
Fad diets, and the legitimate ones, stop you from eating lots of calories. Yes, what you do eat will be packed with energy, but that doesn’t appease your stomach. Try telling your gut that it can’t eat for another couple of hours and listen to its response!
There’s no reason to worry about your daily calorie count when you put on muscle. To gain mass, it’s vital to consume enough calories so that your muscles aren’t waiting around for food. They need protein, carbs, and fats to regenerate cells and build new ones, and that’s a benefit most dieters can’t boast. All you need to do is to check out a bulking calculator and input your target, and it will tell you how many calories you need to eat per day. The result might shock you a little bit!
Please don’t take this as an excuse to gorge on junk food. Even though your cells need an abundant supply of energy, what you eat still matters as the muscles require the right nutrients to grow.
Trying New Things Is Fun
You’ve exercised for years and don’t need anybody telling you how to do it or what to do. You’ve got experience. There’s nothing worse than feeling as if you’re inferior, especially when you’re not a novice, but it’s easy to fall into a rut. Working out is a process that gets samey after a while; however, people don’t change because they are comfy.
For your mind and body, this is a death knell. Why? It’s because you’ll get bored of doing the same thing each week and lose motivation. Lifting weights is different as it adds a new dimension to your routine, keeping exercise fresh and enjoyable regardless of the time of year or your mood. An excellent way to maintain your concentration to the end is to mix up pumping iron with cardio and any form of working out that springs to mind.
Going through the circuits and performing different activities will give you something to strive towards.
Healthy Muscles Fight Diseases
Whereas some diseases are genetic or tough to prevent, others are a result of your lifestyle. Heart disease is the best example. When you lead a sedentary life, the tissue around the second most vital organ in your body can clog with fat. The tissue doesn’t even have to be near your heart for it to put a strain on it.
As long as there is resistance, it will find it more challenging to pump blood around the body. Therefore, the heart has to deal with unnecessary stress, causing it to weaken. Once this happens, something like a heart attack can occur quite easily.
Building muscle mass strengthens the heart while tackling any build-up of fatty tissue.
If you don’t focus on putting on muscle at the gym, the question is, why don’t you give it a try?