Can strength training increase basal metabolism

Strength training can indeed increase basal metabolism, but the improvement is far less exaggerated than what is reported online, and the gain will be affected by multiple factors such as training frequency, muscle mass, and diet, and individual differences are very large.

In our basal metabolism, the consumption of lean body mass (non-fat tissues such as muscles and internal organs) accounts for the majority. Each kilogram of muscle consumes about 13 kcal per day in a resting state, while 1 kilogram of fat consumes only 2 kcal. Strength training is the most efficient method of muscle-building exercise currently known, and it can naturally slowly increase the base of the basal metabolism.

But you really don’t have to have high expectations for this gain. I did the calculations for a friend who I trained with in the past two years. He followed the leg push and pull plan of training three times a week for 10 months. He supplemented protein at a rate of 1.8 grams per kilogram of body weight every day. Pure muscle increased by 3.2 kilograms. Calculated, the basal metabolism increased by about 40 calories, which is about the calories of a small piece of soda cracker. It is definitely impossible to make hot pot milk tea with this gain.

There are also different voices in the academic circles. I have seen a follow-up study by the European Academy of Sports Science before, saying that if you are an old bodybuilder with more than 3 years of training experience, your muscle mass is close to your personal genetic ceiling. If you continue to practice strength regularly, your basal metabolism will increase by almost It can be ignored; if you stop after training for a while, the increased muscles will fall back to the original level in two or three months, and the metabolism will also drop back. Even if you focus on weight during training and the calorie gap is too large, the muscle decomposition rate is faster than the synthesis rate, which may temporarily lower the basal metabolism.

By the way, I would like to clarify a misunderstanding that many people are confused about: many bloggers boast that "one workout increases metabolism for two days". In fact, they confuse the post-exercise oxygen consumption (also known as the afterburn effect) and basal metabolism. The extra consumption lasts for up to 12 hours and is not considered a long-term improvement of basal metabolism at all. Don't be fooled by this kind of marketing rhetoric.

I have met a 28-year-old girl before. She lost 20 pounds by starving, and her basal metabolism dropped to only 1080. She wore two down jackets in winter and her hands and feet were cold. She ate a little more and the number on the scale went up the next day. Later, she trained with a coach for 7 months without deliberately dieting. She ate two more eggs and one cup of whole milk every day, and she lost 3% of her body fat. My weight has increased by 2 kilograms, and my basal metabolism was measured at 1160 last month. Now I can eat half a bowl of rice every day without getting fat. When I go to the supermarket after work and see my favorite Basque, I can eat half a piece without burden. This is the most real benefit of strength training in improving metabolism - it does not mean that you can eat hazelnuts, but it gives you more room for error in your daily diet, and you are not prone to lack of energy and coldness.

If you really plan to rely on strength training to improve your metabolism, don't focus on those gimmicks of "increase your metabolism by 300 calories in a month", and don't go on the scale every day to get hung up on the numbers. Practice 2-3 times a week in a down-to-earth manner, follow your movements to avoid injuries, eat enough protein, and stick to it for a little while, and you will definitely feel the changes.