How does increasing muscle mass help with losing body fat?
This is the key physiological question. Because muscle fibers burn more energy than fat mass, the more muscle mass an individual has, the more energy the individual will burn regardless of whether the individual is exercising or at rest. The amount of energy used is termed the individual’s basal metabolic rate. Over a lifetime, an individual’s basal metabolism will gradually decrease. This is usually due to a decrease in activity combined with a loss of muscle mass. However, an individual’s body metabolism can be increased with increased activity and an increase in muscle mass. The increased activity burns more energy during exercise. The increase in muscle mass will burn more energy during exercise and at rest. Combined, an individual’s body metabolism can gradually be increased. This means that the individual is burning more energy throughout the day (even at rest). If the individual uses more energy than he/she consumes (food intake), the body will utilize the stores of fat as an en
