The claimEvidence B · meta-analysis
Building muscle makes you burn far more calories at rest
The evidence
Muscle burns only about 13 kcal per kg a day at rest; 2 kg more tissue itself burns only about 26 kcal a day.
Why the claim spreads
Muscle really does account for a big share of resting energy use, and training trials really do measure a rise in resting metabolism. Put those two true things side by side and it is easy to read them as every extra kilo of muscle burning a lot more at rest.
The mechanism, in brief
Can you lose fat and build muscle at the same time? Yes — but the window is far narrower than gym talk. Muscle wants a surplus; fat loss wants a deficit. What resolves it: the fat on your body is itself an energy store. When the deficit is not severe, protein is enough, and training is loud, the body can draw from fat…
Sources (1)
- Longland, T. M., Oikawa, S. Y., Mitchell, C. J., Devries, M. C., & Phillips, S. M. (2016). Higher compared with lower dietary protein during an energy deficit combined with intense exercise promotes greater lean mass gain and fat mass loss: A randomized trial. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 103(3), 738–746.