For many people trying to speed up their metabolism the first thing they think to try is an aerobic or cardio exercise program. The problem is that most people focus on this method but miss another piece of the puzzle when it comes to speeding up their metabolism; weight training. Yep, that's right, good old fashioned weight lifting is a great way to boost metabolism.
What is it about resistance training that encourages your body to speed up its metabolism? The reason is simple. Lean muscle mass requires calories to maintain itself so the more muscle you have the higher your metabolism. By simply adding five pounds of lean muscle mass with weight training the body will require more calories to keep that muscle which means a higher basal (normal) metabolism. We get these additional calories to maintain more muscle from two sources. The first source of calories is the food we eat, the second is the body's fat stores. Simply put the more lean muscle mass one possesses the more calories they will burn, even while resting. This helps explain why fitness models look the way they do. Because of their abundance of lean muscle mass their bodies are calorie burning machines.
When you lift weights you are not actually building muscle, you are breaking it down. It's what happens after the workout that causes the metabolism to speed up. After the muscle is broken down the body compensates by building more muscle to try and keep the muscle from breaking down again. It takes a large amount of energy from calories to rebuild new and bigger muscles. So lifting weights burns calories and speeds up metabolism not only during the weight lifting workout but also while the body builds bigger and stronger muscles.
A weight lifting routine must be done correctly and at regular intervals if one is to get the maximum effect. Going to the gym once a week will not bring the kind of results talked about. It will take some time and dedication to build new muscle mass but the end result will be worth it with a better body and a speed up in metabolism.
