Muscle key to healthy living

By BRIAN SODOMA

VIEW ON HEALTH

In middle school, my friend Ryan found it nearly impossible to lose weight. Each year he seemed chunkier and chunkier and was increasingly ridiculed for it by his more genetically-fortunate peers. But he wasn’t one to buckle under the pressure. He had a variety of excuses and justifications for his size and shape, among them that he carried a lot of muscle. He furthered his argument by lifting weights in his garage, old sand-filled plastic forms on bars not quite engineered to withstand as much weight as he put on them.

In time, I agreed that Ryan was indeed strong, but the little bulges of biceps and hardening boy breasts were, to me, a mask for the reality he appeared unwilling to face. Simply, Ryan was fat; and the weights were only part of the solution. But even though he seemed misguided, I’ve learned that he was onto something back then, and indeed the muscle he was packing on may very well have served him later in life.

Through the years, the topic of muscle’s role in one’s overall health has received its share of debate. Why is it important to build muscle while losing weight? Using it or losing it, does it really matter? Isn’t it all about losing fat anyway? And how much so-called “muscle” is considered healthy? Thankfully, there are more than a few health and fitness experts out there to help clear up some of this curiosity.

WEIGHT LOSS AND MUSCLE

Cindy Braden has owned her Las Vegas gym, Let’s Lose It, for 22 years. The long-time exercise enthusiast and trainer says when it comes to losing weight,

those who have played competitive sports or had significant muscle mass at some point stand a better chance of meeting weight loss goals. Further, for those who are already fit and have muscular builds, their body is better equipped to handle diet and exercise slip ups.

“It’s definitely true, the more muscle mass there is the better your body burns fat,” she says. “The cheeseburger or pizza won’t affect you the way that it would someone who has 35 percent body fat.”

Braden says one of her first questions for a weight loss client is “Did you play sports when you were younger?” She says past exercise discipline and muscle building attributes to “muscle memory.” Somehow the body seems to remember the former habit of weight training and exercise, she explains.

“It’s like riding a bike. You may not ride it for 10 years, but it only takes a second to regain that balance and get going,” she adds.

Jim White, owner of Jim White Fitness and Nutrition Studios in Virginia Beach, says for those who packed on the muscle in the past, gaining it back can happen in half the time it took to lose it. For example, if someone took an exercise hiatus for one year, it would only take six months to regain the muscle mass they once had.

Braden says when she starts working with a client, she likes to start a cardio routine that helps the body burn fat and supplements weight training with a lean protein diet to help build muscle at the same time.

THE MENTAL EDGE

Michael Bracko, a Calgary, Alberta-based exercise physiologist and spokesman for the American College of Sports Medicine, adds that a person with a muscular past probably also enjoys good athletic genes compared to those who may not have been as active earlier in life. This factor also translates to a psychological advantage when it comes to losing weight.

“Genetics are a huge role when it comes to gaining or losing weight. If you’ve been athletic before you’re more motivated to work out, more confident to exercise,” he says.

White also sees “a competitive edge” when it comes to previously active, muscle-conscious clients.

“They remember what it’s like to work hard for something and they’re more inclined to get it done,” he adds.

Further along the psychological lines, Bracko cites a 2010 study published in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research that shows people who engage in resistance training, or muscle building, exercises are more intrinsically motivated as opposed to extrinsic, meaning they are motivated more by wanting to feel healthy as opposed to simply wanting to look good.

“It’s almost counterintuitive, but it might be that the guys who are going into the gym with muscle on their mind, or those ‘muscle heads’ as some people call them, are motivated by something completely different,” he adds.

METABOLISM AND FAT

Muscle’s link to better metabolism has been well-chronicled, adds Bracko. Exercise experts have long held that muscle requires more calories to maintain even during rest than fat. But there have been wild claims by some fitness gurus through the years that adding muscle weight can increase calorie consumption by hundreds of calories a day, and thousands per month.

White offers a moderate estimate of 20 to 50 extra calories burned each day for every added pound of muscle mass. Other claims have been upwards of 50 to 100 calories for each pound.

Bracko also says that many people seem to think that gaining muscle can be a problem, and later in life it can turn to fat. It is physically impossible for muscle to turn into fat, he explains.

“What happens is that the muscles becomes smaller because they aren’t used as much. But with decreased exercise there’s a chance the person will put on the body fat,” he adds.

Bracko also explains that with added muscle a person has more “metabolically active tissue” and thus can enjoy what is referred to as “afterburn” following a workout. In medical terms, the state is called EPOC, or Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption. In short, the body is still rapidly burning calories even after a workout is done.

That is why, “weight training for an obese person may be the ideal form of exercise,” Bracko asserts.

But even with the health benefits of increased muscle, the experts all eventually turn to the inevitable fight against fat as the primary issue in overall health and weight loss. Sure someone can put on the extra muscle weight to help them burn extra calories, but maintaining a healthy body fat percentage tends to be the most important factor.

Braden tries to keep clients, male or female, under 30 percent body fat. She uses a body pod device for measuring, and does not work with body builders who are looking to achieve single-digit body fat weight percentages and those who have gone on calorie-starving fad diets like hCG (human chorionic gonadotrophin) and may have lost significant muscle mass.

“I’m a very realistic trainer. I’m not going to build you an unrealistic body,” she adds.

At 47, Braden herself is at a stark 18 percent body fat. While she acknowledges her fat percentage is much lower than most women, she asserts that it’s important to get the ratios under control before the age of 30, when metabolism naturally slows and especially by 40 when humans start to lose muscle mass, also known as sarcopenia.

Braden also points to older clients who appear hunched over or frail as a testament to the need for building muscle in the early years.

“You see these hunched over people. That’s a lack of muscle. That’s your core (area). Their body doesn’t have the muscle to keep them upright,” she adds.

Bracko adds that weight training in particular is important for women, and could help in preventing osteoporosis.

TOO MUCH?

Gym and fitness magazines and advertisements highlight the ability to “get ripped” at any age. And there’s no shortage of people looking to change their physical appearance to the extreme. But is there such thing as having too much muscle?

Braden says if a person cannot maintain the bulky muscle tissue they’ve put on in their early life, health concerns can arise.

“You hear about these body builders dying suddenly,” she says. “The problem you run into is that having a lot of muscle after you get older, you don’t need that amount of muscle tissue. You start turning 45 or 50, it’s hard on your heart.”

White points to fitness addiction and the growing cases of sports anorexia in the past few years. He recalls one “ripped” woman at his gym that initially weighed in at only 3 percent body fat. He had to put her on a “good fat” diet to increase some of her body fat.

“I certainly believe fitness is a healthy addiction, but we do see some very extreme situations,” he adds.

White and Bracko don’t believe there really is such thing as having too much muscle. But White says bulk can have an effect on mobility.

“The risk there is flexibility, which could increase the risk of injuries,” he says.

TIPS TO BUILD MUSCLE

In order to build muscle, White recommends resistance training three times a week. A full-body workout, starting with the larger muscles like the legs, is recommended and a 48-hour rest period should follow each session. For those looking to maintain muscle, the fitness pro recommends a twice a week approach.

Bracko also says a minimum of twice a week for anyone is good. But he also points out that workouts do not need to be time-consuming affairs either.

“One of the ways we can really motivate people is to let them know they can get a calorie burning benefit in 30 minutes,” he adds.

Bracko says an extensive gym is not necessary to gain critical muscle mass or to maintain it. More and more resistance training programs are employing exercises or that only use one’s body weight and calesthenics like push-ups and chin-ups. He also says multiple joint exercise is key to bringing a greater calorie burn and muscle building. He gives the example of a chest press engaging several different muscles like the pectorals, triceps and back, while a tricep pull will only engage one muscle. Even push-ups in a variety of positions can cover many different muscle groups.

“It’s more about exercise selection,” he adds.

White adds that higher weight and fewer repetitions will add muscle, while a greater number of repetitions with less weight will help with muscle toning.

The trainer also recommends a slow increase of muscle mass of about seven pounds a year, while gradually trimming one’s fat percentage at the same time. He adds that it is not uncommon to see someone gain a few pounds of muscle mass in the first two months when starting a new program.

But with the addition of muscle also comes some harsh truth.

“If you put on pounds of muscle you’re going to put on body fat too. It’s just going to happen,” he adds.