Resistance Training & Your Metabolic Health

As you begin making dietary changes you may begin losing weight as well. When body weight decreases, so does resting metabolic rate or the number of calories we burn at rest. One of the reasons for this is that weight loss results not only in the loss of adipose tissue but in the loss of skeletal muscle as well.

‍Muscle is one of the most important components of the human body—it powers movement, balance, and posture. Muscle also has a higher resting metabolic rate, accounting for 20% of the energy burned at rest compared to 3% for fat. 

How does resistance training help my metabolism?

By doing regular resistance training and consuming high-quality dietary protein, you can keep your lean muscle while you shed pounds. This pairing may also help you avoid swings in blood sugar by improving the ability of your muscle cells to use glucose, thus lowering both your blood sugar and your risk of developing diabetes.

Regular resistance training can also prevent future weight gain. In a recent study, those who reported doing resistance training at least a few times per week for a weekly total of 1–2 hours were about 30% less likely to become obese compared to the group that did not engage in any resistance training. 

What if I don't like going to the gym? 

A convenient aspect of resistance training is that it doesn't necessarily need to involve going to the gym and lifting weights for hours on end. In fact, many of the free, online workout plans use no equipment at all—you just use your own body weight to do activities (i.e., squats, lunges, push-ups, etc.). A set of simple resistance bands can be an excellent addition to your home exercise equipment; you can even use them during what’s normally a sedentary activity like watching television.

What if I don't know where to start?

If you’re new to resistance training, you might need to start low and gradually build up to more repetitions. That’s okay! Try to engage different muscle groups and rotate through them as you exercise. As long as you start somewhere, each new habit will build on the next. Try keeping track of your training activities on a calendar and celebrate each resistance session that you cross off.

Resistance training is also a great activity to do on the days when your original workout plan gets derailed. Raining outside and can’t go for your walk? The gym will be closed when you get off work? No problem! You can squeeze in a few rounds of push-ups, sit-ups, and lunges instead.

What if I'm not ready to start resistance training?

If that all seems too difficult, just start lifting something heavy daily.

Keep a hand weight next to the coffee pot and do a set of curls in the morning as you wait for your cup to brew. Or keep a hand weight next to your toothbrush so that you can do a quick set before brushing your teeth. Even small changes add up! Those small steps can produce big results over the days, weeks, months, and years.


*References for this article are available with PDF download*