Hey! Thanks for all the info! Waiting on a new addition to my family (due Feb 17) but can’t wait to start on a healthy exercise plan. Baby is sitting on nerves and the pain in my hips has limited me from exercise. But totally looking forward to being healthy, and lean, and losing the excess weight from the last 2 kids… muscle is definatly a bonus, thanks for the advice!
Oh… how do you reverse being skinny, to gaining weight? My hubby is just over 6 ft, and incredibley skinny, he has definate muscle, and is a hard rancher, constantly on the go!, His workouts are just plain hard work, and not one for gym time.
3 Reasons YOU Want Muscle
By Joel Marion & Vince Del Monte
It doesn’t matter if you’re male or female, 22 or 62, attempting to lose fat or “get buff”, you WANT muscle. In fact, we’ll venture to say that virtually everyone wants muscle (whether they know it or not), and here’s why:
1. Building Muscle = Faster Fat Loss
Even if you’re primary goal is fat loss, you’d be extremely wise to build specific periods of time in to your training schedule in which you primarily concentrate on building muscle.
Why?
Muscle is metabolically expensive.
You see, for every pound of muscle you manage to add to your frame, you’ll burn an additional 40-50 cals per day. So, let’s say you gain 10 lbs; that means your body now REQUIRES 400-500 more calories to simply maintain its weight, posing several benefits:
- You get to eat the same amount and lose fat faster OR
- You get to eat more and lose fat just as quickly
Either way you look at it, that’s a pretty solid deal, only possible through the addition of calorie-burning lean muscle.
2. Building Muscle = Easier Weight Maintenance
Let’s say you lose 30 lbs, which is awesome, but you fail to put on any appreciable amount muscle, or even worse, you lose muscle mass in the process (which is extremely common).
In either case, metabolism will in fact be slower after you’ve lost the 30 lbs than it was when you first started your fat loss journey…NOT what you want if your goal is to actually keep the weight off.
With the addition of lean muscle mass, your metabolism won’t be slower, it will be faster, making maintaining your new body incredibly easy.
Muscle is the difference between losing 30 lbs once and for all, and struggling to losing 30 lbs over and over and over again for the rest of your life.
Wouldn’t you love to just lose the weight once and never have to worry about “gaining it back”…again?
3. Building Muscle = A Hotter, Sexier Body
Being thin is one thing, being hot is another. And the latter is something only lean muscle can provide.
I think we’d all agree that while being thin is certainly better than being fat, what we truly want our bodies to look like goes far beyond simply being skinny.
For example, take a look at the photos below; these are both “size 2” bodies:
The difference: one looks “okay” and the other is smokin’ hot. The REAL difference: Muscle. While the same exact “size”, the physique on the right is comprised mostly of dense, shapely, tone muscle, while the image on the left…isn’t.
And for the guys, when it comes to taking your shirt off or being comfortable on the beach, we’d probably all agree that simply being “thin” or “skinny” isn’t where it’s at. Muscle makes a dramatic difference in the way we look. Just look at the before/after pics from these two clowns:
While the “before” photos were thin, there’s a world of difference in the confidence and general appearance of a physique possessing significantly more muscle.
How would your life change if YOU were to gain 5, 10, or even 20 lbs of lean muscle?
Both Vince and I can tell you that since our transformation, our entire lives have benefited massively because of one thing: muscle. It really can and does affect your entire life.
Comment Time:
How many pounds of lean, sexy muscle would you like to gain? Respond in the comments section below along with any muscle building questions you might have. Vince and I will be checking in throughout the day to answer your questions, and we’ll also select 2 “commentors” at random to receive a free muscle building “gift” ($97 value).
Talk to you in the comments section!
Joel and Vince
P.S. If you have never commented on the blog, today is the day. You might win something cool, and besides, when you take action and comment, it just reinforces your goals and pushes you even more toward achieving them. We’re looking forward to YOUR comment below!
Related Posts
506 comments - add yours
Posted too soon…. what would you recommend for him not to be the tall skinny, guy? And to gain weight. (yes he wants to gain, and I loose weight)
Hi from Queensland, Australia. I’ve tried gaining muscle for most of my adult life with little success. I struggle with motivation, and definitely see the value in having a mentor – I have had various personal trainers for this reason, but most of these have not emphasised proper technique, and I almost always ended up injured. I am currently going to an exercise physiologist who has helped me recover from a shoulder injury and knee pain. I would love to transform my body to the extent that Vince & Joel have, but after previous experiences, and now at the age of 38 weighing 66kg, this seems like an impossible dream.
Hi guys,
I would like to gain around 15 pounds of lean muscle and reduce my body fat to around 10% (or under, if possible!) I’m 21 and have been training at the gym for 4 years with limited results (for the amount of time I’ve put in). I’ve tried all kinds of different strategies yet none seem to have been a ‘golden ticket’ to quick, measurable success.
Because of my love of the gym, I’m looking at qualifying to be a personal trainer, having finished university. However, I want the body to match!
I have one final question to ask- as muscle increases metabolism, would it be better to gain muscle first with something like Vince and Lee’s 3 week cycle program that comes out tomorrow. Then embark on something like the Xteme fatloss diet to lose any excess blubber?
Hi Joel & Vinnie, I would love to gain 10 lbs of muscle and lose the equal amount
in fat which is pretty sad considering I only weigh 67.7 Kilos But I’m a firm believer in don’t talk get on with it so let’s get on with it.
Thank You Both and Happy New Year
Martin
Yeah I need to gain more lean muscle mass for sure to rev up my metabolism. My body fat is 43% and my muscle mass is 44% – I really need to change this ratio! I am pear-shape and when I do squats and lunges, I’m sure my legs are bulking up under the fat – what is the best exercise program for me? THANX
Although i am young, i do weight training. I am only 16, and i began my journey last year. I lost over 23 kilos and shed off more than 25%body fat. I went down from 35% body fat to 10%. Am now 68 kilos with 35 of them muscle. Now i am building my body. I don’t want to get muscle mass i just want to get ripped, so in school i enrolled in teh swimming team i nthe afternonn. Then, i do swimming. And i just want to thank you vince and joel for helping me in this journey. I didn’t buy any of your programs but i kept following you on youtube and on teh newsletter. i incoorperated some of your excercises in my training and it made a big difference. Thanks you for teh help.
What should my body muscle weight be to have a healthy body? I have no idea what mine would be. Now I am 275 lbs about, so what would be a good goal for keeping my metabolism in better shape, and not having to work so hard to keep the fat off? I believe I am an endo with emphasis on the ENDo…
I am 69 and working hard with your program to lose weight and gain muscle strength. I weigh 215 and would like to get down to 195. I carry most of my excess weight in my stomach and chest. What exercises are best for the stomach. I have lost 25 lbs and definitely feel the dereference in my strength. Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Greg
Hi Joel!
I really appreciate all your efforts to make people know what they really need to do in order to be healthy and look great!
There are so many misconceptions out there that get people stuck to the old “run for a long time if you want to lose fat”, or “stop eating if you want to lose fat”! It’s incredible how people are also stubborn.
Now let’s talk about my case. I am 186 cm tall and I weight 68kg. I am a naturally skinny guy and I have always struggled to put on muscles. I tried both the kind of training suggested by you and Vince (and also other trainers like Sean Nalenwanjyi, Scott Sonnon) as well as the kind of diet (eating every 3 hours, pre-post workout shakes ecc) But I am still struggling to put on weight.; It is starting to be frustrating…
I really don’t know what I am doing wrong. I can try with the new vince diet but I am afraid to lose too much weight on the low calorie week. I mean, I lose weight sometimes even now that I am eating every 3 hours (around 3000 calories daily)! can you immagine if I reduce the calorie for one week!
Do you have any suggestion? what am I doing wrong?
Thanks
Kind regards
Sattar
Could not agree with you more. NO matter what age you are there is not excuse for not workout and keeping in shape. If you do not do it for yourself – then do it for your family. With the rising healthcost – just think of what you could do with the money that you save by getting/staying in shape.
Hey guys! Thanks for the great post. I’m all set to loose at least 10 pounds of fat (I’m already very near my goal weight) and hope to gain some muscle in the way. I’m setting myself a 16-week challenge for that, and I’m on to dropping my BF% which is quite high (around 30%). I’m planning to stay accountable by posting a weekly update on my blog (http://minuevadieta.blogspot.com) as I have learned from you that accountability is one key to fatloss.
I’m a female, 34 years old, 1.68m tall and currently 64 kg. I don’t look fat at all, except for my thighs, but I definitely want to change my body composition. So I do have two questions:
1) My first goal is to loose 10%BF in 16 weeks. Is that a doable thing or am I being too unrealistic? Will I achieve that with a decent (not starving) calorie restriction (say 20% down MBR)?
2) I’ve read that it is possible to loose fat while gaining muscle AT THE SAME TIME. This is supposedly achieved by alternating days/weeks of calorie restriction and calorie surplus. What would you say is the best calorie cycling for this, if it’s true at all? I really don’t want to gain weight, so would you recommend me to do this or simply stick with a simpler one-day-a-week scheme such as CYWT? (I’m talking about calorie cycling, not carbs cycling)
Thanks for all guys! I’m sure you’re having a great time getting prepared together for your contests/challenges! I hope you’ll have the time to answer my questions.
On point 1 – I believe this is a massive overstatement of the additional energy requirments for muscle.
Latest research puts the muscle cost at between 6-12 kcal per day per lb.
50 is orders of magnitude overstated.
I’d like to (please) gain another 10kg of muscle and get my body fat % to single figures by the end of the year. I’m 6’2 and currently 82kg 12%. Up from 70kg 12% this time last year.
A few questions:
In the ‘after’ photos apart from being professionally shot the models have great skin. No point having visible, lean muscle if the skin covering it is gross like mine. Any tips for skin care?
My left side is bigger and more defined than my right, mostly in my abs. I’m right-handed though. What’s the deal?
Any tips for damage control as far as losing muscle in breaks from training?
I first started out bodybuilding when I was 17 years old and didn’t have a clue what to do to build muscle. To make the long story short. I finally was able to pack on some muscle and within four years I ended up weighing about 198 lbs with about 12-15% bodyfat. I am now 30 years old and weigh about the same. I am 203 lbs but have about 20% bodyfat and ever expaning waist all of sudden. I am in totally different position compared to 9 years ago. I want to start adding additional muscle mass to my frame for several reasons. I have dieting and it seems it hates me! Ha! When I start to diet my body seems to want to keep fat on my body despite working my butt of in the gym. I feel that maybe I should attact fat with a muscle builder instead of a fat loss diet and to keep my calories higher than norm than eating veggies all day. I look forward to see what is up Joel’s sleeve.
I’d like to gain about 10-15 lbs of lean muscle and drop to between 10-13% body fat. Tips from you guys have been awesome from cheat day information to food swaps. I’m glad I signed up as this has been an invaluable tool.
I’ve been going fat cutting phase to lose my last 10 pounds. I’m planning on gaining again after (going back and forth between 6 and 10% BF) but I’d be even more psyched if I could actually put some muscle on (or at least avoid losing muscle) during my losing phase.
I’m currently at 180lbs. and I’m 48 years old. I’ve been working out since I was 17 years old and wish I would have had this type of information back then. I wouldn’t have wasted all those years hurting myself and wasting my time with worthless workouts. Anyway, I’d like to drop about 7 – 10lbs of fat while gaining about the same in muscle. I just recently began using Mike Geary’s workout routines from his book “The Truth About Abs”…..and would like to here more about the workout routines that you guys would suggest.
I don’t know how much muscle I need to gain, but I’m a 36 year old female. I have an 19mth son & work full time. I’m self employed so every bit of spare time goes into my job. I was previously a fitness instructor, so understand the need for muscle. I’ve recently started to use the bodyweight programme as often as I can. I lost all the “baby weight” within a few months but with my schedule being so crazy I really struggle to excercise regularly & my weight fluctuates between 142 -147lbs & I’m 5ft 7 (UK size 10 -12)
I seem to have put on 7lbs over the last 6-8week & it seems be going up rather than going down, even though I feel my diet is under control & I’m doing body weight training 3-4x/week (only just managed to fit in this many this in the last 2wks) but only for 20 -30 min/time. I also have had a homone contreception coil fitted, which is known to put on weight but I was determined for it not to happen to me! I have a long term lower back issue which is why I no longer run like I used to. I try to do an interval spin class at least once per week. Am I doing enough? I only want to loose about 7lb, but really want to look as fit as I feel!
I’m 30 years old I’m 6’4″ an I weight 350 pounds I wants to get down to 215 I need help an i really don’t know where to start that’s why I come to you guy cuz yall seem to know what you guys are talking about an without the bs of buy this before I even have to buy something before you can even will talk to me so I really need some insite an I hope you can help cuz my blood pressure is hi an I really need to get that under control cuz I have a family that really depends on me cuz both my wife an my son both have a Terminal illness so I need to be in the best shape I can to be there as long as I can thank you
Hi Joel,
are you sure about your numbers?
“for every pound of muscle you manage to add to your frame, you’ll burn an additional 40-50 cals per day”
J.Barbons und B.Pilon opinion is that you only burn cals in the neighborhood like 5 cals per new pound of muscelmass per day and with that it is a total insignificant.
I just started the Turbulance Training program-beginners. will this training help me build lean muscles? I need to lose fat.
Great article again! I have been trying to transform my body for about 7 months now with the “truth about abs” and it’s working but I would like to build another 5-7lbs of muscle and get rid of my abdominal fat. I am sick of never feeling sexy in a swimsuit………this year will be different.
Want to gain muscle and lose fat – not sure how much muscle to gain, but want to be several dress sizes smaller than what I am now.
Dear Joel and Vince,
I am size 15 and I want to lose about 50 pounds, my ideal weight is 180 lbs according to a fitness test. I think I get to that goal this year. I looked at the female picture on your blog and I like better the lean body than the skinny body. 20 pounds of muscles is nice, and then I can eat more, while watching my intake, and take off those pounds for good. That’s great!
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Hey, it’s Joel! So you want to know a little more about me, huh? Well, I’d be happy to oblige :-)
I guess it all started back in 2001 (my freshman year of college) when I was just a “skinny fat” 19-year old kid. At the time, I was spending close to 2 hours a day in the gym (now my workouts last about 30 minutes), and despite my efforts, you’d probably never guess I worked out a day in my life by looking at me...