Are you listening ladies? Muscle is SEXY! Don’t be afraid to pump some iron. In order to attain a sexy and shapely physique, muscle is where it’s at. Make your decision to lose weight last a lifetime by incorporating strength training into your regimen. The benefits are absolutely worth it!
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!
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506 comments - add yours
I’m 5’0 and 120 lbs. I am not concerned with losing any more fat at this point and would rather focus on gaining 10 lbs of muscle. I know that working on muscle gain will result in a few pounds of fat loss anyway. I’m 40 years old and right now want to focus on being strong and healthy.
I have been consistant with my exercising but I have a long way to go. I do the same 10 full body weight exercises 6 times a week – more reps then trying to progress to heavier weights. Should I be concentrating on only certain exercises instead of full body all week?
Hey guys,
I don’t need to gain any additional muscle. I’m 5’9″ and weigh 195. 45″ chest and 37″ waist. So…it’s obvious where I need to drop the pounds. I’m writing this because I’d still like to maintain the muscle mass while dropping the fat. Like you said in your article, typically, while loosing body fat, one also looses muscle mass. I’ve already purchased your Cheat Your Way Thin program, and am implementing it right now to drop the girth, but I really want to limit the amount of muscle mass that I lose.
Thanks!
To put on the 10 lbs of muscle how much time do you have to devote to lifting weights? I have a lot of variety in my workouts but they aren’t getting me the deisred results. How should I structure my week when I only have about 45 minutes in the gym. (I work out over my lunch hour).
Can’t wait for Vince’s new program. I’ve got one month befor going to the beach and I need that extra 10lbs of muscle.
Well thanks for the help. I have been working on strength and diet but I have hit a wall I need to gain 10/15 lbs of muscle and lose 20 or more fat
Anymore help would be greatly appreciated!!!
Mike
I am 71 years old. Now, I have no idea how I got that old…! I’ve always been on the muscular side. I’m 5’8″ and large boned with broad shoulders and very strong for a gal. I’m always working and doing something. About 10 years ago, my husband began having operations and staph infections and on and on. My stress level went sky high and I managed to put on 20 pounds of fat…yep, right in the belly. I’ve struggled to lose it to no avail. Pounds yes but belly, no. Discouragement and here come the pounds back. I always thought I was eating healthy, with no “white” stuff and whole wheat and vegies. I’ve subscribed to Isabella’s program want to begin the strength and conditioning to maintain the muscle I’ve got and build back more. I’ve got the right attitude so now I’m going to do it!
This came to light recently when a friend commented that all the hotties are in the weight room and all the fat people are on the treadmills. I’m 61, 6’2, 225 and ready to change my world – treadmills are boring – what’s the best way to start without killing myself?
I would like to lose 45 lbs of fat and gain 10 lbs of muscle – net would be 35 lbs lost but become ‘smokin hot’ as you say – not bad for a 60 year old grandmother of 2.
Great article. I am a 71 year old female, 127 lbs, 38% body fat. My goal this year is to build muscle and get rid of some body fat. I am a caregiver for my husband so it is hard to get to a gym. How do I start at home without injuring myself? Thank you!
Hey,
Thanks for the info. I lost about 20lbs last year and then, for some stupid reason (thinking it was mainly stress related), decided to stop working out prior to reaching my goal. Now I’ve gained it all back and have about 10 more pounds on top of that. So I’m working on dropping about 40-50lbs of fat and potentially gaining the same weight in muscle. Any help would be appreciated!
I am currently a healthy 5’6 130 lbs but I want to gain about 5 lbs of muscle and drop 8-10 lbs of fat and get myself bikini ready!! I’m not fat by any means, but I want to have lean sexy muscle definition! Bring on the summer and bikinis! :)
Hey,
I’m trying to add at least 10 pounds of muscle this month. I am eating more and still trying to eat fairly clean so I do not gain a massive amount of fat. So far it seems as though everything thing I am eating is just getting stored as abdominal fat. I haven’t gained muscle and am still skinny around the rest of my body. Just wondering if anyone has any tips to help dump more of the calories I consume into muscle as opposed to storing it as fat.
Thanks
Jared
building lean muscle also helps on blasting the last bit of fat,if you also have a calorie deficit
I have been on a fat loss mission since February of last year. I have made a lot of progress in going from an obese 219 lbs. at 5’11” on 2/17/2010 to 179 lbs. as of today 1/10/2011. I still want to get somewhat leaner before I shift my focus to muscle gain as I am still around 21-22% bodyfat according to my tanita scale. I am on week #2 of CYWT and my goal is to reach 11% bodyfat by 3/26/2011. Once I hit that goal, I will look forward to finally shifting my focus to muscle gain.
I’ve lost 12lbs of fat so far. I would like to lose another 20lbs of fat and gain some muscle, but not really sure how much muscle would be good for me.
Awesome post. I’d like to gain at least 20 pounds of muscle and lose about 5 pounds of fat. Almost everyone i talk to thinks that takes years of training but i can’t wait to prove them wrong. Just a quick question for you guys. When doing a bench press should a person always bring the bar right down to the chest?
Great article today guys. Am currently about 140 pounds and looking to gain at least 10 pounds of muscle and get my bodyfat to below 10%. what supplements should i be using to help gain muscle but not fat?
Hi guys,
i am not sure how much muscle I should gain and how much fat loss. I am 5’6 and weigh 135lbs. I would like to be more toned and gain muscle specially have toned arms and have abs.
Wow!awesome blog & an eye opening on how to look lean & sexy with strength & not thin & pale!I would like to gain 5 lb of muscles &lose 5 lb of fat.Thanx guys for your advice.
Hi, I would like to lose about 10-12lbs of fat and gain around 5lbs of muscle. I had a baby 5 months ago and gained 75lbs during the pregnancy :( I have lost 92lbs so far :) putting me around 29% body fat. I am still breast feeding and I’m wandering how hard I can push to get rid of these last few lbs and gain muscle without having a negative affect on my lil man?
I have been dieting with a doctor and lost +/- 20 lbs. so far. My muscle % has gone up and fat % down some. My goal is a total of 100 lbs. lost and a muscle % of at least 50%. That may sound low, but it is now only 25% and I am a 68 year old woman. I really appreciate all your tips and encouragement to continue on my program. Thanks so much.@ Keena:
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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...