Great tips, and yes what you said is totally true.
I’d probably like to lose about 15 pounds and gain about 7-10 pounds of muscle.
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
Thanks for the nice article! I’m growing my metabolism and would like drop 20 and gain 7 lbs!
I am 46 and it is so hard to loose weight. I try to eat right and exercise, but I can’t seem to loose any weight. . I am taking the Flat Belly pills also. Any advice? Debbie
Hey GUYS – THanks so much for the article. I appreciate your explanation in simple terms making it clear how critical that women concentrate on building muscle mass for overall body satisfaction not just fat loss! My focus has been improving my meal plans to be more polished & clean … a must in order to see real results, as I now have the routine of working out regularly down! You both are such an inspiration & I always look forward to your newsy emails in helping me stay focused on attaining that sexy tone body! :)
Having a hard time building upper body since my drastic 40 lb weight loss. Went to 180 from 220 in about a month. I’ve lost muscle mass too, and wondering what I can do to get it back…..
Something I’ve been telling my girlfriends for years. All they want to do is cardio with not a lot of results and they think they’ll get bulky doing some resistant training. Now, in all fairness, I’m a gal and I am built like a brick sh**house (actual comment from my husband’s friend). So in that, I can see how they might think they’ll get my quadzilla legs if they lift. I tell them, not likey unless they got my Dad’s genes too. I’m 5’7” and a great fighting weight for me is 145-150. I would like to hold my muscle mass and lose the last of my “baby weight” from kiddo #3. I really want to hold my muscle mass while losing the last 10-15 pounds, since it’s the key to keeping my metabolism going.
I enjoyed the blog post. I would like to lose 15 lbs of fat and gain 10 lbs of muscle. It’s not so easy for a 51 year old female to do.
I am 84kg around 18% bf want to go 87kg with less than 10% bf
I’ve never really thought about how much muscle weight I’d like to GAIN, it’s always been how much weight do I need to LOSE! I do a small amount of strength training but will certainly be increasing it after reading this!
Thanks!
I’ve never thought about how much muscle I’d like to GAIN. It’s always been about how much weight I need to LOSE! I do some strength training but will be increasing it after reading this!
Thanks!!
I’m 55 and getting the middle age flab. I used to be strong and fit but since a back injury I’ve lost confidence and inspiration. I’d like to be fit and trim again. I have a naturally lean physique but now it is covered with a layer of flab. Can you help? I don’t like gyms so am looking for a no equipment at home sequence that I can stick to.
Good insights. As a small woman, I have shunned muscle building in the past, but you’ve provided good reasons why muscles suit everyone. One more reason – it feels terrific and emotionally empowering to be physically strong – helps encourage mental strength too.
I used to be soooo smoking hot when I was in the Army, because of the muscle tone I had. Had a baby, gained 20lbs and lost 25 before I left the hospital…because of the muscle tone! I would love to gain about 5 lbs of lean muscle while losing around 10 lbs of fat! I can totally attest to the muscle tone…man when I was in the Army I was not just smoking hot, but a force to be reckoned with who could eat and drink just about anything without it affecting my weight! Great advice and way to get the word out about how important and beneficial it is to have great muscle tone…and maintain it otherwise that muscle turns to fat…just ask me and my current pictures…blah!
I need to lose 20-25 lbs and then would like to gain 10-15 lbs of Lean muscle mass. I will turn 50 later in the year. I can’t tell you how many times in the last 15 years that I have lost all the weight I wanted only to gain it back w/a vengeance. Even lost 25 lbs on body for life in’98. I guess I’ve never gained enough muscle to keep it off. I obviously need professional help :-D.
BTW how much harder will it be for someone my age to gain muscle? Thanks fellas.
doug
Great before and after pics…. glad to see you were “clowns”, makes it more real for us. I would love to just get rid of my prego weight. I was in great shape during pregnancy, but didn’t bounce back which pisses me off. Anything smaller than a size 10 and right now, I’d be happy.
Gentlemen, thanks for the informative article. It confirms an argument my wife and I have going. I say muscle build and she says cardio. This is great material for the battle! I know that we have to incorporate some cardio but, she was leaning on to the eliptical a little too much. Keep up the good work and research.
i want to gain 30 pounds of muscle in 5 months. i would also like to know why exactly do you hit a plateau when you do the same workout time after time?
Do resistance bands work well to start out when you are not very strong?
2:1 PWO nutrition
What is a good source of food to get the fast acting carbs to help restore lowered glycogen levels after workouts? If you could only eat one food post workout what would it be?
P.S- I’ve just been adding dextrose (30g), and maltodextrin (30g) powders to my whey protein (30g) as soon as I finish my workout.
For the first time since I was a teenager [now I’m 45], I’m actually deliberately eating as much and more than I care to eat, in order to gain muscle, and lose fat. Most people who heard what I’m doing are appalled and are sure that its dangerous.
I believe you guys and I hope and pray it works!
Thy Vince and Joel for your time :). I would like to 40 to 80 pounds of muscle as my main goal this year is to take a huge leap of faith! I’m putting my heart and soul into getting certified as a personal trainer, opening up an internet business, doing everything I can to make others laugh, and compete on stage as a fitness model or BODYBUILDER. I am taking action and going to making these things a reality this year.
I’m 47, female, have lost roughly 10 pounds over the past 2.5 months but really want to get my body fat down to 20%. Currently stuck at 24-25%. How many pounds of fat do I need to lose and how many pounds of muscle do I need to gain to get down to 20%? I guess if I lost 6 pounds of body fat and gained 6 pounds of muscle, I would still weigh 118 but my body fat % would be 20% (23.6 pounds vs. 29.5 pounds). I’ve hit a plateau the past 3 weeks, despite having 1x week feed days and doing a lot of resistance training and hiit cardio.
Hello,
I weigh 165 I am 5’7″
I’ve been back to working out for a little under a year now. I have two injured shoulders but manage to exercise with the pain. I have been doing interval training. And bi-weekly changing my workout routine. My eating habits have changed and I eat healthier, cycle my carbs, supplement fish oils… but I am still unable to achieve a 6 pack. The rest of my body is looking great but those two bottom abs do not want to come out.
PLEASE ADVISE!!
im really thin guy, vince’s body is what i want to be like and i mean about 20 – 35 pounds of lean muscle, and about 7 to 12% of body fat. im 21 years old and im planning to get marrid after 2 years so i want to achieve my goals before that, i hope i can get some good stuff to help me start off achieving real results.
Hi Joel, I’ve been following the DSP since May 2010 and have lost the weight I wanted and am healthy but need to lose just a bit more belly fat. I find it hard to get motivated to “hit the weights” lately but know I have to get back to it. I don’t know how many pounds of muscle I want to put on but would like to get more defined and firmer. I have followed the Body RX plan by Dr. Scott Connelly and was really impressed with the results ( but I don’t do all the protein shakes and bars anymore). (Do you Agree or Disagree with Dr. Connelly’s workout?) There are not many programs out there that target my age group (63) so kinda go for it on my own.
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...