I have 10 lbs of fat left to lose. I’d be happy to turn half into muscle and forget about the scale!
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
Ah – you make it sound so easy guys! I have a serious “belly” problem after my 2 babies and have tried all the dieting fad’s and now after reading your “3 reasons you want muscle” I am reinspired! I need to lose about 20lbs of fat – not sure what I should aim for wrt lean muscle? Just a quick question from someone who is new to this muscle building thing…Will I build muscle ontop of the fat I am currently carrying and then end up being bigger? Will the fat only start to drop off one I have a reasonable amount of lean muscle? I hate the way I look and feel – I have to make the change! Thanks for all the great info.
I have like 5-10 pounds of fat to loose, but I would SOOOOOOOO love to gain 5 pounds of lean muscle mass. As a women, I have noticed trouble areas tend to be triceps, mid section, and THIGHS, what can I do to ensure these trouble areas are extra HOT?
Hey guys, I’d like to lose around 10 pounds of fat and replace it with 15 pounds of muscle, wish me luck or better yet throw in some advice! (I’d appreciate it lol)
Nice, clear descriptions an explanations. Love the before and after pictures, they give hope to us all.
Need to drop 30+kg and can use upto 10kg extra muscles but really only need 5kg more (in the right places).
Good job, keep it up, it’s inspirational
The before and after pictures were great. I’m 46 and hope I can make that kind of dramatic change. Thanks.
I want Vinces body and Joels arms! A gain of 10lbs of lean muscle mass would be swell!
To Vince
How many pounds of lean muscle mass do you have Vinny? What is your body fat percentage?
To joel
What exercises are you doing to get those arms?
I want Vinces body and Joels arms! A gain of 10lbs of lean muscle mass would be swell!
To Vince
How many pounds of lean muscle mass do you have Vinny? What is your body fat percentage?
To Joel
What exercises are you doing to get those arms?
Hi there
Well now I thought you got these muscles eating Pizzas and light beer .Thank you for the latest news.
The before and after pics were terrific
Sincerely Dorro
hey vince, been wanting to ask u this question a long time.. erh by not taking protein supplements such as prograde powder or workout drinks, are we still able to gain lean Muscle mass as you guys? i feel impossible to gain that amount just by eating chicken breast all the time.
is it a MUST to take protein powder supplements to gain muscle mass ??
if not, how long would it take, longer i guess?? without supplements i mean..
been wanting to gain muscle mass for a long time. so so long. 10lbs and 6 packs would be awesome for me.
PS: i did tried heavy weights for my chest last 2 years ago. Hence, now, i did less of it, however its the only part of my body stands out compared to the rest. Biceps and the rest fail miserably. help thanks.
Hi Guys,
I would like to gain 20lbs of lean muscle and lose the belly and oblique fat. I started in November at 143lbs and am now at 160lbs. Never in my life had I weighed this much. Always was skinny. Thanks to Vince I gained 17lbs of muscle. Still at same body fat ration at about 19%. Want get bigger in the arms especially, with 12 inch arms, kind of small for a guy.
My question would be, how I get bigger arms and lower my body fat and get ripped. One thing I learnt from Vince, drink lots of water, that I need to do.
Thanks for all your help guys. You guys are my heroes. Thanks for all the info it really helps and does do a transformation in are lives. My colleagues at work have noticed the change and so did the girls. Loved the compliments, nice butt and chest… Thanks for help making the difference. Cheers.
Wow! I’m impressed with how much weight skinny Vinny put on. THAT’S what I’m trying to do. I’ve gained 15 pounds in a year and a half, but its slow going!
I am 69 years old with a leaking heart valve and limited mobility. I started workouts about 5 months ago and have gone from 99 to 88 kg.s. I am nearing my target of 83 kg and I feel so much stronger than before. My heart condition has improved greatly and the leak in the valve is slower. I am starting to show some definite muscle in my shoulders, arms and abs. I have lost 1 pant size in my waist and my man boobs are dissappearing. All this makes me feel real good.
Karl
Sydney Australia
I have a question about muscle building. I am working extremely hard using P-90X + a weekly personal trainer visit (plus CYWT) and while I am seeing progress and adding muscle, it seems to be a disproportionately small amount for as hard as I feel I am working. Also, my legs look like they could belong to Charles Atlas, but my upper body, well, not so much. I am 54 years old, so I was wondering if my age has an influence on the amount of muscle I can gain in a given time. Also, my main goal is fat loss. I am currently 250 and would like to get down to about 210 – 215 which was my weight as a senior in high school. My REAL goal though is to be less than 10% body fat. My trainer says that he thinks that is too aggressive of a goal for someone my age. He thinks 15% body fat is more realistic. Any opinion?
I am 57 female and need to add muscle and lose fat!!!!! I need motivation, motivation and did I mention I need motivation. I enjoy everyone’s posts and comments. Good luck to all who read this and I look forward to your progress reports. Wish there was a magic pill to help with bat wings on arms and saddle bags. Can’t wait till the only saddlebags I have are on my Harley!!! So get out there and move, move, move!!!!!!!
I have been struggling with losing the most recent 5 lbs of fat. Granted I need to lose at least 40, but this plateau is annoying. I would be happy if I could gain and maintain 10 more lbs of LBM to propel me into losing the next 40 lbs of fat.
Im in the same kinda shape as your before picture Joel and I definently want to put on at least 15-20 lbs of muscle
About 10 pounds I would say, am pretty ok with my physique although some more fat will have to go, but a 10 pound addition muscle wise would be my goal at the moment.
I’m 56 and wanting to keep my very hard earned muscle. I have competed in figure twice and anyway the lifting overhead has given me injury in my upper trap and cervical spine (C5&C6 degeneration of disc and C4 has begun to degenerate). Orthopedics has put a limitation of no overhead lifting. Have any wisdom/experience to share? It took me forever to finally get my lat delts and I sure don’t want to lose them
Great article! I am in the process of losing 50 pounds—already lost 10 of it, and I would like at least 10 lbs of lean muscle mass!
Joan
I’m 46 y/o vegetarian male, 69kg, 171cm, bodyfat <10% but not as muscular as I would like. I think I need about to add on about than 3-6 pounds of lean muscle. I have a visible abs but too scared to eat more. I don’t want to add bodyfat to gain muscle …. how can I workout & diet to achieve both at the same time? there must be a secret formula somewhere!
Hi Guys,
I have already been on Joels’ programme (i love it) and I’ve been with Criag Ballyntyne and i have seen considerable improvement in muscle tone and decrease in cellulite and i have dropped 12 pounds but i want to put on lean muscle and further reduce my Body fat. I think i have plateaued and i am ready to push myself. i. wanna be “a smokin 31 yr old”
Would love to lose fat and gain more muscle. I am 53, in good shape, an exercise instructor but need some fine tuning. I am soon to be a single woman and would like to look my best! Need to change a few things to see the results that I know that I can achieve.
Hey guys,
Im an 18 yr old college student thats been into lifting since age 11. Im looking to take my physique to the next lvl and gain anywhere from 10-20 lbs of muscle. Losing weight is no problem but I cant get myself above 174 lbs. No matter how much I change my diet, or how much I lift I cant seem to gain any weight in muscle, I get a little bigger n stronger but my weight remains the same. Why is that?
Thanks for the awesome information,
Brion
I have lost 40 lbs in the last 6 months, am at 162 lbs now and 5’3″ at 48 yrs old, female. Would like to be somewhere around 135 I think so you tell me what that is in muscle gain and fat loss. My scale was at 40% fat before and is at 32% now.
I have loose skin now that is quite bothersome so am kind of afraid of further weight loss. What can I do for the saggy skin? And also I am a pear shape and the weight comes off from the face downward, therefore the boobs are much smaller and the hips are still bigger. What exercises can I do to enhance the bustline before it disappears altogether? Lol!!
And they say you can’t spot reduce but these hips have to go one way or another and if it keep up at this rate I will be a skeleton from the waist up and still have chunky hips. What can be done about this?
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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...