I have definitely approached close to my ideal weight loss (4’11” and 113.5lbs,clean eating,HIITand I teach weight lifting at my gym), but Gads, I lost a pretty significant assett, my a.., ..my backside, and my hubby is freaking out!!! I need to work that thing and gain some muscle back there!!;)Help!!
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
Joel, I’m so glad I learned this. I don’t want a “muscle beach” body, so I never thought I needed weight training as part of my routine. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I was slowly loosing weight with cardio and diet. However, when I added weight training the fat dropped more quickly, and I ate more. And I’m not so concerned about a special meal with friends. I can have a great time with friends and not feel guilty.
Hi guys, really awesome pics. I used to want to look like brad Pitt in fight club, but now I think Taylor lautner’s body is just so much fitter! I’m currently 168cm tall (surprise, surprise, John romaniello’s height here!) and 120Ibs (a disgrace to his height…). I’m not really talented at sports but am pretty fit as far as cardiovascular fitness goes; I play a lot of soccer and always last the weekly 3h-plus sessions of social competitive soccer that me and my buddies engage in. A big turbulence training fan, I recently asked Craig ballantyne how much mass a guy of my height should have and I was stunned when he said about 150Ibs! Well, I guess this puts into perspective the notion that I have 30Ibs to gain! But not only that – I don’t want to be bullied on the soccer field by my peers any more. Strength is key!
Besides my aesthetic and sports-specific reasons, I guess I have something to prove. My friends all started working out later than me and yet they’ve gotten the elusive 8-pack and a hunky body. Me – I’m still reasonably skinny! This, after I personally designed programmes for them! I’m certainly not a weakling – I can deadlift 100Ibs, which is quite respectable, though nothing to crow about. Thus, I know that only an expert like Vince del Monte would be able to blast me out of this depressing plateau of inferiority and envy!
I guess these are my why’s and how much’s. My 2 questions are:
1) if someone has weak lower abs which result in a belly, how would you go about chiselling an 8-pack for him?
2) do heavy singles or doubles help to build muscle mass most effectively as opposed to higher rep ranges? Also, does putting on 30Ibs of muscle on your programme mean I will lose speed and agility when playing sports?
I would like to lose 10 pounds of fat, and gain 15 pounds of Muscle on the top part of the body.
Goal for 49 yr female: Lose 60# – add 20# muscle. With intense (not extreme) training (60 min 5 days/wk), and extreme diet changes, what are realistic expectations for weekly and/or monthly weight loss and muscle building? How do I find out my muscle weight and how do I measure the progress? What are the similarities and differences between muscle weight vs. Body/fat percentage vs. BMI? Thx so much for sharing your purpose and passion with others!
I want to lean out right about now. But, I can always use a little more muscle as well.
Sorry guys, my question 1 was a bit vague. I’ll just try to rephrase it here (and maybe my luck will change and I’ll actually win something! One can always hope…)
1) if someone has reasonably low subcutaneous fat but has weak lower abs which result in their lower belly hanging out, how would you go about chiselling an 8-pack for him?
Thanks a lot guys.
Great article, totally agree. Right now I am trying to add about 5-10 pounds of muscle.
The 3 reasons you gave are the best.
Muscle burns the vast majority the calories you use every day.
More Muscle = More calories burned.
Muscle looks and feels SO much better than adipose on a body.
I am 49 with a 39 year old girlfriend. I work hard to kepp in shape to keep up with her.
I have beeb yo, yo dieting, in and out of the gyms my whole life. For the past 14mos. I have been going to a bootcamp for women 5x a week, interval training is the way to to go with low glymeic way of eating and it finaLly worked. I will never look like that women to the right because I had 4 kids
and the muscles will never be tight, but the rest of me is toned, and working out the same time, every day with an awesome trainer who motivates you, and having a bunch of women to support you it doesn’t get better than that.
Your e-mails, blogs help also which all need postive affirmations. Thanks for always keeping us informed.
The point you make is indisputable. Muscle is King. What I would like to know is how a 54 year old can SAFELY pack on muscle with depleted “T” and not spend my retirement money on “T” replacement. In Nov. 07 I was 290lbs, today I’m 222lbs and buy calculation have added about 12lb of muscle. My ultimate goal is to attain 10% body fat, not a particular weight. I have a well stocked home gym with a safety cage. My personal bests are, 325lb squat, 425lb dead left, 225lb bench, not bad for a 20 year office rat. But I bench no more as I blew out my right shoulder. I tore the tendon off the bone and severely ripped my rotator cuff, that was over a year ago, now I do alternate lefts for my upper body which is my biggest challenge.
Hi Joel and Vince,
I read your articles quite often, I find them quite useful and try to pay attention to diet as well as workouts (I read Mike Geary a bit too). I’d like to put on 10lbs of muscle in the next 10weeks prior to climbing kilimanjaro, and also get fitter at the same time (I’m currently getting 9.5 on the beep test, I’d like to get up to at least 12.5). I’m currently, 20yrs old, 6foot, 177lbs, at 24% body fat, 43.5% TBM (total body muscle percentage?). I’d really like to get below 20% body fat while putting on more muscle.
I’ve give you an idea of my weekly routine to see if you can pick any flaws, ‘cos I’ve been doing it for maybe 5weeks now and am seeing minor results, but I’d like to see more and faster results (am I just being impatient?). The main results I’ve noticed is strength gains (mainly in bench press). Below is an idea of the exercise and nutrition i do/eat per week.
Workout/exercise per week:
– Cycle to and from university (16km return trip) 3 days a week, takes about 35mins each way.
– Play soccer and indoor soccer (1 x 90min game a week, 1 x 40min game a week plus 1.5hrs training a week)
– Stairclimb, once a week, 10 story building, run up, catch the lift back down and run up again (4x up).
– Sprints, once a week, 300m, 200m, 100m, 100m, 200m, 300m
– High intensity cardio, once a week, usually excercises, like lunges, 1 legged squats, ab scissors, boxing with focus mits
– In regards to workouts, I train 2 days and then rest one day, repeatedly. One day will focus more on arms, back and chest, while one more on legs, back and chest. I never train longer than 40 minutes and try to do weights in 2 exercise circuits (eg. bench press, 1arm row, bench press, 1 arm row etc, bicep curl, tricep extension, bicep curl etc…)
Nutrition per week:
Breakfast – 3 eggs with a decent amount of olive oil, sometimes with mushrooms, 3 oatbrits with a banana and organic milk.
Morning tea – fruit, usually just an apple as I’m in a rush
Lunch – Usually 2 sandwiches, wholegrain, 1 avocado, half a red onion, capsicum, mushrooms, cucumber, swiss cheese and chilli sauce. Rarely I’ll cook myself brown rice with vegies (mainly broccoli and cauliflower).
Afternoon tea – A bowl of amaranth and goji berries with organic milk
Dinner – Varied. I live with vegetarians though (although I generally avoid soy products), so its usually without meat. Commonly I’ll have homemade pizza with heaps of basil, oregano, garlic, feta cheese, mushrooms and olives as well as capsicum. Alternatively I’ll have pasta with vegies and basil, or spinach and feta pies with a small serve of vegies on the side.
Post workout meal – 30g of Whey protein isolate mixed with water. I’ll also have an Iron tablet, a couple of fish oil tablets and sometimes a banana.
I also drink at least 4L of water a day (easily done in Aus), and have almost entirely cut out drinking during the routine.
Is there some major things I’m not doing right? My body fat % and TBM % havent moved much the last 3weeks, my body fat% has actually gone up slightly!
Cheers guys,
Nate
Ps. This is my first time posting, and I’ve probably been a little bit over enthusiastic, but if theres any feedback you can give me it would be greatly appreciated.
Hey guys,
I’m just looking to burn another good 3% body fat while adding 7-10 pounds of muscle. I think that change would really fill me in good :)
-John
@Iyad – I am 48 yrs old pushing 49. I have been working out since I was in my 20’s. I do cardo and lift weights on the average of 4+ days a week. I can’t seem to get as lean as i would like or lose 10 lbs . I eat a pretty clean diet. I am not a big carb eater. I push myself very hard. I don’t lift wimpy either for a female. Please help me!
Dale
I’m a 59 yr old white pastey guy that is about 30 lbs overweight. Yes, I’ve lost some weight by eating less junk, taking chromium picolate, and walking the dog 3-4 days a week, but it’s not enough. So, I’m taking it a step at a time and will be following your instructions.
REALLY love your material and the links to great info & more resources! Has already moved me forward in attaining my own goals. I fall in the category of “can’t seem to gain those last 10lbs of muscle/lose those last 5 lbs of fat”. Need to keep getting great advice on time management: quick effective workouts; no gym neccesary; affirmation & motivation. & you guys are the very BEST at all of that!! Thanks!
Thanks a lot for the post guys. I always enjoy the new information that you guys give us. This is the year were I am going to gain some serious size and loose all the belly fat. Started on Vince’s program about 3 months ago, and can start seeing the results. I am getting a lot stronger and I am always pumped to go to the gym.
If you guys only had the option to use bodyweight exercises and you wanted to build muscle, how would you go about it?
I am 54 need to lose at least 30 pounds and add muscle. I enjoy reading your e-mails. I need a good routine that while being challenging is also attainable!
The past few times I have started a fitness “pledge” after a few trips …coming home sore…I just fizzle-out!
@karen – try lying partially inverted on a board that has one end on the floor and the other end on the back of your couch. The middle of the board should be supported by the edge of the seat. In this way you’ll allow your cervical bones to decompress.
Hey Vince & Joel,
Thanks for the article on building muscle and losing fat. If only I knew this fact before, I would have started building muscle a long time ago. I am 45 years old this year, and my goal this year is to pack more lean muscle and get that 6 packs I always wanted. Following your blogs and emails, I have gained more lean muscle in my arms, upper core and legs. I look forward to your new program and body transformation challenge.
Hi Joel and Vince,
I am 17 years old this year. I want to get to the Adonis Index 1.618 the perfect golden ratio. I simply do not measure my bodyfat and How much Muscles I wanted to gain. I just get to my AI PHI 1.618 Golden Ratio.
Thanks,
Yi Shen.
I agree muscle is important. But in terms of appearance only, I don’t think being as ripped as Vinny is is necessary. It looks like being in bed with him would be like being in bed with a brick. Somewhere between a brick and a marshmallow there’s a balance that at least one woman prefers.
I’d like to end up around 200lbs and 10%. Right now I’m 200lbs and ~14%.
Being a 50 + year old woman, I believe in the power of building muscle. Muscle is a beautiful thing. So, with the coming of spring and with the weather warming up, I would so like to add a good 10 + lbs of muscle to lose the weight and keep it off. So, guys I’m counting on you to help me kick start this spring with adding muscle and losing weight so I can be the envy of my family and friends.
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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...