Dieting alone can cause muscle loss, which in turn can slow down the metabolism! Exercise in general boosts your metabolism, and keeps it elevated, even for some time after you have finished!
First, to gain (big) muscles, you have to be on a specific program designed to do that. So unless you are hoisting up HEAVY weights all day long, don't worry! For those just looking to gain definition, lose body fat, firm and shape the muscles...we're on a different program...and yes, we definitely include weight training as part of the workout!
So, is it possible to firm up muscles without gaining weight? Yes and no. Here's why. When you 'activate' your muscles...that is, to start using muscles of the body you haven't used for a while, that's called 'hypertrophy.' When a muscle is used and trained, it becomes more dense. (It also becomes stronger, and more flexible). A more dense muscle will weigh more than a 'soft' inactive muscle. It also looks a lot better.
Muscle burns calories...fat does not!
Let's look at a typical example of a woman 5'6" tall and medium build. For this example, her age won't matter. She has not exercised for some time. She has put on weight over the years, let's say about 25lbs., and no longer fits into old clothes. What happens when she gets on a good training program?
If done correctly, she will initially get some slight muscle soreness throughout her body from the first few workouts (that's because she is now using or 'activating' lots of previously unused muscle fibers). After the first 30 days, it is very possible for this woman to have lost 8 lbs. of water and bodyfat. She can actually feel her clothes starting to fit a slight bit differently. This is due to the loss of bodyfat.
It's really important to remember: bodyfat doesn't really weigh all that much, but it takes up a lot or space (or inches). But here's the kicker, on her scale, it says she only lost 6lbs. After 30 days of working pretty hard, she's not all that excited to see only 6lbs. off, and 3lbs. was in the first week.
What's happening here?
Here's the reality...she gained 2 lbs. of muscle! Is that good? Hell yes!! Why? Well, for starters, for every pound of muscle she gains, she will burn more calories per hour all day, every day (even when the body is resting)! By raising her metabolism, she is likely to burn hundreds more calories every single day, even when she's not actually exercising. That's pretty impressive. Plus, her body will start to take shape. She will look more shapely and defined. But her scale doesn't explain that.
The point is this, for the first 60 - 90 days, an individual can gain a bit of muscle, and therefore the 'inches' lost are a much more accurate form of measurement than the scale. After 90 days, the increase of muscle density slows down considerably. At that point, the scale is now a fairly accurate tool.
Major loss of bodyfat, loss of inches, muscles firmed up and body looks great!
In our example, the woman would continue to lose about 4-7lbs. each month (while still possibly gaining 1 lb. of muscle every few months) until she reaches her desired weight. This is all provided of course that she continues to work hard on her training, and is disciplined with her eating habits.
In reality, we really don't know ahead of time what a person should end up weighing. That is determined when the person finally likes the way they look. If a very thin female TV celebrity looks great but weighs 150lbs., who cares? She looks like she wants to look, and that's what counts.
The bottom line is this, do not be afraid of working hard with your training. Your muscles will feel more and more solid and firm, you'll be able to 'pinch' or grab less excess (bodyfat), your tight clothes will suddenly slide right on, and as others notice, you'll start to get compliments! And most importantly, don't compare yourself to others. We tend to be our biggest critics. Compare yourself to YOU! Are you getting better? That's more important. But this is just the beginning...stay tuned!
