4 "Behind the Scenes" Benefits of Building Muscle

From losing weight and leaning out to gaining strength and definition, there are countless fitness goals that one can set for themselves. While all of these particular goals appear to be very different, they have one major thing in common: building muscle.  

Building muscle is not only essential for those of us that want to lift heavier and bulk up. In fact, building muscles plays just as much of a role in one’s journey to lose weight and become leaner. This can be attributed to the multitude of ways that one can build muscle, while also considering things like diet and metabolism. 

Building muscle, no matter what your health and fitness journey looks like, is a process that benefits more than your physical appearance. Yes, a tight and toned abdomen is photo-worthy and yes, a defined lower body will make any pant pop, but there is so much more to muscle than what meets the eye. 

Not sure what this looks like? Check out these 4  “behind the scenes” benefits of building muscle.

1. Muscles protect your joints! In fact, building lean muscle has been proven to relieve the effects of certain types of arthritis, a common condition that causes joint pain and inflammation. 
2. We have all heard it before… muscle weighs more than fat. Oftentimes, we hear this claim when the number on the scale isn’t where we want it to be. However, muscle burns more calories than fat does per pound – nearly three times as much! So if you are building muscle, your metabolic rate, physique, and strength will improve even if the scale doesn’t reciprocate the progress!
3. Struggling to manage your blood sugar? Lucky for you, building muscle is a great alternative to totally cutting carbs out of your diet. So, instead of adopting the blood sugar friendly keto diet, try jumping into a fitness regimen that promotes muscle growth. Doing so encourages your body to store carbohydrates, meaning you can manage your blood sugar without strictly managing your carb consumption.
4. Building muscle through resistance training can have tremendous benefits on your bone health. In simple terms, when you trigger your body to build muscle through increased resistance and weight training, you are simultaneously triggering your body to build bone. After the age of about 40, we lose around 1% of our bone density each year (National Center for Biotechnology Information); building muscle is an easy way to combat this depreciation and to preserve bone density as you age.