We’ve heard it time and time again. The only way to experience successful weight loss and keep the weight off for a long period of time is to build muscle. It’s the reason why so many of us trying to get in better shape are told not to pay attention to the scale, but rather pay attention to form and the way in which the body is physically changing. Muscle doesn’t way more than fat, after all a pound is a pound no matter what you’re weighing, but a pound of muscle is more compact than a pound of fat and has a consistent solid form that makes the body look more sleek and slim than a pound of fat in the same spot. So, staying at the same weight is technically great during a weight loss journey if you’re trading those pounds of fat out for pounds of lean mean muscle!
But building muscle is easier said than done for many of us. For starters, women have it a little harder from the get go. Because of the large amounts of testosterone in the male body, it’s a lot easier for guys to build muscle. In fact, multiple studies have determined that men generally have 40% more muscled mass compared to overall weight than women do. And that’s without hitting the gym. On top of that, the estrogen in a woman’s body acts to store fat for child bearing purposes, meaning that women tend to carry 6-11% more body fat than men. Seems unfair right? Well a person’s ability to build muscle doesn’t stop there. Your DNA can also determine whether or not your body responds well to strength training, despite your sex. Mutations in several specific genes within your DNA could mean that you respond extremely well to strength training and build muscle quickly, your response is pretty average, or you just don’t respond well at all. For women whose genes say the latter, building muscle just gets that much harder, but understanding these obstacles is important when attempting to lose weight or simply become healthier. Walking into the gym with a plan of action means seeing results faster and less frustration when you see no change in your body.
All of this being said, recent research has shown that it’s increasingly more important to continue to build muscle with age. In a Harvard Medical School Health Report, it was stated that the average person will lose about a quarter of their muscle strength between the age of 30 and 70 and half of their muscle strength by the age of 90. Losing that much strength at 90 doesn’t sound too shocking, but the fact that muscles weaken to rapidly starting at the age of 30 is somewhat shocking. That’s about the average age of gym goers these days. Building muscle isn’t just about weight loss anymore, it’s about building strength for longevity and healthy living. In today’s health world, being thin and lean seems to be encouraged at every turn, but what we should really be pushing is strength. Take the first step with GxSlim and DNA test results that will help you to better understand your body composition response to weight training. Once you know how to approach the weights at the gym, your body will thank you. You may even add a few extra years onto your life in the process.
