The Metabolic Power of Muscle

Philip Pape 0:02

You've probably heard that every extra pound of muscle burns more calories , specifically about six to nine calories per day . It doesn't sound like much , and most fitness experts will actually stop right there and say , okay , more muscle burns more calories . Moving on , today we're going to talk about 10 distinct mechanisms that actually make muscle tissue a metabolic powerhouse , well beyond just the calories that it burns by itself , and that exponentially increases how many calories you burn every day . I hope through this , you'll finally understand why building muscle creates such profound changes in your body composition , energy levels and metabolic health . Welcome to Wits and Weights , the show that helps you build a strong , healthy physique using evidence , engineering and efficiency . I'm your host , philip Pape , and today we're exploring why muscle tissue impacts your metabolism far more profoundly than you might think or you've been told .

Philip Pape 1:09

You've likely heard that muscle burns more calories than fat . Now people used to use this to say it burns way more calories and fortunately , most of the industry has heard the evidence by now that muscle burns about 6 to 10 calories per pound at rest , or six to nine I think . Now that number seems disappointingly small when you consider how hard you work to gain each pound of muscle , Because if you have an extra 10 pounds of muscle , we're talking , at most , 90 more calories a day . You're like , oh , that's not that much . But what if I told you that this basic calculation actually underestimates the overall systemic metabolic impact of muscle tissue ? And this is the kind of stuff I think about , guys , when I go to sleep at night . Is what's really happening when I or my clients add five pounds of muscle and all of a sudden you're burning way more calories than you would think from just five pounds of muscle . There are other things going on , and so there's this parallel between how muscle affects your metabolism and how thermal mass in materials . Yes , this is the engineering connection I'm making today , the analogy thermal mass and thermal mass . Materials regulate temperature , so materials like concrete or water . They absorb heat , they store it , they release it gradually to maintain stable temperatures . Well , your muscle tissue actually creates a metabolic environment that constantly consumes , uses and distributes energy throughout your body . It's super , super active . It's like its own organism taking care of things for you , and this thermal mass analogy helps explain why the metabolic benefits of muscle go beyond those basic six to nine calories per pound .

Philip Pape 2:45

Before we get into these 10 mechanisms that I want to talk about . If you're ready to start adding more muscle right now , you can't wait . Download my free muscle building nutrition blueprint . I believe it is our most downloaded , most popular guide . It's a very detailed guide that breaks down how to eat and how fast to gain and a whole bunch of other details what to measure , what to track to maximize your muscle gain while minimizing your fat gain , which is something you want to do . If you want to take advantage of the 10 things we're talking about today , click the link in the show notes or go to whitsonweightscom slash muscle to get your free muscle building nutrition blueprint .

Philip Pape 3:23

All right , let's get into the science of muscle metabolism . All right , first we're gonna explore this concept of thermal mass , and I'm honestly not gonna take very much time on that . Then we'll get into the 10 specific mechanisms by which muscle increases your daily calorie burn and then , finally , how to leverage these to transform your physique , which we're all here for right . So let's start with this concept of thermal mass .

Muscle Metabolism and Caloric Burn

Philip Pape 3:46

In engineering , in architecture , thermal mass is a material's ability to absorb , store and release heat . So materials with high thermal mass , like concrete , brick , water they absorb heat slowly , they store it efficiently and they release it gradually , and that is why they are really good materials for regulating temperature in buildings . Right , concrete , brick water . When the sun beats down on a stone house during the day , the walls don't just heat up right Like an oven , they slowly absorb the thermal energy and then they keep the interior cool as a result . Right , I grew up in Florida . We had cinder block houses with holes in them for that reason . And then , as evening approaches and outside temperatures drop , the same walls gradually release the stored heat , so they maintain this nice , comfortable internal temperature without any additional energy required to change the temperature . And that is very similar to how muscle tissue functions metabolically in your body . Just like high thermal mass materials create thermal efficiency and stability , muscle tissue creates metabolic efficiency and stability . Boom . And that is how I wanted to create an analogy today to the engineering world .

Philip Pape 4:59

And we are now going to explore how this happens through 10 distinct mechanisms . And here's another episode . I spent a lot of time researching because I am so curious and not skeptical , but like I just really wonder what the heck is going on in our bodies where people with more muscle mass burn more calories , and it does not seem to be explained simply by the amount of calories muscle burns . All right , so let's start with that one and then go to the other nine . So the first mechanism is it's increasing your resting energy expenditure , your BMR , your basal metabolic rate , because even when completely at rest , muscle tissue requires energy for maintenance , and it requires more than any other types of tissue . And so the often cited figure of six to nine calories per day we've alluded to is accurate for this mechanism . And the cool thing about it is it's 24 seven , right , your muscles are just burning away like a furnace 24 seven at this higher rate . So the more you add , the more you burn , and there's nothing more to this in that you know six to nine calories . So let's say , on the upper end , nine calories a day per pound . When you add 10 pounds of muscle to your frame , that's extra 90 calories per day , which isn't nothing . It's small-ish , but it's not nothing . It all starts to add up . Add another five pounds , add another 10 pounds of muscle over the course of your lifting career , and now you're constantly burning a couple hundred calories more a day . So that's mechanism number one , which we've already talked about .

Philip Pape 6:22

Now let's get into the cool stuff . Mechanism number two is the fact that when you have more muscle , it is because it is not just passively on your body , it is actively participating in your movement . It even inches up your calorie burn when you're doing physical activity versus somebody else who's the same weight but they have less muscle , if that makes sense . So even if you're the same body weight but you have more muscle mass , you have a better body composition . You're then going to potentially burn more doing what you're doing training , walking , moving , cardio , whatever and I don't think we can quantify how much that is Is it 10 calories ? Is it 50 calories ? But it's just a fact that you are going to be able to burn a little bit more because you have improved body composition . And that leads us to the third mechanism , which is the improved body composition allows you to carry more total body weight while maintaining lower body fat percentage .

Philip Pape 7:17

And so a lot of my clients you know they might go through an initial fat loss phase and then they're all excited to build muscle . We build muscle . Now they have an extra five , seven pounds of muscle and then they want to do another fat loss phase , but they realize they don't need to lose as much as last time . So and I see this in my own weight graph from my last , say , four years . It goes up and then down , then up then down , but every time it goes up , it goes up higher than last time , and every time it goes down it doesn't go as far down , meaning I can walk around at , say , 180 pounds , whereas before I'd be 170 pounds for the same body fat percentage . So guess what , when you are heavier , you burn more calories just from being heavier Awesome . So that's definitely a reason why some people who have more muscle burn more calories . They're just carrying more weight in general , which is amazing for many other things , not the least of which is now you can eat more food . All of this stuff actually lets you eat more food and you burn more calories , not the least of which is now you can eat more food . All of this stuff actually lets you eat more food and you burn more calories .

Philip Pape 8:12

So mechanism number four is called EPOC , post-exercise caloric burn , also called the afterburner effect , and I don't want to overstate any of these mechanisms . This is all kind of nerdy and in the weeds , and I will admit , with all the research that I did , there's not like one body of research that combines all of this together to say like , if you have an extra pound of muscle , you're going to end up burning an extra , you know , 20 calories a day because of all these factors . Nothing says that I am basically stitching these together . So you guys understand the value of it and nerd out with me together . All right , all right .

Philip Pape 8:46

So EPOC , or afterburner effect this is where , after you exercise , after you've elevated your heart rate whether it's training , movement , cardio , whatever , sprinting your body's gonna continue burning calories at an elevated rate for hours . Now two things happen . One is while you're in the gym and Brad Kearns talked about this when he was on the show even when you're effing around between your sets , doing nothing , your heart rate is probably elevated because every time you hit another set , you bump it back up . Well , now you're just burning way more calories for that whole session than if you weren't exercising . It makes sense , right ? But the other thing is , after you stop working out , your body will have an elevated metabolism . For a while , I actually found that studies seem to agree . It's long . It's like well over a day Like degree . It's long . It's like well over a day , like I think I saw 38 hours post-workout for an intense strength training session , 38 hours . That's like a day and a half where you have an elevated metabolism just from that training session . And so now , if you have significant muscle mass , this might mean a lot of extra calories burned , because you're now stacking it on top of the extra calories you're able to burn because you have more muscle mass , if that makes sense , right ? So you're just stacking all this stuff on top

Muscle Metabolism and Caloric Burn

Philip Pape 9:54

of each other , all right .

Philip Pape 9:54

Mechanism number five is myokine secretion and fat metabolism . I believe I'm pronouncing that , right , myokine . So think of muscles as an organ , right ? Like the biggest , one of the biggest organs on the body . It's an endocrine organ . It secretes compounds . One of those is called myokines , like when you contract your muscle , and those myokines regulate fat metabolism and insulin sensitivity . Now , side tangent we know that strength training and having more muscle both improve insulin sensitivity tremendously . Just keep that in mind . Which allows you to eat more carbs , allows you to utilize carbs , allows you to be healthy in terms of blood sugar , a1c , all that . So back to myokines . So myokines ensure kind of like an efficient energy usage across your body and because of that , you potentially can burn more calories beyond the immediate location of where you're using the muscle , of where you're using the muscle . And there's a , there's a myokine called irisin irisin or irisin I-R-I-S-I-N . That programs white fat cells to behave more like brown fat cells , which are more active , and so there is a theory there that that is part of that process . You're actually turning fat tissue into a more calorie burning fat tissue , and I think this also correlates somewhat with the idea that visceral fat is more active , right ? So when you are strength training , when you're active , when you're muscular , you actually use more of that fat , which is why it's easier to keep smaller belly and reduce belly fat when you lift weights . Cool , all right .

Philip Pape 11:24

Mechanism number six is enhanced fat oxidation through IL-6 , interleukin-6 . This is a cool one , okay . When I first heard about this , I want to say , like a couple years ago , I was like what are they talking about ? This is a compound released during strength training . Okay , so this is while you're lifting weights . So remember , it's not just about having the muscle , it's also the process you go through to have the muscle . And I think it's really empowering to know that not only is strength training a hard thing that's satisfying to do , but it also has a lot of other in the moment , benefits . We're not talking endorphins and dopamine , right , instant gratification . We're talking like really fundamental physiological benefits of the training itself . And so this compound is released and it triggers fat oxidation , probably because your body's like I'm going to need some energy soon , so we're going to break down some fat for energy , okay . And so IL-6 transforms how your body utilizes fat . It makes you a more efficient fat burner , and so the more muscle you have , the more IL-6 you produce during activity . Because now you're stacking that on top of your training and training more intensely , it accelerates fat metabolism beyond what would be predicted . Again , just by looking at the resting calorie burn of your muscle , you see the pattern here , right , these things stack on top of each other .

Philip Pape 13:20

Mechanism number seven All right , now we're getting really nerdy on this one Fibroblast growth factor 21, . Fgf21 . It's another compound produced by muscles which is crazy . Like muscle is producing all these things that are only beneficial . It enhances insulin sensitivity . It enhances metabolic efficiency , which means you could adapt to different energy demands .

Philip Pape 13:42

This goes back to , you know , your ability to switch between energy systems . Right , and it's like a , it's like a buffer . Muscle mass maintains muscle mass is like a sink I've used that term , a sink for glucose , but it's also this buffer that helps your metabolism remain more stable despite changes in calorie intake . It also helps regulate glucose metabolism , which is your ability to switch between carb and fat burning right , and that also helps you with weight management . So all this stuff is tied together in a crazy , amazing , beautiful way , bringing this to mechanism number eight , the activation of brown adipose tissue . So we talked about myokines like erycin , which activate brown adipose tissue , which then burns calories purely to produce heat rather than store energy , and so I'm closing the loop with that one , because that wasn't even the benefit of the myokines . This is another benefit of the myokines , where brown fat can burn up to like 300 calories per day in some individuals on their body , and those would never have been factored in if you didn't have it . This one I'm a little skeptical about , but the more I research it and kind of follow it up and follow it up , it looks like it's a legitimate mechanism . There are many other mechanisms people claim when it comes to brown fat and white fat , and maybe the jury's still out here , but I still think it jives with the fact that when you are more muscular and you train , you are transforming your body in many ways beyond what we realize . It is not just visual , it is deep down at the cellular level . It's incredible .

Philip Pape 15:10

All right , mechanism number nine growth differentiation factor 15 . I told you we were getting nerdy here , guys . Gdf-15 , and that is also released by muscle that's been exercised . So it's kind of like the what do we call it ? The FGF21 ? No , not that one the IL-6 . Yes , like IL-6 , it's released when you exercise . I'm going back to my notes here . And GDF-15 , guess what it does ? It regulates appetite and energy balance and metabolic stress . It helps your body maintain metabolic homeostasis effectively when you are stressed or in a calorie deficit . Okay , think about that . Think about that .

Philip Pape 15:51

I've talked many times about how our bodies seem to be way more resilient to the stresses we put on it when we're lifting weights and have more muscle . This sounds to be , this sounds like . When I came across this , I'm like this is so cool . This is an actual biological mechanism that could explain part of that right . And so when you have more muscle mass and I've seen this with my lifters who've been lifting for many years they don't have as much of a slowdown in their metabolism when they diet . It just seems to be the case . Now it's relative to that same person if they didn't have as much muscle and we can't do that study , can we ? So it's hard to like , you can't necessarily compare across people that way , but it just seems to be the case and it would . Would be explained by this right . And so you regulate appetite , regulate energy intake . Now it's going to support your calorie , calorie expenditure , because now you're going to be able to eat more , even in a fat loss phase , and you're regulating your energy or your appetite and you're going to prevent overconsumption .

Philip Pape 16:44

Pretty fascinating stuff , okay , and I keep saying that I know , but even I am , having gone through this research , the final mechanism number 10 , because 10 is a nice round number , but also 10 seemed to be the amount of things I could find is free fatty acid receptor 4 , ffar4 , along with thermogenesis . So the last one here is where muscle activity so again using the muscles , pretty cool . Muscle activity triggers FFAR4 activation and what that does is stimulate fat burning thermogenesis , which is generating heat from calories . And really that's all the information I have . Basically , it shows you how muscle creates this metabolic furnace of an environment that's constantly burning more calories in ways that seem to be above and beyond the muscle tissue's own energy needs , and that's really what I wanted to include here .

Philip Pape 17:37

You're welcome to listen to these , listen to the show note , or look at the show notes and listen to this again and kind of do your own research on these . If you find anything I said that was incorrect , let me know . This is really deep into the stuff . That's even beyond where I typically ever have to go , because I I don't need to be explaining this to to my clients , but I like to know it as a science communicator . So check them out if you want , um , practical implications .

Philip Pape 18:00

So , now that we understand these 10 mechanisms , kind of hopefully , how do we apply this to transform our physiques ? Cause , here's the thing you don't have to understand why any of these things work . You just need to go and lift weights and eat your food and you'll get there . And that's that's how I generally help . People is like let's just focus on what we can do and can control . But I also have this podcast and people are people expect me to kind of get uh , to geek out on this stuff . So the what is the first thing you could do ? Okay , duh , persistent resistance training , right ? Okay , if you're lifting . If you're listening to this podcast and you don't already lift weights , you're like who is this guy , this crazy guy ? You'll quickly find out that well , first of all , weights is in the name of the podcast Wits and Weights , so it's important . But secondly , it is the number one thing everybody should be doing to the day they die resistance training .

Philip Pape 18:45

If you are currently focused on cardio for weight management , if you think diet's going to solve everything and you don't need to lift , think again . Right , you've got to lift . You've got to lift at least two or three days a week . At least at least two to three days a week . The long-term metabolic advantages are just too critical and significant to ignore .

Philip Pape 19:05

Second , with your resistance training , you've got to do it right . You've got to focus on progressive overload To continuously build the muscle

Building Muscle

Philip Pape 19:12

. You have to progressively challenge your muscles with increasing effort of some kind . And I say it that way because , yes , you can increase weight on the bar . You know the amount of weight you're moving . You could also increase volume . You can increase sets , reps . There's lots of ways to progressively overload and the more advanced you get , the more nuanced this gets . But I don't want to overcomplicate it Basically . Basically , your training has to challenge you more and more over time and that ensures that you adapt and that you develop these muscles . And there's a strength component and there's a muscle component . They overlap to some degree . If you're a beginner , just getting stronger is going to build muscle too , and then eventually you can branch out to more specialization All right . Third out of out of uh five things here Okay . Out to more specialization All right . Third out of out of uh five things here Okay .

Philip Pape 19:57

Third , for practical application of what we're talking about protein into it in protein intake super critical . That goes hand in hand with your training , right ? About 0.7 to one gram per pound of your target body weight every day . Once you have that sufficient protein which we talked about , I think , just um . Two days ago on our last episode , I deep-dived into how macros work in your body . That is going to allow your body to build and maintain muscle mass , and I'm not going to say it mitigates a quasi-effective training program , but you've got to have both in place . And by having both in place , you've given yourself a little bit of a buffer to experiment , to play around , to see how things work for you and then to grow your butt off and build that muscle .

Philip Pape 20:33

Fourth , don't fear calories . We've got to stop fearing food . Building muscle requires energy . You don't need a massive surplus , but chronically under eating is going to sabotage your ability to build muscle , and also under eating carbs . More muscle means a higher metabolic rate . That is the whole point of this episode . If you want that , if you want that , you've got to go into a muscle building phase at some point . You can't just try to limp along body recomp or dieting all the time . You just can't .

Philip Pape 20:59

I've done a lot of episodes on this . If you're curious about the best one , um , I would go look at the one . It's called the most underrated . Look for the word underrated in my podcast library . Search the word underrated Um for the word underrated in my podcast library . Search the word underrated Um , and it was toward the end of 2024 . If I , if I don't forget , I will include that in the show notes .

Philip Pape 21:19

Last thing you gotta be patient and consistent . This is a long game , folks is a long game , but it's a beautiful long game . It is one of uh , what , what the people at Barbara logic called voluntary hardship . It's doing a hard thing that is super satisfying and fulfilling , instead of the instant gratification or being lazy , it's being you know , I don't like to use the word disciplined I feel like there are ways to do this where it takes away a lot of the friction and you just do it and it doesn't even feel like discipline , like I don't feel like I'm disciplined because I train four days a week . I feel like I have to do that , like I just have to do it , and it's hard and I still have to do it because I know what the payoff is gonna be . Building muscle takes time . Building strength takes time . You know months , years , not days and weeks . Yes , you can get quick progress initially as a beginner , and that's empowering and that's nice to have that win . It's motivating , but then you gotta keep going . It's motivating , but then you got to keep going and the compounding effect of all this makes it one of the most worthwhile long-term investments you'll ever , ever , ever make in your health and your physique in your life . I hope I got that through to everyone .

Philip Pape 22:23

This was a kind of a unique episode the way , the directions I took it . I think the true metabolic advantage here . Why even put this together ? Even though it sounds like it's about calories , it's about resilience and adaptation and making your body super metabolically just strong to anything that's thrown at it . You think about people who seem to eat whatever they want without gaining weight . It's probably not their genetics . Maybe when they're 20 it is , but when they're older they probably have more muscle mass . They probably have more muscle mass Like . The people that can eat whatever they want at 45 , around my age are the ones that are still fit and have muscle mass , because everyone else who's let themselves go . Trust me , they cannot eat whatever they want , right .

Philip Pape 23:02

Being more active , being fit , being a person who moves not chronic cardio , but you lift and you move right and now you're activating all of those 10 mechanisms that we discussed today . You're not it's not just about calorie , but like temporarily increasing your calorie , but you're changing your body's relationship with energy Right energy , think about it fuel . You're creating a physique that efficiently utilizes calories to maintain your muscle , to recover for your activity , rather than someone who Defaults to storing fat . It's a huge difference in the type of person you want to be and live as , and this is why bodybuilders and lifters and powerlifters and strength athletes they can consume seemingly enormous amounts of food when they're at maintenance , definitely when they're building . I know when I'm building , like I am right now , it just doesn't end the amount of food I have to eat . And then , during maintenance , I get to eat I'll call it plenty Like I'll never , ever feel hungry , even at maintenance , because the muscle mass allows me to eat more than I used to , and I see it in my metabolism . How it's calculated I use macrofactor . You can see that the number is higher than it used to be , and I see that with all my clients as well . Right , so you've got this metabolic engine . It's powered by your muscle mass and it is running hot through those 10 mechanisms we discussed .

Philip Pape 24:18

All right , I'm making this episode longer than it needs to be . Here's the thing . This is available to anyone . Any one of you listening , if you're willing to put in the work of progressive resistance training , get in the gym or home gym or whatever , regardless of your age , your gender , your hormone status , your genetics , it doesn't matter . The laws of physiology apply to everyone and muscle is going to respond to a proper stimulus at any age . That's it . All right , I'm not going to recap all the 10 mechanisms or anything . You can go back and listen to those If you're ready to start building more muscle and you want to leverage what we talked about today , just download the free resources I mentioned earlier .

Philip Pape 24:58

It's free . What's the harm there ? It's going to get you going , get you motivated . It's called the Muscle Building Nutrition Blueprint . It's a guide my most popular guide breaks down how to eat , how to train , what rate to go at , what to track , what to measure . It has an example of an actual muscle building phase . The whole shebang , okay , and you're going to minimize fat gain , which I know you want to do when you're building muscle . It tells you macros , tells you calories , tells you timing . Click the link in the show notes or go to witsandweightscom slash muscle to get your free copy Again . Witsandweightscom slash muscle or click the link in the show notes . Until next time , keep using your wits lifting those weights and remember that building muscle is about far more than just looking good . It's about creating a metabolic engine that supports lifelong health , performance and body composition . This is Philip Pape , and I'll talk to you next time here on the Wits and Weights Podcast .