THREE SURPRISING BENEFITS OF MUSCLE TISSUE: INURY PREVENTION, WEIGHT CONTROL & IMPROVED STAMINA  

Once you start lifting, and eating, properly and according to your goals, you will likely add some muscle tissue. While muscle does not weigh more than fat, it is denser, so a 150-pound person with a large amount of lean muscle mass will likely appear smaller than a person who has a large amount of body fat. Aside from making you stronger, muscle mass also aids your body in performing, and functioning, better in surprising ways. 

Here are some benefits of a muscular physique you might not have considered. 

  1. 1. Injury prevention. Muscles help protect your joints, which is especially important as you age(1). Weight training strengthens tendons along with muscles, and it also increases the flexibility of ligaments, which decreases your risk of strains or tears (1,2).  
  2. Weight control. The more muscle mass that you acquire, the more calories you can burn. While research indicates that body fat uses energy for maintenance, it has been confirmed that you can burn more calories at rest when you have more muscle tissue (2). In fact, some research suggests that you can burn around 6 calories a day for every pound of lean muscle tissue that you have (2). So, in addition to looking incredible in a bikini, shorts or tank top, those hard-earned glutes, delts, and lats can help you maintain bodyweight! 
  3. Improved stamina. High repetition exercises performed with lighter weight helps build muscular endurance. This can translate to performance activities outside the gym, such as skiing, biking, running, swimming, and hiking (1).   

References: 

  1. 1.Hunt, A. (2003). Musculoskeletal fitness: The keystone in overall well-being and injury prevention. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, 409, 96-105.  
  2. Wang, Z., Ying, Z.,Bosy‐Westphal, A., Zhang, J., Heller, M., Later, W., Heymsfield, S. B., & Müller, M. J. (2011). Evaluation of specific metabolic rates of major organs and tissues: comparison between men and women. American Journal of Human Biology, 23(3), 333-338.