“I read your post about building muscle in a calorie deficit, but I’m still a bit confused,” wrote one Muscle Evo reader. “I have a belly that I want to lose which I surely can’t do just by focusing on building muscle. But from what I can tell, if I restrict my calories it will […]
Cortisol and Weight Loss: What You Need To Know
Cortisol. Is it bad for weight loss? That’s the question posed by one Muscle Evo reader this week. “I’ve read that too much exercise can increase my cortisol levels and put the brakes on weight loss,” he wrote. “Is this true?” Cortisol does have the potential to affect your rate of weight loss. But it’s […]
HIRT, Hypertrophy and the Afterburn Effect: What the Science Says
There’s a good chance you’ve never heard of HIRT. It’s a form of resistance training that’s proven to be very effective at raising your metabolic rate in the hours after exercise. In fact, a recent study shows that HIRT (short for high-intensity interval resistance training) had a much bigger afterburn effect than a workout lasting […]
Am I Losing Fat Or Muscle?
“I’ve been using a body fat scale to let me know if I’m losing fat or muscle,” wrote one reader. “But I’m not sure how much I can trust it, as the results seem to vary wildly.” “How can I be sure that I’m losing fat rather than muscle?” The honest answer is that you […]
Should You Lose Fat or Build Muscle First?
You want an extra 5 to 10 pounds of new muscle. But you’re also overweight and need to lose fat. Is it better to focus on losing fat or building muscle first? If you’re an overweight beginner, losing fat and building muscle aren’t mutually exclusive. With the right type of diet and training program, you […]
Why Does Your Metabolic Rate Drop As You Age?
According to conventional wisdom, your resting metabolic rate tends to drop as you age because you lose a small amount of muscle each year. However, many people don’t realize that muscle mass is NOT the only thing that affects your resting metabolic rate. Studies show that your metabolic rate declines with age independently of muscle […]
