Strength Strength Training The Amount of Calories Muscles Burn By Paige Waehner facebook linkedin Paige Waehner is a certified personal trainer, author of the "Guide to Become a Personal Trainer"; and co-author of "The Buzz on Exercise & Fitness." Learn about our editorial process Paige Waehner Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Richard Fogoros, MD on February 07, 2019 Richard N. Fogoros, MD, is a retired professor of medicine and board-certified internal medicine physician and cardiologist. He is Verywell's Senior Medical Advisor. Learn about our Review Board Richard Fogoros, MD Updated on January 02, 2020 Print B2M Productions / Photographer's Choice RF / Getty Images Table of Contents View All Calorie Burn by Muscle Lifting Weights You've probably heard that muscle burns more calories than fat—and that's true. Muscle is more metabolically active than fat. While it's not the miracle fat-burner that many might hope it to be, strengthening muscle can help you lose weight. Calorie Burn per Pound of Muscle There is a longstanding myth that says that if you put on 5 pounds of muscle (which is a challenge, even for young men), you could burn an extra 250 calories a day at rest (i.e., one pound of muscle burns 50 calories). The problem with these numbers is that there aren't any real studies to back them up. Dr. Cedric X. Bryant, the American Council on Exercise's chief science officer, says that research suggests that a pound of muscle only burns about six to seven calories a day. Obviously, that's a big difference from 50. However, it is still three times more calories than are burned by a pound of fat. The confusion exists because different studies use different ways to test metabolic changes after exercise. There are other mechanisms involved in metabolism that also affect how many calories you burn—sex, age, fitness level, activity level, and more. Because of that, there's still plenty of controversy about how much exercise really influences metabolism. Just like target heart rate zones or the number of calories you burn exercising aren't exact, neither is this. The Power of Lifting Weights Given this information, you might wonder whether you should continue strength training if you're trying to lose weight. The short answer is yes. You may not burn an extra 250 calories a day by putting on muscle, but you are still changing your metabolism. Strength training is important for losing fat and for keeping your body strong and healthy. In fact, maintaining your muscle mass as well as gaining more lean tissue is often what keeps people from gaining weight as they get older. That's just one of strength training's many powerful benefits. Here's what else strength training can do: Burns extra calories for hours after your workout—what's known as afterburn. This is especially true with high-intensity strength training.Changes your body composition, which helps shape your body and keep you healthy.Improves coordination and balance and may help prevent injuries.Prevents the loss of lean body mass that happens from dieting and/or aging. Weight gain often happens as your metabolism slows over time.Strengthens bones and connective tissue along with muscles. A Word From Verywell Strength training is important for almost any fitness goal, whether you want to lose fat, gain muscle, or just get in better condition. Focusing on the process of getting your body stronger and fitter is often more motivating than worrying about how many calories you're burning. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Get exercise tips to make your workouts less work and more fun. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Can you boost your metabolism? U.S. National Library of Medicine. 2018. Metabolism and weight loss: how you burn calories. Mayo Clinic. 2017. Strength training: get stronger, leaner, happier. Mayo Clinic. 2019. Hunter GR, Singh H, Carter SJ, Bryan DR, Fisher G. Sarcopenia and its implications for metabolic health. J Obes. 2019;2019:8031705. doi:10.1155/2019/8031705 McColl P. 7 things to know about excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). Ace Fitness. 2014. Sardeli AV, Komatsu TR, Mori MA, Gáspari AF, Chacon-mikahil MPT. Resistance training prevents muscle loss induced by caloric restriction in obese elderly individuals: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrients. 2018;10(4). doi:10.3390/nu10040423 Additional Reading Mcclave SA, Snider HL. Dissecting the Energy Needs of the Body. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2001;4(2):143-7. Thomas DM, Bouchard C, Church T, et al. Why Do Individuals Not Lose More Weight from an Exercise Intervention at a Defined Dose? An Energy Balance Analysis. Obes Rev. 2012;13(10):835-47.