Doesn’t it sound interesting that flexing muscles can burn fat and enhance gains?
Swole patrols or fitness fanatics usually roam in the gym and flex to show their chiseled body. This showing or representation of their physique somehow affects overall fat accumulation leading to fat burn.
Today, we are going to answer if flexing muscles burn fat or if is it just a way to show off your gains.
Key Insights:
- Flexing is an activity that consumes energy and applies more tension to pump up a particular muscle. Hence, why people think it will help burn fat too.
- It is mostly practiced in bodybuilding competitions, but gym freaks also do it often to check their gains.
- Flexing muscles may not be the best way to burn fat fast.
- Pairing flexing with isometric exercises along with a healthy diet plan may help burn more fat.
Let’s get into the discussion for a more detailed analysis and dispel the idea of flexing to burn off stored fat.
Does Flexing Muscles Burn Fat?
Yes, to some extent. Flexing is actually a form of isometric exercise that may help lose fat.
While flexing muscles does technically burn a small amount of calories due to muscle activity, it’s not an effective way to burn significant fat or lose weight.
Mostly practiced by fitness fanatics with a sense of representing strength and physical appearance, flexing is not really meant for fat burn. However, this is just a simplistic view and meant for those who are exclusively indulging in flexing their muscles with the aim to burn fat or lose weight.
Let me break it to you, it’s not gonna work that way, mate!
However, yes, flexing does support the fat-burn process in its own capacity, when combined with other action steps for fat loss.
Flexing muscles, also known as isometric exercises, involves contracting and holding the muscles without changing their length. Some specialized isometric exercises, such as flexing, strengthen the upper body muscles and improve muscle strength while leading to a minimal decrease in fat content.
Flexing Muscles to Burn Fat – A Far-Fetched Idea
As mentioned, flexing is an activity that combines a closer contraction of muscle by creating temporary tension in the muscle. It does not necessarily increase the calorie expenditure to get the best results.
Basically, flexing muscles can also help individuals know more about muscle relaxation feeling. With tensing and release of the muscles, flexing encourages the flow of blood, supporting muscle pump and release.
Here are a few reasons why flexing may not really help you burn fat:
- Minimal calorie burn: Flexing individual muscles burns minimal calories compared to activities like walking, running, or even just fidgeting throughout the day.
- Isolated activity: Flexing primarily targets specific muscle groups and doesn’t engage the larger muscle groups needed for significant calorie expenditure.
- Short duration: Maintaining a flexed position for extended periods isn’t practical or sustainable. This is one of the potent factors that limit the overall calorie burn.
Flexing strengthens the muscle in just one position. Not really a great solution when you want to lose body fat! Let’s find out if flexing can help you burn any calories.
How Much Fat/How Many Calories Can You Burn with Flexing?
Technically, you won’t burn many calories through flexing. But yeah, since it needs a small quantity of fuel, it can draw the energy from the sugar uptake by the muscle.
Flexing your muscles can be a makeshift alternative if you’re not intentionally indulging in a dedicated workout routine.
Usually, practicing isometric exercises does not necessarily help in burning more calories.
As per studies, a dedicated 30-minute session of isometric exercises may burn approximately 150 calories.
Therefore, it indeed can be a long process to consider flexing techniques to aim for successful fat loss. Now, let’s have a closer overview of the isometric exercises and their fat loss benefits.
Isometric Exercise and Fat Loss
An isometric exercise is a static exercise that contributes to the involvement of a particular muscle contraction without movement. Unlike dynamic exercises, it does not necessarily replicate the contraction from their longest to their shortest lengths.
It includes pumping and pushing to improve strength and stability, which, in turn, fine-tune the form and efficiency along with overall wellness.
Furthermore, isometrics causes your neurotransmitter receptors to fire and signal other muscles to engage more. Indulgence of too many muscle groups at a time increases muscle endurance, leading to fat loss.
The contraction of muscles while straining affects the stored fat. Some of the muscle isometric exercises that may help fat loss include:
1. Abductors Squeeze
It is an isometric exercise that supports the inner thigh and pelvis floor and helps in losing stored fat. In the process of performing an abductor squeeze, place a foam roller or yoga block between your knees and squeeze it.
Hold the squeeze with maximal tolerable effort, then slowly release the contraction and rest. It helps in burning inner thigh fat naturally.
2. Biceps and Triceps Squeeze
This is mainly performed by almost all the bodybuilders or gym goers who train biceps and triceps. A regular indulgence in doing biceps and triceps squeezes the muscles and improves the muscle toning and strengthing capability in those specific muscle groups. It may, in turn, trim down arm fat making it look more slimmer.
Apart from these, a plank is also an isometric exercise that can help balance overall body control and help with losing weight and fat as well. Some other factors might also influence your fat burn, especially the way you eat. So, can you just flex and eat healthy?
Can Flexing Burn Fat with a Calorie-Restricted Diet? (Count Macros)
Burning body fat necessarily needs a lower calorie intake so that the body can use stored fat as a source of energy. However, considering fat loss with being on a calorie-restricted diet, there are a few factors that one should consider.
Even with calorie restriction, flexing primarily relies on glycogen stores for energy, not fat.
For significant fat-burning, sustained activities like brisk walking, running, swimming, or cycling are far more effective.
Along with that, counting macros is a valuable way to manage your calorie intake and nutrient balance. However, relying solely on flexing while restricting calories wouldn’t provide your body with the necessary calorie expenditure. To get the varied metabolic stimulation needed for efficient fat-burning, it’s vital to count macros.
Ensure your diet platter is full of sufficient nutrients that contribute to enough protein, carbs, and fats to fuel muscle while maintaining fat levels in the body.
FAQs
So, now that we know flexing is barely useful for burning fat, let’s also go through some of your queries before we end the discussion.
1. Does squeezing stomach muscles burn calories?
No, it will not. However, it may tighten the muscles to tone the stomach area. Maybe crunches can be a significant approach to burn calories.
2. Does clenching your muscles tone them?
Clenching, squeezing muscles, or flexing muscle mass helps in toning muscles.
3. What is the laziest way to burn calories?
The laziest way to burn calories involves incorporating simple activities into your daily routine that require minimal effort.
4. What’s the best exercise to tighten your stomach?
Some of the best exercises that tighten your stomach include the plank, mountain climbers, bicycle crunches, boat poses, and oblique crunches.
Conclusion
Flexing muscles does not burn fat, at least not so much that you can rely on it for your weight loss journey or body goals. One cannot get similar benefits like dynamic exercises which shred fat more frequently.
Flexing muscle is more likely to help maintain muscle and tone it by pumping or putting tension for a minimal period.
So, the chances of fat loss with just flexing are slim to none, and your time is better invested if you do other isometric exercises and follow a calorie-restricted diet plan for better fat loss results.
The primary shortcomings of flexing for fat burn, both in terms of increasing strength and building muscle, is that the muscles remain in the same position throughout the duration of the exercise.
So, you have your answer now. What else are you gonna do to burn fat instead of flexing?