The relationship between metabolism and muscle growth is one of the most talked about topics in the bodybuilding industry. People with a high metabolic rate call themself hard gainers because they have a hard time building muscle. But does metabolism affect muscle growth for real or is it just another bro science?
In this blog, we will try to uncover this mystery by giving you detailed information about the link between muscle growth and metabolism. Additionally, we will also get to know about some of the tips for increasing muscle mass with a fast metabolism. So, without any further ado, let’s get started.
Key pointers from the blog:
- Metabolism affects muscle growth by regulating energy levels and also workout performance.
- People with a high metabolism may find it harder to stay on a calorie-surplus diet, which is a factor for hypertrophy.
- Strategizing your diet and balancing the macros in a meal plan may be the solution to
Here are all the details you would need to know about the connection between metabolism and muscle growth so that you can use it to your advantage.
Does Metabolism Affect Muscle Growth?
To know if fast metabolism affects muscle growth when bodybuilding, we have to first understand the role of metabolism in the body. Metabolism simply means the process by which the body converts nutrients taken for the foods into energy.
Every bodily function needs energy to run, and the muscle-building process is also one of them. The process by which the body repairs muscle and increases the muscle size called hypertrophy also needs energy to function properly. Hence, a healthy metabolism is crucial for faster muscle growth.
Additionally, an adequate surplus of energy also improves performance in the gym which also helps in muscle growth. Inversely, a calorie-deficit diet results in muscle loss, which is where the high-metabolism peeps struggle.
Muscle Growth When You Have a High Metabolism
Do people with a faster metabolism build muscle slower? This could be internet’s one of the most burning questions. Many people blame their fast metabolism for slower muscle growth. According to health experts, eating habits are one of the main culprits behind it.
This is because people with high metabolisms burn calories faster which affects their calorie surplus state, which is very crucial for gaining weight and muscle.
That’s the reason why they have a harder time building muscles than people with a slower metabolism. But worry not if you have a high metabolism as you can also have muscles like normal folks with the help of some tips.
8 Tips to Increase Muscle Growth with a Fast Metabolism
Now we know metabolism does affect muscle growth when bodybuilding, and gaining muscle with a fast metabolism is harder than with a slower metabolism. So, if you are also a hard gainer, then here are some tips that will help you build muscle with a high metabolism.
1. Eat More
Yes, you read it right you have to eat more to tackle the effects of high metabolism. This tip may sound simple to you but it’s one of the most crucial ones. We have discussed that people with high metabolism burn calories faster than normal folks, which puts them in a calorie deficit state.
According to a study published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, even a short energy deficit can affect muscle protein degradation, which is not good for muscle growth. We can say It is one of the fast metabolism symptoms, which can only be dealt with by increasing calorie consumption. So, eat big to look big, if you are a hard gainer.
2. Eat More Carbs and Protein
By now you must have understood that those who want to know how to gain muscle with a fast metabolism should focus on their eating habits. When it comes to focusing on eating for muscle gain theirs two macronutrients that come into everyone’s mind, carbs and proteins.
Carbs provide energy and proteins help build and repair muscle. That is why it suggested increasing the amount in your diet as carbs will help to avoid energy deficit and protein will take care of the muscle loss. So, eat foods like tofu, eggs, banana, sweet potato, and oranges as they are high in carbs and protein.
3. Add Fats
Along with carbs and protein don’t make a mistake to avoid Fats as it’s also one of the most important macronutrients for muscle growth. Fats are good for people with high metabolism because they contain a good amount of calories per gram.
Additionally, according to health experts, eating a well-balanced diet with adequate amounts of fats, protein, and carbs is crucial for gaining muscles fast.
However, one should remember to only have foods that are good sources of healthy fats and avoid junk and processed foods. Fatty fish, eggs, avocado, nuts seeds, and olive oils are some of the clean sources of fats, incorporate them in your diet if you have them already.
4. Increase Your Number of Meals
We have discussed that metabolism does affect muscle growth negatively and to tackle it we have to eat more. But, in reality, suddenly increasing your food intake is not an easy job. If you are thinking of doing it by having 3 meals a day then, unfortunately, you can’t.
This is because if you eat more than usual you will feel fuller or longer, which will affect your ability to eat again. This will make it difficult for you to complete the daily calorie intake, which is needed to reduce the effect of high metabolism. That is why it’s important to divide your calories into 5 to 6 meals equally in a balanced way.
5. Eat High Energy Food
You know fast metabolism interferes with building muscle and to fight it you need to increase your daily calorie intake. But, is increasing the number of meals per day the only trick to do that? Probably, not you can also do it by adding more energy-dense foods to your meals.
This way you will get enough calories by eating less, which will also not affect your ability to eat again. However, one should remember that don’t eat junk and processed foods to increase the daily calorie intake as it will lead to fat gain instead of muscles. Try to focus on foods that are mostly filled with protein.
6. Do Muscle Building Exercises
While exploring the question “Does metabolism affect muscle growth”, we got to know about some tips on the eating habits for growing muscle with a faster metabolism. Now we will talk about the workout part as it is nearly impossible to build muscle without it.
If your goal is to build muscle, do those types of workouts that are designed to increase muscle size in no time. For example, try lifting heavier as it will force your body to use those extra calories for building muscle that you are eating to reduce the high metabolism effect. Unused calories will be stored as fat, which will lead to obesity. So, weight training or even calisthenics at home will be useful.
7. Focus on Mind Muscle Connection
Just doing exercise will not be enough if you wish to build muscle with a fast metabolism. You have to focus on your workout as you are performing it.
The concept of focusing on muscle is known as mind-muscle connection (MMC). When a person focuses his or her mind on the muscles while performing the repetitions, the brain increases the rate of sending signals to the muscle fibers. This increased brain signal helps in contraction, which results in muscle growth.
8. Don’t Go to Hard on Cardio
If want to know how to increase metabolism effects on the body then focus on cardio more than strength training. Cradio is the last thing that one should think of while gaining weight. They are good for overall health, but they burn calories without providing muscle-building effects.
As a hard gainer, your body is already burning calories much faster than the others, you don’t need to put extra effort into that. Too much cardio will put your body in an energy deficit state even after eating more than usual, which is not good for muscle building, especially for the hard gainer.
Try these tips to grow muscles if you have a high metabolic rate or suggest them to those gym buddies who are also struggling with the question “Does metabolism affect muscle growth”.
Going through all the above-mentioned points and sections you must be wondering that building muscle with a slow metabolism could be much easier. But is it the truth?
Is It Easier to Build Muscle with a Slow Metabolism?
By taking the science behind metabolism and its effects on the body into consideration, it can be said that it might be easier to build muscle with a slow metabolism. This is because people with a slow metabolism will have to eat less to be on a calorie surplus to gain weight and build muscle.
However, it’s important to note that the difference will be extremely unnoticeable as metabolism is not the only factor for building muscle. Additionally, people with a slow metabolism will also have to work hard on the treadmill to maintain their weight.
Simply put, people with slow metabolism will also have challenges building muscle in comparison to people with high metabolic rates.
Conclusion
After reading the blog we can say that metabolism does affect muscle growth slightly in a negative manner. But, the blame for slow muscle growth should not go to the fast metabolism completely as there are also other factors like eating habits, workout type, and sleep quality.
However, among all those factors eating habits are one of the most common to affect the growth of muscle with a high metabolic rate.
One with a fast metabolism should eat more than their baseline calories if he or she wishes to gain muscle as a hard gainer. Like this, there are also some other helpful tips, we have mentioned 8 of them in this blog. Tell us if you have any other point in your mind that can help people build muscles with high metabolism.