4 Ways to Speed Up Your Metabolic Rate: an excerpt from our upcoming book “Mastering Metabolism” By Eugene Thong CSCS

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A short note from Eugene:

 

Dear MCNewsletters Reader,

 

Wondering what Mike and I are up to lately? Curious as to the latest developments and newest methodologies we’re working on? Well, wonder no longer.

 

Enter our latest tome, “Mastering Metabolism.” Thanks to all your input (emails about the site and Black Book of Secrets), we’ve come to discover that one of the topics people are most interested in was metabolism. Instead of answering the same questions over and over again, we decided to write a book addressing the misconceptions and machinations of that ever mysterious entity, “metabolism.” 

 

In it we planned to discuss what metabolism is, what affects it, and most importantly, what you can do to supercharge it for maximum fat loss. 

 

We’re currently in the final editing stages of “Mastering Metabolism.” We’re working hard to have the book “battle-ready” and available for purchase by Christmas. In the meantime, whet your collective whistle with this short excerpt from Chapter 5: Taking Action – High-Octane Metabolism For Fat Loss.

 

As always, thanks for your support and feedback. 

 

Sincerely,

 

Eugene Thong, CSCS, Assistant Editor – MCNewsletters.com

 

5.1 – 4 Ways to speed up your metabolic rate.

 

This section provides an overview of the best tips to maximize your metabolic rate. The later sections detail specific strategies to implement these changes and ways to apply them in your daily life. 
 
1) Build lean muscle mass:

 
What’s the numero uno modifiable factor as far as your metabolism is concerned? Answer: Your muscle mass. If you recall from our earlier discussion on the contribution of different things to overall metabolic rate, increasing muscle mass (through strength training) is the primary thing you can do to increase metabolic rate. The net contribution of muscle mass to overall metabolic rate is estimated to be 20% - which gives it considerable leverage in affecting your daily caloric expenditure. The bottom line is: the more you build lean muscle mass, the higher your metabolic rate will be.

 

Skip to the next section for the best exercises for increasing muscle mass and for Mike’s infamous 12 week Mesocycle Meltdown program.

 
2) Up your EPOC: 
 
As we discussed in the chapter on metabolism myths, long, slow, boring cardio is not the way to go to maximize the caloric burn from exercise. Rather, shorter, more intense bursts of activity (like strength training or high-intensity interval training) do more to raise metabolic rate, because of EPOC. 

 

Recall: EPOC stands for Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption, which is the additional oxygen your body takes in to "right itself" after an exercise bout. Here’s an analogy: Liken your muscles to a car engine. When you run a car engine, it continues to "burn hot" long after you shut off the ignition, due to the inefficiency of gas combustion. This is akin to the increase in metabolism your body undergoes after performing an exercise bout.

 

In both cases, the harder the engine works (greater RPMs, or greater exercise intensity), the “hotter” the engine gets – and (more importantly) the longer it takes to cool back down. In muscle tissue, this effect translates into an increased metabolic rate for the length of time it takes for your body to return to a resting state. This can be as long as 36 hours post-exercise – 36 hours that you can enjoy having your metabolism kicked into a higher gear.

 
3) Pack in the protein: 
 
Why does protein reign supreme in maximizing metabolic rate? For these two simple reasons:

It has the highest TEF (Thermic Effect) of the three macronutrients (protein, fat, and carbohydrates) and, it is instrumental in muscle synthesis and is required (in abundance) to create a protein-sparing environment during fat loss.

 

How much protein should you eat to maximize metabolic response? The upper limit (as discovered by protein researcher Dr. Peter Lemon) seems to be 1gram of protein per pound of bodyweight – greater intakes are not utilized by the body and are instead excreted through the urine. We recommend that trainees start by using a factor of .7 to calculate protein requirements. In other words, multiply your bodyweight by .7 and use that as a starting point. 

 

A simpler way to guarantee that you will meet your protein requirements is to eat a serving of protein at each meal. For example, if you eat a serving of chicken breast at each of your 5 daily meals, you will total 150 grams of protein for the day – easily satisfying the requirement if you’re of average weight.

 
4) Get more sleep: 
 
In addition to doing things that speed your metabolism, you can give yourself a boost by eliminating behaviors that slow metabolism. The most nefarious of these is inadequate sleep. 

 

Why is not getting enough sleep so damaging to metabolic rate?

 

According to the prestigious Nurses Health Study, sleeping less than 5 hours a night caused major disturbances in blood chemistry and hormonal release, resulting in a lowered basal metabolic rate. 

 

Even lesser amounts of sleeplessness had an effect: women who slept for 6 hours were 12% more likely to have major weight gain and 6% more likely to become obese compared with women who slept at least 7 hours per night. These findings were consistent even though the women who slept less actually consumed fewer calories than the more rested groups.

 

That’s a big drop in metabolic rate, and something you want to avoid like the plague if you’re looking to maximize the calories you burn each day. Make sure you try to get at least 7-8 hours of quality sleep a night.