Your metabolism is not fixed.

It responds to how you train, how you fuel your body and how much muscle you carry.

And one of the most effective ways to influence it long-term is through building lean muscle mass.

Why muscle changes how your body uses energy

Your body is always using energy, even at rest.

Breathing, circulating blood, repairing tissue - this is your basal metabolic rate and it makes up the majority of your daily energy expenditure.

Muscle plays a direct role here. It is metabolically active tissue, which means it requires energy simply to exist. The more muscle you have, the more energy your body uses throughout the day, even when you are not training.

This creates a major shift in not only how you look, but in how your body functions.

What strength training does beyond the workout

When you train with resistance, you are not just burning energy in the session.

Your body continues working afterwards - repairing muscle tissue, restoring balance and adapting to the stimulus you’ve given it. This is often referred to as the afterburn effect.

But more importantly, it’s part of how your body becomes more efficient over time.

Stronger. More capable. More resilient.

Where cardio fits - and where it doesn’t

Cardio has clear benefits. It supports your heart, your endurance and your overall health.

But on its own, it does not build the muscle required to shift your metabolism long-term.

Without that stimulus, your body has less reason to adapt. When high volumes of cardio are paired with low energy intake, the body can also start to break down muscle - moving in the opposite direction to what most people are trying to achieve.

What building muscle supports over time

Increasing muscle mass supports more than just energy expenditure.

• It improves how your body handles carbohydrates.
• It supports hormonal balance.
• It contributes to bone density and long-term physical strength.
• And importantly, it protects against the natural decline in muscle mass that happens as we age.

This is not just about short-term results. It’s about how your body performs and feels in the long term.

Your metabolism is not working against you

If your results have felt inconsistent, or harder to achieve over time, it’s rarely because your metabolism “just doesn’t work how it used to”.

It’s usually because it hasn’t had the right stimulus. When you build muscle, you give your body a reason to adapt.

You create a system that works with you, not against you.

If you want to follow a structured Program that combines strength, Pilates and cardio in the right way, start with the LEAN Method.

Find your LEAN Method Program here: https://quiz.leanwithlilly.com/web-offer

Lilly

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