EVERYTHING Is About Your Metabolism

Part 1:

This is the first part of a series of articles designed to explain to you perhaps the most important aspect of the exercise world: your metabolism. Your metabolism, to a large degree, is the largest contributing factor to your success in how you look and feel. Your health, appearance, strength and aesthetics are largely dictated by your metabolism.


Pretty simple so far, right? Well here’s the problem as I’ve come to understand it: In spite of its importance and its simplicity, most people don’t even know what their metabolism is or what it does. And when I say “most people”, I mean most people who exercise. The exact people who should be concerned about their metabolism, what it does and how it can be affected brush it aside as a physiological concept that doesn’t need to be understood. Or worse: there are many who have no clue what it is or does, but pretend they do which predictably leads to them getting zero results.

Knowing what your metabolism is and how it can be affected will make decision making much easier when it comes to how you should exercise and how you should eat.

Let’s start by defining what your metabolism is. For the sake of this article, your metabolism will be referred to as your “resting metabolic rate” or “RMR”. Your resting metabolic rate is the number of calories you would expend over 24 hours AT REST. So if you did nothing but stare at the wall for 24 hours, your body would use “X” number of calories to perform basic life functions – this is your RMR. For the sake of this discussion we’re going to assume your RMR is 2,000 calories.

Important note: Calories burned from activity DO NOT COUNT toward your RMR.

So again, for argument sake, let’s say your RMR is 2,000 calories per day – you will burn 2,000 calories if you do absolutely nothing. You then exercise, go to work, walk your dog, etc. throughout the day that burns an additional 1,200 calories for a total of 3,200 for the day: That 1,200 DOES NOT count toward your RMR. Your metabolism is only what YOU burn without activity.

OK, so now that we know what your metabolism (RMR) is, let’s get to the good part: Let’s discuss what can raise your metabolism and what can lower it, so you know what you should be doing and what you should be not doing.

And before we continue, let’s get one thing perfectly clear:

Yes, it is true that age and genetics are factors in how high or low your metabolism is. An elite level uber-athlete may have a RMR of 4,000. An older couch potato may have a RMR of 800. But here’s the good news:

No matter what your resting metabolic rate is, IT CAN BE IMPROVED. It is possible to be burning more calories just sitting and reading this article. Which is why we have this T-shirt at The TR: