Muscle Building Blog

New research suggests a higher-protein, lower-carbohydrate energy-restricted diet has a major positive impact on body composition, trimming belly fat and increasing lean muscle, particularly when the proteins come from dairy products.

Dieting postmenopausal women who want to avoid losing muscle as they lose fat should pay attention to a new University of Illinois study. Adding protein throughout the day not only holds hunger pangs at bay so that dieters lose more weight, it keeps body composition—the amount of fat relative to muscle—in better proportion. A higher-protein weight-loss diet is more protective of muscle, said ...

Dieting postmenopausal women who want to avoid losing muscle as they lose fat should pay attention to a new study. Adding protein throughout the day not only holds hunger pangs at bay so that dieters lose more weight, it keeps body composition -- the amount of fat relative to muscle -- in better proportion.

Fast-twitch vs. slow-twitch muscles Slow-twitch muscle fibers contract more slowly and are dependent on oxygen for generating fuel for power production. Sprinters are the prototypes of people endowed with lots of fast-twitch muscles. Muscles make a contribution to metabolism, but they are only part of the picture. Hormones, genetics and other elements of body composition are involved with ...

The grueling boot-camp workouts on NBC's The Biggest Loser help contestants lose large amounts of body fat while preserving their muscle mass, a new study shows.Participants on the show do aerobic and strength-training exercises for four to six hours a day and follow a low-calorie diet as viewers watch the pounds melt away.How does this affect the dieters' body composition and metabolism?To find ...