Metabolism and Muscle Building

One of the factors that helps create different body types is metabolism.

Some people naturally burn more calories than others. Some bodies

seem naturally designed to turn food energy into muscle or fat while others

turn this energy into fuel for exercise. However, as your body

changes, so does your metabolism. Muscle burns calories, so a naturally

heavy endomorph will find it easier to get lean as he builds more and

more muscle mass. Also, the body is very adaptable, and the literally

thousands of various metabolic processes that are going on all the time

tend to alter in response to the demands you put on them-turning protein

intake into muscle, for example, or increasing your ability to metabolize

body fat for energy.

If you are extremely lean or extremely heavy, you should take the precaution

of having your thyroid function checked by a physician. The thyroid

gland plays a major role in regulating metabolism. When it is

underactive (hypothyroid) it is very difficult to burn off excess body fat,

and when it is overactive (hyperthyroid) putting on any additional body

weight becomes almost impossible. However, I am strongly against using

thyroid as a means of increasing your metabolism and "cutting up"

(achieving a state of high definition) when your own thyroid levels are

within normal limits. This is dangerous in a number of ways, including the

risk that you will permanently damage your natural thyroid function.