Research
Energy balance
Long-term exercise training can increase Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) through two mechanisms: increasing lean body mass and stimulating physiological processes that increase the metabolic rate per unit of lean tissue (residual RMR), although extreme interventions may suppress RMR.
Focus on building muscle and consistent training, not just cardio. This increases your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) not just by adding muscle mass, but by making your existing tissues more metabolically active. This helps counteract the metabolic slowdown that usually comes with weight loss.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Long-term exercise training in animals generally results in an increase in RMR... These changes in RMR appear to be a result of both alterations in lean mass and increases in the metabolic output per unit weight of the lean tissues.
Why this rating
Supported by multiple animal studies cited in the review showing increased RMR despite fat loss.
Source
Physical activity and resting metabolic rate
John R. Speakman et al. · Proceedings of The Nutrition Society · 2003
DOI 10.1079/pns2003282
narrative_reviewCited 435×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Standard exercise interventions (e.g., 3x30min/week vigorous exercise) produce a negligible direct increase in total daily energy expenditure (approx. 5.3%), which is easily offset by minor appetite adjustments, making exercise alone insufficient to reverse obesity trends without compensatory metabolic or behavioral changes.Good
- Single bouts of exercise increase Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) for a short period (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption, EPOC), but this effect is transient and does not significantly contribute to long-term energy balance.Good
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