Minimize muscle loss.

When you're trying to lose weight, cutting calories too aggressively can cause you to lose lean muscle along with fat. Regular strength training helps counteract this effect. Pairing strength training with adequate calorie and protein intake supports muscle growth and helps prevent further muscle loss.

Boost fat loss.

Research conducted by strength-training expert Wayne Westcott, PhD, found that women who strength trained two to three times per week for eight weeks gained an average of 1.75 pounds of muscle and lost 3.5 pounds of fat.

The stronger you are, the more you can do.

Building strength makes everyday tasks easier and lets you push harder during workouts, which means you burn more total calories.

The truths and myths of boosting metabolism.

Building muscle doesn't boost your metabolism quite as much as once believed, but it still makes a difference. Experts used to estimate that each pound of muscle burned up to 50 extra calories a day. That figure is still debated, but most researchers now put the number closer to 7–15 calories per day, compared to just 2–3 calories burned by a pound of fat.

According to the American Council on Exercise, most individuals gain 3 to 5 pounds of muscle after 3 to 4 months of strength training. Let’s say you replace 3 pounds of fat with 3 pounds of muscle. Using the estimate that a pound of muscle burns 10 calories and a pound of fat burns 3 calories, you will burn 21 extra calories a day. In a year, this results in losing over 2 pounds.

Lori Rice, M.S., is a nutritional scientist and author with a passion for healthy cooking, exercise physiology, and food photography.