Body Muscle Mass & Heart Rate

Whether you are looking to lose weight or simply improve your health, paying attention to your body muscle mass and heart rate can help you achieve your fitness goals. Although the two factors are not directly related, both factors plan an important role in weight loss. Understanding the complex relationship between body muscle mass and heart rate involves their relationship to both exercise and metabolism.

Body Muscle Mass

Body muscle mass simply refers to the amount of muscle you carry on your body. Without regular strength-training exercises, the body slowly loses muscle mass with age. In fact, the MSNBC website claims that you can lose between five and seven pounds of muscle tissue during each decade of your adult life. This loss of muscle mass, medically referred to as "sarcopenia," significantly weakens the body and can impact your ability to initiate even simple movements. Regular strength training exercises that condition the whole body increase body muscle mass and improve strength. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends at least "eight to 10 strength training exercises, eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise twice a week."

Heart Rate

Your heart rate refers to the number of times your heart beats per minutes. According to the Mayo Clinic, the normal resting heart rate for an adult ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute. However, extremely physically fit adults and athletes may have a resting heart rate as low as 40 beats per minute. Typically, a low resting heart rate indicates an extremely efficient and healthy cardiovascular system. The heart rate can be affected by a wide variety of factors, including exercise, stress, medications, temperature, emotions and body weight. A consistently high or low heart rate may indicate a health complication, especially when accompanied by other symptoms.

Relationship

There is no substantial relationship between body muscle mass and heart rate. An increase or decrease in body muscle mass does not necessarily cause an increase or decrease in heart rate. However, as a person exercises to increase his body muscle mass, he is also increasing his cardiovascular strength. Over time, his heart rate may eventually decrease as his heart and body becomes more efficient.

Effects on Metabolism

Body muscle mass and heart rate both have a significant impact on body metabolism. In fact, the Weight Watchers website claims that the only two ways to increase the body's metabolism is to increase body muscle mass and increase heart rate. Metabolism refers to the body's use of nutrients and oxygen to produce the energy it needs to fuel the body. Measured in calories, metabolism is ultimately responsible for weight loss. Although metabolism is also affected by gender and age, the main method for increasing metabolism is through exercise.

Relationship to Exercise

During an exercise session, the body's heart rate increases to meet the growing demands of the body. During exercise, the heart must pump faster to deliver more oxygen to the muscles and tissues, take in more oxygen and rid itself of carbon dioxide more quickly. As the heart rate increases, the metabolism also increases temporarily. Regular strength training exercise sessions over a long period of time can also result in increased muscle mass. As this muscle mass increases, it has a long-term effect on metabolism.