What are the possible adverse health effects of excess muscle mass? -

I seem to be a freak of nature - I m 6 1quot;, weigh 320 pounds, but my body fat is probably 17-18% - I have decent muscle tone on my stomach - no six pack, but no real love handles either. I work out twice a week, and I have no problem going on strenuous day hikes. My chest is 52 inches, my waist is 45 inches, and my hips are 50 inches - fairly well-porportioned. I have never used steroids. I run into a number of people who tell me to get my weight down, and I suspect there must be even more who d like to say it. Medical opinion seems to be split - some say it doesn t matter, some say the large bulk can cause the heart to work harder, but I have yet to find an actual scientific study. I do have hypertension, but I keep it well under control with medication. Can anyone provide any actual evidence on what s the real deal, and if it s bad, how do I actually go about lose large amounts of muscle mass, without harming myself?

I don t think anyone knows. To some degree we are all biology experiments with a sample size of one. Is large size a problem? or the symptom of an underlying problem? As genetics advances and we understand the interactions of lifestyle, environment, and each individual s genome more clearly, we may find the answers. I ve never heard anyone say that muscle mass in and of itself is an issue, only the chemical shortcuts and extremes in diet used to get there. For right now, It sounds like you re reasonably healthy, and your body fat is within healthy parameters. Working out only twice a week isn t very much, so you might improve there, but I wouldn t pass any judgements based on weight alone.