Too much weight lifting?

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S_Evanson613
S_Evanson613 Posts: 62 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey everyone, happy monday :)

So I have a backwards question (sort of). I like to lift weights..a lot. While I am by no means "ripped" or "shredded" I thoroughly enjoy it, and add them to my routine about 4 days a week. My question is this...

I have noticed that my weight loss has stalled (even gone up) in the last three weeks. I know muscle weighs more than fat, but could I be lifting too much, and neglecting cardio too much? Should I up my cardio? I eat about 1200-1300 calories a day and am not trying ot gain muscle necessarily, just get the muscles I do have more defined. I currently do about 30-40 minutes of cardio 2-3 days a week...should I up this to start seeing the scale go down again?

THanks!
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Replies

  • Lofteren
    Lofteren Posts: 960 Member
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    lifting 4 days a week and doing cardio 2-3 days a week is good but doing it on 1200-1300 calories a day probably isn't optimal. You're likely to get burnt out or injured before too long if you lift with any level of intensity.
  • S_Evanson613
    S_Evanson613 Posts: 62 Member
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    So, I should up my calories - or just my protein? I am currently eating about 1 gram per weight of protein on the days that I lift.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    both. also, muscle is denser than fat, not heavier.
  • S_Evanson613
    S_Evanson613 Posts: 62 Member
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    I want to point this out...I do not think weight gain was muscle by any means..I am eating a deficit and will not gain muscle while on it... I just pointed that out because I don't want everyone to answer "muscle weighs more than fat" like most people would....

    THanks for the advice, I will look into adding more cals/macros.
  • vorgas
    vorgas Posts: 741 Member
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    1. The scale should be the last thing you are concerned about when lifting. If your clothes fit the way you want, and your body looks like you want it to, then you are all good.
    2. Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat, it's just more dense. A given calorie intake can only support so much mass. But people all over the boards here weigh 10 pounds more after lifting, but are thinner than with strictly aerobics. You can't add muscle eating at a calorie deficit.
    3. The only reason to do cardio is to allow you to eat more food that day, or if you really love whatever that exercise is, or you are specifically targeting your cardio-vascular system through high intensity intervals, etc.
    4. Muscle repairs when at rest. Muscle uses protein to repair. Don't reduce your protein on non-lift days. That's when your body needs it.
    More than likely, you are experiencing calorie creep. Either you are over estimating your calorie burns (common if you use a HRM to calculate burns while lifting) or under estimating your calorie intake (either through grazing, or estimating instead of weighing, etc). There are, of course, normal fluctuations (water retention for various reasons being the most common).

    If you are eating at maintenance or below, you won't gain weight, no matter how much lifting you do.
  • S_Evanson613
    S_Evanson613 Posts: 62 Member
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    Thank you.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    Now I have a question, what is your exact bf%, and what is your target %? This is a far more effective target than weight.
  • S_Evanson613
    S_Evanson613 Posts: 62 Member
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    I have no clue. I have not measure and don't know how to measure really.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    S_Evanson613 wrote: »
    I have no clue. I have not measure and don't know how to measure really.
    Get it measured, that way you have the ability to define a legitimate goal. Weight is a poor one unless you're trying to make a weight class, or drop weight overall for a sport like running.

    You can get a caliper check, those are ok. Or you can get into a bod pod or a dexa scan. both are super cheap, precise, and accurate.
  • S_Evanson613
    S_Evanson613 Posts: 62 Member
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    thanks so much!!
  • weightliftingbarbie
    weightliftingbarbie Posts: 156 Member
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    Deffo try.more cals, I've had to up mine while lifting x
  • weightliftingbarbie
    weightliftingbarbie Posts: 156 Member
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    I also agree with measuring, some weeks I'll gain weight but will lose inches :) keep track.of body fat too if poss
  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
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    dbmata wrote: »
    S_Evanson613 wrote: »
    I have no clue. I have not measure and don't know how to measure really.
    Get it measured, that way you have the ability to define a legitimate goal. Weight is a poor one unless you're trying to make a weight class, or drop weight overall for a sport like running.

    You can get a caliper check, those are ok. Or you can get into a bod pod or a dexa scan. both are super cheap, precise, and accurate.
    They are like $100 a test here.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    So, OP wants more definition, and is wondering why she's not losing (and perhaps gaining) weight, and we are suggesting she increase cals?

    What am I missing?
  • S_Evanson613
    S_Evanson613 Posts: 62 Member
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    jacksonpt wrote: »
    So, OP wants more definition, and is wondering why she's not losing (and perhaps gaining) weight, and we are suggesting she increase cals?

    What am I missing?

    LOL, well i am open to all suggestions, but don't plan to up my cals just yet. Do you have a suggestion by chance? Should probably mention, that while I am looking for definition (not gaining muscle - well not yet in the journey anyway) I am still trying ot lose weight as well.

  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    just to be clear definition means low body fat- revealing your muscles (assuming you have some)
    - If you don't have any and you have a low body fat- you just look... um. the term is skinny fat- and it's going out of style to say- but you don't look cut- you just look really skinny- it's *generally* not the look most people are aiming for- but I don't speak for everyone- so let me say that is NOT a blanket statment about all people everywhere.

    Muscle in terms of actual size- means just that- actual size- and requires work.

    I'm guessing you're wanting a combination of both- and where you are right now just getting on a solid lifting plan and lifting for 6-9 months is probably going to get you a lot closer to what you want. I'd leave calories more or less the same- or a slight slight deficit- and lift the hell out of your gym for a year and reevaluate then.
  • S_Evanson613
    S_Evanson613 Posts: 62 Member
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    thanks!
  • mantium999
    mantium999 Posts: 1,490 Member
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    Just tossing in my vote to listen to Jo's comment above.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    S_Evanson613 wrote: »
    jacksonpt wrote: »
    So, OP wants more definition, and is wondering why she's not losing (and perhaps gaining) weight, and we are suggesting she increase cals?

    What am I missing?

    LOL, well i am open to all suggestions, but don't plan to up my cals just yet. Do you have a suggestion by chance? Should probably mention, that while I am looking for definition (not gaining muscle - well not yet in the journey anyway) I am still trying ot lose weight as well.

    Well, first and foremost...

    You said in your original post that your weight loss has stalled (or even gone up)... by how much? Over what period of time?

    You also say you eat about 1200-1300 cals per day. How confident are you that you're eating that day in and day out for long stretches of time (several weeks)?
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    jkwolly wrote: »
    dbmata wrote: »
    S_Evanson613 wrote: »
    I have no clue. I have not measure and don't know how to measure really.
    Get it measured, that way you have the ability to define a legitimate goal. Weight is a poor one unless you're trying to make a weight class, or drop weight overall for a sport like running.

    You can get a caliper check, those are ok. Or you can get into a bod pod or a dexa scan. both are super cheap, precise, and accurate.
    They are like $100 a test here.

    Which is cheap.

    Particularly to get data that would allow the OP to form a better goal target, and implement a far more efficient plan than, I looked at my weight, but not other metrics, I need advice on how to change everything based on this one single factor that only tells a fraction of the overall story.

    or, whatever.

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