What do I do in the gym :-/

tjsims8

My goals are to lose 30-40lbs of fat and gain muscle. Do I focus on cardio to lose most of the weight first or do I start with cardio and lifting weights? What should I do more of? Thx

teinabarlow

I started listening to the podcast Body Do Over from episode 1, and it's really helped a lot - they even have an episode about this issue of cardio vs weights. I have the iPhone app "Strong" which is the best that I found for logging workouts. Quick answer: weights build muscle. Muscle burns fat for longer after you've finished, than cardio. Hope this helps.

IsaackGMOON

You probably aren't going to gain muscle while losing weight because it requires a caloric surplus, and losing weight requires a caloric deficit - see the problem? Also, you're female... so you have less testosterone which is a big disadvantage.

However, you should be lifting heavy weights with a progressive overload (weight gets heavier) to maintain muscle mass while losing weight. Some really good programs are;

• New Rules of Lifting For Women
• Strong Curves
• ICF 5x5
• StrongLifts 5x5

You should also be eating the 'correct' ratio of macronutrients to fuel your body while lifting, these are some good frameworks;

• 0.6-0.8g of protein per lb of body mass
• 0.4-0.45g of fat per lb of body mass
• fill rest of calories with carbs

teinabarlow wrote: »

I started listening to the podcast Body Do Over from episode 1, and it's really helped a lot - they even have an episode about this issue of cardio vs weights. I have the iPhone app "Strong" which is the best that I found for logging workouts. Quick answer: weights build muscle. Muscle burns fat for longer after you've finished, than cardio. Hope this helps.

You are true in saying weight lifting builds muscle... but you need to have the correct nutrition (caloric surplus, adequate protein) otherwise you're not going to build anything, especially in a female. Muscle burns fat for longer? I think you mean muscle is more metabolically active? Even so, you'd have to gain a significant amount of muscle... I mean a lot, just to have a significant impact on weight loss.

hill8570

Really need to do both. You want to lose fat, not muscle, and the weight work will help keep your body from burning muscle while you're running your calorie deficit. Don't expect to add much muscle while running a deficit, 'tho -- you're generally lucky to just maintain strength while doing a cut.

aaroessler

You're going to get a lot of different opinions on this, but the easy answer is do both. 45 min of cardio 3-5 times a week, proper diet (what other people have said about proper protein), and some lifting and you'll see results. You don't need to lift insane amounts and add tons of muscle for lifting to benefit your workout. You can absolutely add/tone muscle while in a calorie deficit; it is dependant on age/sex/diet though.

IsaackGMOON

aaroessler wrote: »

You're going to get a lot of different opinions on this, but the easy answer is do both. 45 min of cardio 3-5 times a week, proper diet (what other people have said about proper protein), and some lifting and you'll see results. You don't need to lift insane amounts and add tons of muscle for lifting to benefit your workout. You can absolutely add/tone muscle while in a calorie deficit; it is dependant on age/sex/diet though.

True... but it is still a very small amount. It's even harder for a female to do so in a caloric deficit.

It comes down to;

• Gender (females have less testosterone =/= bigger disadvantage)
• Age
• Whether you're new to lifting or returning
• Diet (macros etc)
• Progressive overload

999tigger

Both, but lift 3x a week and then fill the rest with cardio. You arent gaining muscle you are retaining it which means you will lose a greater proportion of fat, which is better than just weight loss.

I have never seen anyone regret posting about starting weights too eraly , but plenty who dont start early enough.

nikkiab86

I'm on the exercise bike for 40 minutes and treadmill. I'm focused on cardio for fat loss. As for weights, I don't lift. I'm 221lbs just doing push ups, walking up stairs ,and squats is enough for me now.

IsaackGMOON

You should definitely start to lift now.