Muscle?

JennBennett410

So I have been working out for 27 days straight. A combination for BIggest Loser Wii Fit, Jogging, Bike Riding, WIi Fit Plus Games, and general life stuff.
My question is how long till I start building muscle. I don't do much of strength training because mainly right now I need to lose about 30 or so pounds. I do minimal on the wii fit, but nothing that requires weights.
Any advice would be appreciated!

questionablemethods

In my opinion, you should always be doing strength training, no matter what point you are at in your weight-loss/fitness journey. Strength training will help you maintain your lean muscle while you lose fat. Without it, it is likely that some of the 30 pounds you lose will be muscle -- which is not really what you want if you want to maintain a healthy metabolism and end up with a lean body.

I have gotten quite far with bodyweight exercises (pushups, lunges, squats, single-leg squats, pullups) because I mostly workout in the one-room condo I share with my boyfriend but I have also been incorporating more heavy weights with some adjustable dumbbells. Elastic resistance bands are also a good starting point.

aippolito1

I agree with Kaitlin. I've been weight lifting and strength training since I started working out and eating healthy in January and I think it's what's helped me because not only have I lost weight, but I've also lost inches and even when I'm not losing weight on the scale, I can tell I'm getting smaller.

Lifting weights while aiming to lose weight helps you from becoming "skinny fat" - flabby while still being thin. You won't bulk up unless you are on a very high calorie, high protein diet and lifting very heavy weights.

I use 5 lb, 8 lb, and 10 lb dumbbells, 2 different sized resistance bands and my own body weight. I do normal toning exercises such as ab work outs, but I also do squats and lunges with weights as well as the usual bicep curls and the like. When I first started working out, I could barely do my work outs with 5 lbs but now I can lift the 10 lbs weights in each hand (but not at the same time). Also, my boyfriend has some 25 lb weights and before I started working out, I could barely move them but yesterday I carried one in each hand from one room of the house to the other with no problem. You WILL get stronger and you will be able to burn more fat because muscle burns fat for you! :happy:

And to answer your question, I would say maybe a month of consistent weight lifting (or even just resistance training). And by consistent, I mean 3x/week. Every other day. Allow at least 1 day for each muscle group to rest and heal. So if you do full body, rest one day, then the next day, repeat the work out. If you work just arms, rest them the day after but also work legs, etc.