Weight lifting to lose weight?

frankenchops

Hi all, I am a combat sports nut and train boxing and kickboxing, mostly. My goal is not to be muscular, rather it is to stay light, lean, long, flexible, and have great cardio and endurance. I don’t care at all about how much I can lift since big muscles don’t matter much in a ring. That said, I am about 10 pounds overweight and having a hard time with that last ten. I am wondering if my workout routine could benefit from weight lifting if fat loss is my goal. Currently I never lift weights. My workouts consist of boxing workouts (rope jumping, running, sparring, calisthenics, heavy bag, pads, etc). I do these exercise between 1 and 2.5 hours per day 6 days per week. I am on a weight loss plan at the moment and have shed 10 lbs in 30 days eating about 1700 cals per day and doing all the training I just mentioned. But that last 10 pounds is kinda sitting there now and the scale hasn’t really budged in a good week. I could cut calories more or reduce carbs more but feel I am already on the low side, so I am wondering if adding strength training a few times a week as a replacement for all the cardio oriented stuff I do could help. Thoughts?
Frank

dxlee7

Honestly, weight training may improve your power and speed in matches. I do MMA myself and have found that to be the greatest change yet. Try light weight with high repetitions. Perhaps 3 sets of 12 reps depending on your strength.

Chieflrg

Lifting isn't going to burn much calories though it can help retain muscle with the proper macros and resistance.

I'm a little confused how you state that you are ten pounds over weight yet you are concerned about your calorie intake and consider yourself on the light side.

heybales

Sure it could - and tailor the workout to your needs.

Don't do short amount of reps for power or strength - get up to 20 reps - circuit style.

Strictly speaking - it's the deficit from what you burn in total that will lose that last 10 lbs.

The resistance training will just help that to be fat only and not the muscle you might enjoy using, or the endurance you require.

Also, get out of the diet for a couple weeks and eat at maintenance.

Then take the reasonable 250 cal deficit for only 10 lbs left - or if that's too small to be accurate - alternate days of 500 deficit and maintenance, with that rest day at 250.

Your hard stressful workout isn't going to be benefited by a big deficit adding stress.

But your workouts could be benefited by circuit style training with 3-4 circuits of 20 reps until almost failure, 1 min rest max. 3 x weekly.
Compound moves first (and perhaps only).
Using dumbbells may be faster. or machines that mimic the movements.
Squats
OHP or bench press
calf raises
lat pull down or pullups
deadlift
bench or OHP
planks front and sides
bent-over row
straight-leg deadlift
upright row and/or lateral side raise

That alternates between upper and lower, and push and pull for upper.

And I doubt that 1700, a mere 200 above the recommended fail-safe minimum for average sedentary man - is anywhere near a 250 cal deficit for you and your workouts.
I doubt with your workouts you want to be average, or get minimum benefit for your workouts.

Go for max improvements, not minimum. Eat a decent amount to fuel them.

Oh, and the circuit training is still bigger calorie burner compared to straight lifting, probably as if not more intense than what it would replace in time.

frankenchops

Chieflrg wrote: »

I'm a little confused how you state that you are ten pounds over weight yet you are concerned about your calorie intake and consider yourself on the light side.

Yes that was not exactly clear. My goal is to be light, not stay light, since as you pointed out I am 10 lbs over.

carrie197618

@heybales ...That's exactly what my trainer told me..to do circuits for 12-15 reps and sometimes even 20 but all the programmes recommended here are for less reps except for strong curves so I get super confused. I have around 20 lbs to lose so fat loss is my goal and not strength at this point in time
What would you suggest???

carrie197618

Sorry to highjack your thread btw OP

frankenchops

heybales wrote: »

Sure it could - and tailor the workout to your needs.

Don't do short amount of reps for power or strength - get up to 20 reps - circuit style.

Strictly speaking - it's the deficit from what you burn in total that will lose that last 10 lbs.

The resistance training will just help that to be fat only and not the muscle you might enjoy using, or the endurance you require.

Also, get out of the diet for a couple weeks and eat at maintenance.

Then take the reasonable 250 cal deficit for only 10 lbs left - or if that's too small to be accurate - alternate days of 500 deficit and maintenance, with that rest day at 250.

Your hard stressful workout isn't going to be benefited by a big deficit adding stress.

But your workouts could be benefited by circuit style training with 3-4 circuits of 20 reps until almost failure, 1 min rest max. 3 x weekly.
Compound moves first (and perhaps only).
Using dumbbells may be faster. or machines that mimic the movements.
Squats
OHP or bench press
calf raises
lat pull down or pullups
deadlift
bench or OHP
planks front and sides
bent-over row
straight-leg deadlift
upright row and/or lateral side raise

That alternates between upper and lower, and push and pull for upper.

And I doubt that 1700, a mere 200 above the recommended fail-safe minimum for average sedentary man - is anywhere near a 250 cal deficit for you and your workouts.
I doubt with your workouts you want to be average, or get minimum benefit for your workouts.

Go for max improvements, not minimum. Eat a decent amount to fuel them.

Oh, and the circuit training is still bigger calorie burner compared to straight lifting, probably as if not more intense than what it would replace in time.

Thanks for the detailed feedback. I think a circuit style approach might switch things up for the better. The calories are low because I am trying to make weight for a bout in 3 weeks so I don't think I want to increase calories until after that. On the 1700 cals, I normally use sedentary as the basis for my BMR calculation because for most of the day I sit in front of a computer. I only move when I exercise.

rileyes

You want to knock out your opponent? I would run SL5x5 if you want more power. Lifting heavy can give you power. The strength you will gain in as little as six weeks you will feel in your matches.

Eating less will help with weight loss. You can run SL on a deficit and gain power.

You could do supersets of a main lift and Plyometrics like BB squats/ box jumps.

heybales

carrie197618 wrote: »

@heybales ...That's exactly what my trainer told me..to do circuits for 12-15 reps and sometimes even 20 but all the programmes recommended here are for less reps except for strong curves so I get super confused. I have around 20 lbs to lose so fat loss is my goal and not strength at this point in time
What would you suggest???

I'd suggest exactly what I did in my post.

If using machines to make it easier to switch faster, do the machines hitting the muscles in that same order.
Or use dumbbells.

Same idea as lifting though, heavy for you, almost failure on last rep.
Obviously it won't be as heavy with 20 reps as 12 reps reason, nor for 1 min rest compared to 2-4 min rest between sets - but both result in telling the muscle you need more for the next workout - so it gets stronger, eventually existing muscle isn't enough, so if calories and protein allow - more can be built.

Also - don't confuse the fact the fat loss comes from the diet and eating less than you burn, and that is different from a workout goal where you will gain strength if you are doing it right.

heybales

frankenchops wrote: »

heybales wrote: »

Sure it could - and tailor the workout to your needs.

Don't do short amount of reps for power or strength - get up to 20 reps - circuit style.

Strictly speaking - it's the deficit from what you burn in total that will lose that last 10 lbs.

The resistance training will just help that to be fat only and not the muscle you might enjoy using, or the endurance you require.

Also, get out of the diet for a couple weeks and eat at maintenance.

Then take the reasonable 250 cal deficit for only 10 lbs left - or if that's too small to be accurate - alternate days of 500 deficit and maintenance, with that rest day at 250.

Your hard stressful workout isn't going to be benefited by a big deficit adding stress.

But your workouts could be benefited by circuit style training with 3-4 circuits of 20 reps until almost failure, 1 min rest max. 3 x weekly.
Compound moves first (and perhaps only).
Using dumbbells may be faster. or machines that mimic the movements.
Squats
OHP or bench press
calf raises
lat pull down or pullups
deadlift
bench or OHP
planks front and sides
bent-over row
straight-leg deadlift
upright row and/or lateral side raise

That alternates between upper and lower, and push and pull for upper.

And I doubt that 1700, a mere 200 above the recommended fail-safe minimum for average sedentary man - is anywhere near a 250 cal deficit for you and your workouts.
I doubt with your workouts you want to be average, or get minimum benefit for your workouts.

Go for max improvements, not minimum. Eat a decent amount to fuel them.

Oh, and the circuit training is still bigger calorie burner compared to straight lifting, probably as if not more intense than what it would replace in time.

Thanks for the detailed feedback. I think a circuit style approach might switch things up for the better. The calories are low because I am trying to make weight for a bout in 3 weeks so I don't think I want to increase calories until after that. On the 1700 cals, I normally use sedentary as the basis for my BMR calculation because for most of the day I sit in front of a computer. I only move when I exercise.

Then doing it MFP style - which makes sense.

But on days you do more than sedentary activity - like the 6 days you actually workout 1-2 hrs - then you should eat more.
Obtained by logging the workout accurately and eating back the extra to keep the deficit in place.

A bigger deficit then is just going to increase your stressed cortisol levels - helping to retain water it sounds like you'd rather not have the weight from.
Plus that stress indicates you almost never are getting out of the workouts what you could in comparison to not stressed out body.

carrie197618

heybales wrote: »

carrie197618 wrote: »

@heybales ...That's exactly what my trainer told me..to do circuits for 12-15 reps and sometimes even 20 but all the programmes recommended here are for less reps except for strong curves so I get super confused. I have around 20 lbs to lose so fat loss is my goal and not strength at this point in time
What would you suggest???

I'd suggest exactly what I did in my post.

If using machines to make it easier to switch faster, do the machines hitting the muscles in that same order.
Or use dumbbells.

Same idea as lifting though, heavy for you, almost failure on last rep.
Obviously it won't be as heavy with 20 reps as 12 reps reason, nor for 1 min rest compared to 2-4 min rest between sets - but both result in telling the muscle you need more for the next workout - so it gets stronger, eventually existing muscle isn't enough, so if calories and protein allow - more can be built.

Also - don't confuse the fact the fat loss comes from the diet and eating less than you burn, and that is different from a workout goal where you will gain strength if you are doing it right.

@heybales ...thank you so much for your reply. So can you please suggest me a programme which has 12-15 reps or even 20. I was keen on strong curves but little apprehensive since it focuses mainly on glutes and my problem area is my upper body. Do you think it's a good programme for over all fat loss or would you recommend me another programme ??? Also what about all pro???Sorry for so many questions but you always sound so knowledgable and also helpful
Thank you again

heybales

carrie197618 wrote: »

heybales wrote: »

carrie197618 wrote: »

@heybales ...That's exactly what my trainer told me..to do circuits for 12-15 reps and sometimes even 20 but all the programmes recommended here are for less reps except for strong curves so I get super confused. I have around 20 lbs to lose so fat loss is my goal and not strength at this point in time
What would you suggest???

I'd suggest exactly what I did in my post.

If using machines to make it easier to switch faster, do the machines hitting the muscles in that same order.
Or use dumbbells.

Same idea as lifting though, heavy for you, almost failure on last rep.
Obviously it won't be as heavy with 20 reps as 12 reps reason, nor for 1 min rest compared to 2-4 min rest between sets - but both result in telling the muscle you need more for the next workout - so it gets stronger, eventually existing muscle isn't enough, so if calories and protein allow - more can be built.

Also - don't confuse the fact the fat loss comes from the diet and eating less than you burn, and that is different from a workout goal where you will gain strength if you are doing it right.

@heybales ...thank you so much for your reply. So can you please suggest me a programme which has 12-15 reps or even 20. I was keen on strong curves but little apprehensive since it focuses mainly on glutes and my problem area is my upper body. Do you think it's a good programme for over all fat loss or would you recommend me another programme ??? Also what about all pro???Sorry for so many questions but you always sound so knowledgable and also helpful
Thank you again

Don't miss the point that fat loss is ALL about eating less than you burn.

Only thing exercise is going to do for diet is make you burn more in a day, and therefore when you eat less than that, it's more than if you didn't workout. And right workout can help you retain muscle rather than normal loss.

Would you rather burn 2000 daily average and eat 1500 with no exercise, and get a smaller version of current you?
Or burn 2500 and eat 2000 with exercise that transforms the body to be revealed under the fat?
Probably easier to adhere to 2000 eating too.

Since you can't spot reduce, the workouts are merely for making what's under the fat look good, which can help even before it's gone.

Start here since I don't know what equipment you have access to.
Read the Guidelines at the bottom as to how to pick out a program. Suggest one of the bottom 2 since you said upper body needs help first. But frankly lower body is bigger muscle, therefore can have more damage done, and require more repair - so don't skimp on it.

http://www.exrx.net/Workouts/Workout1PPPP.html

As it says, pick out the lift that hits those muscles with equipment you have available.
Do it 3 x weekly. Do 3 Circuits with 1-2 min rest depending on speed of weight/machine changes.
Start at 12 reps and increase when you can, after several sessions when you reach 15, increase the weight and start at 12 again.
Good form paramount.

carrie197618

Thank u so much once again @heybales
Decided to start with strong curves and will add few upper body workouts as I progress
Of course diet is always the key