Weight loss & Toning/Muscle

catsbfit

Hi Guys,

I want to lose atleast 3 stone but i do want to tone my body and have a bit of muscle. I do Cardio 4 times a week. 1 hour session. So my question is do i do cardio and strength training while losing weight or stick to cardio and then when ive lost 3 stone of weight do strength training after?

Thanks

snickerscharlie

Continue with the strength training. It will help preserve the muscle you have while you're losing weight.

cwolfman13

Cardio doesn't "tone" anything...cardio is for your cardiovascular health. You need to do resistance training to change your body composition...ie "tone" Resistance training should be done while losing weight to preserve muscle, otherwise you lose muscle and fat...waiting to do resistance training is not going to give you the body you want in the least.

SabAteNine

Lift. Now. You can start with a full-body beginner routine.

I regret starting way too late, when I was already at my goal weight.

catsbfit

SabAteNine wrote: »

Lift. Now. You can start with a full-body beginner routine.

I regret starting way too late, when I was already at my goal weight.

Will resistance bands and squats be enough? Or do i have to buy some weights?

estherdragonbat

You don't need to buy weights. I started with resistance bands. These days, I use a mix of body-weight and dumbbells. For me, that's a good fit. But you can definitely strength train with bands and body-weight.

SabAteNine

catzzm9768 wrote: »

SabAteNine wrote: »

Lift. Now. You can start with a full-body beginner routine.

I regret starting way too late, when I was already at my goal weight.

Will resistance bands and squats be enough? Or do i have to buy some weights?

Depends what your goals are, I think. Why just squats and not other bodyweight exercises too?

I had the luck of being able to snatch two unused and forgotten adjustable dumbbells from my husband. They did me good! Then I added a barbell and a bench.

mbaker566

weights are not required depending on what your goals are. some strength training will help keep your muscle mass as you lose weight.

i do bodyweight work for strength, some use hand weights, or kettle bells, or resistance bands. weights are also a good option. whatever you want to do

AnnPT77

catzzm9768 wrote: »

SabAteNine wrote: »

Lift. Now. You can start with a full-body beginner routine.

I regret starting way too late, when I was already at my goal weight.

Will resistance bands and squats be enough? Or do i have to buy some weights?

There are bodyweight programs (it's best to follow a well-designed program rather than just try to invent one ). The bodyweight programs usually can be done at home with no or very minimal equipment. If you keep going for quite a while with bodyweight and progressions within it, you may eventually reach a point where you need equipment for continuing progress, but that's well into the future for most people.

This is a good, informative thread; despite its title, it does include bodyweight programs as well as weight-lifting programs:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you

kshama2001

catzzm9768 wrote: »

SabAteNine wrote: »

Lift. Now. You can start with a full-body beginner routine.

I regret starting way too late, when I was already at my goal weight.

Will resistance bands and squats be enough? Or do i have to buy some weights?

I did The RBG Workout: How She Stays Strong . . . and You Can Too! with just resistance bands and low weights for 11 months or so and am really glad I finally sprung for heavier weights.

You might be able to get some weights on craigslist or freecycle.org.

lettymartine

I’ve been wondering the same thing as the OP. What I’m confused about though is calorie requirements. When researching this before I read that lifting/building muscle requires either maintenance calories or a slight surplus to fuel muscle growth, whereas fat loss obviously requires a calorie deficit. I took this to mean the two are basically mutually exclusive, explaining why lots of people seem to lose the body fat before switching up their calorie intake to support their new goal to gain muscle.

Does anyone have any more information on this? Would love to get an answer once and for all!

kimmurden1

lettymartine wrote: »

I’ve been wondering the same thing as the OP. What I’m confused about though is calorie requirements. When researching this before I read that lifting/building muscle requires either maintenance calories or a slight surplus to fuel muscle growth, whereas fat loss obviously requires a calorie deficit. I took this to mean the two are basically mutually exclusive, explaining why lots of people seem to lose the body fat before switching up their calorie intake to support their new goal to gain muscle.

Does anyone have any more information on this? Would love to get an answer once and for all!

Muscle toning is muscle building, but muscle building isn't necessarily toning. Just like a square is a rectangle but a rectangle isn't a square. Anytime you increase muscle tone, you're going to increase your muscle size. ... it is a workout that not only builds muscle/strength but also sheds the fat.

Muscle building, in the form of body building, is a very complicated nutrition process of build and cut. You can really use the information associated with that type of goal and apply it to everyday health and fitness. Just my thoughts.

sardelsa

lettymartine wrote: »

I’ve been wondering the same thing as the OP. What I’m confused about though is calorie requirements. When researching this before I read that lifting/building muscle requires either maintenance calories or a slight surplus to fuel muscle growth, whereas fat loss obviously requires a calorie deficit. I took this to mean the two are basically mutually exclusive, explaining why lots of people seem to lose the body fat before switching up their calorie intake to support their new goal to gain muscle.

Does anyone have any more information on this? Would love to get an answer once and for all!

If you lift when losing weight, you will mostly retain the muscle you have (in some cases you can build but it depends on certain factors and is usually not as significant as a surplus obviously). I do this when I am cutting, so I lift in a deficit to retain muscle and look more defined. In order to actually grow in size, a surplus is the most optimal way. But with that comes some fat gain. Therefore it is recommended that people start off fairly lean before a bulk in order to have better muscle to fat gain ratio, as well it is more comfortable to put on weight when you start off leaner.
You can also gain muscle in maintenance, it can take quite a bit of time though.

In the end start lifting no matter what.. just tailor your intake based on your current goals.

CarvedTones

Toning is one of those vague terms that means different things to different people. For a lot of people, it's actually revealing the muscles by removing the fat and gaining endurance to feel stronger - not get winded keeping up with a hiking group or whatever. Cardio does work for that goal. For best results there needs to be some full body cardio, like rowing or circuit training, in the mix and a reasonable (not too fast) rate of weight loss.
For others, toning does mean building muscle but not bulking up like a body builder. This does require strength training and is extremely difficult to do while in a deficit.

AnnPT77

lettymartine wrote: »

I’ve been wondering the same thing as the OP. What I’m confused about though is calorie requirements. When researching this before I read that lifting/building muscle requires either maintenance calories or a slight surplus to fuel muscle growth, whereas fat loss obviously requires a calorie deficit. I took this to mean the two are basically mutually exclusive, explaining why lots of people seem to lose the body fat before switching up their calorie intake to support their new goal to gain muscle.

Does anyone have any more information on this? Would love to get an answer once and for all!

Sometimes, people new to strength training can add a little new muscle tissue while in a calorie deficit, with a good lifting program, a not-too-fast loss rate, and adequate protein intake, perhaps especially if starting while obese, but that possibility is not something you can count on.

Still, most of us when in a sensible calorie deficit can use a good lifting program (and get adequate protein intake) to preserve existing muscle tissue better, add strength (via neuromuscular adaptation, which is better recruitment and more efficient use of existing muscle tissue) if new to lifting, and look better (through muscle fullness that comes from a little water retention in the muscles for repair).

Muscle mass gain (new muscle tissue growth) is less likely.

So, either way, strength training has worthwhile benefits and is worth doing.