Am i wasting my time in the gym doing weights?

hilts1969

I am comfortable losing weight and am down to 13 stone(6 2" tall) but last time i lost weight i got down to just over 12 stone but looked really thin so have been doing some weights, for a number of reasons i only use the following machines

chest press,bicep curl,shoulder press,tricep,pulldown and fly

I workout mon wed fri and although i can lift more weight than when i started i am wondering if i will see any benefit in terms of gaining muscle

phjorg1

chest press,bicep curl,shoulder press,tricep,pulldown and fly

I workout mon wed fri and although i can lift more weight than when i started i am wondering if i will see any benefit in terms of gaining muscle

not with that routine you won't. aside from basic noob gains assuming you have a proper diet.

If you want to actually build muscle, get on a real beginner template like SS, SL, NROL. Then graduate to a more intermediate template like WSFSB or PHAT or 5/3/1

pastryari

Are you eating at a caloric surplus? That is required for muscle gain.

Even if you're not, lifting still has it's place to help retain LBM. Possible newb gains.

Do you not have legs? Why no compound lifts like squats and deadlifts?

Showcase_Brodown

It's not a waste of time doing weights, particularly if you have an effective routine. Although I would encourage you to move toward using free weights instead of machines.

If you are losing weight (in a calorie deficit) you will not see much in muscle size gains, if anything. But, you can surely gain strength in the process. It is a good idea to do strength training and have enough protein so that you can keep the muscle you have. If you ever switch to a surplus, you should be able to see muscle gains.

yogicarl

If you are not really into weights and/or gyms why not have a look at "You Are Your Own Gym". You may not build as much muscle as with a weights program but you will increase your strength and have fun finding new limits your own body alone can reach.

People often say you can't make bodyweight movements harder so eventually you have to switch up to weights anyway but that is not true; you just have to be a little ore creative - and that makes it even more fun!

hilts1969

I have a certain time window on those 3 days so i do 3 of those weights, run, then do the other weights, in between the upper body stuff i work my legs, i am not bothered about getting big just a bit of muscle and not losing strength with the weight loss, once i get under 13 stone i tend to look to scrawny

tonynguyen75

Do you not have legs? Why no compound lifts like squats and deadlifts?

LOL! my thoughts exactly...

People are afraid of the major compound lifts, because they don't know how to do them or think they'll hurt themselves.

However, squats and deadlifts probably burn the most calories, invoke the most muscles and will cause the most muscle gains out of all the lifts =\

RGv2

I have a certain time window on those 3 days so i do 3 of those weights, run, then do the other weights, in between the upper body stuff i work my legs, i am not bothered about getting big just a bit of muscle and not losing strength with the weight loss, once i get under 13 stone i tend to look to scrawny

Compound lifts, and you need to make sure you're challenging yourself. You're not going to get big lifting on a deficit, what you'll do if you lift on a deficit is maintain your muscle mass so you aren't "scrawny" when the fat is gone.

EDIT: How many of these exercises are machines vs free weight?

pastryari

I have a certain time window on those 3 days so i do 3 of those weights, run, then do the other weights, in between the upper body stuff i work my legs, i am not bothered about getting big just a bit of muscle and not losing strength with the weight loss, once i get under 13 stone i tend to look to scrawny

Cut your running time down. Lift first and do 20 mins of HIIT or something after.

Look into a program like Stronglifts. It doesn't take a lot of time to complete and it's 3x a week with 3 compound lifts each lifting day. Far more productive use of time.

hilts1969

I gather the answer is no then, cheers for the replies anyhow chaps

amit949

Simply put, if you're interested in losing weight, then exercise is a must. (Im sure you know) Now weightlifting being a demanding exercise is very important for two reasons: A) It burn calories and leads to new muscle growth (depending on your diet). Having more muscle mass enables you to burn more calories per day.

So that in mind, lets say your goal is to just lose weight overall regardless of muscle mass. You can accomplish that by eating at a Deficit of your calculated Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and doing cardio daily. (My fitness pal does all of this with the tracker/goal setting). But in this scenario the weight being lost in terms of pounds or kilograms is a combo of fat and muscle mass. Yes, you will lose weight overall and appear slimmer but in the end you will be weaker as well. Esp in areas such as the chest and arms if you do Cardio only.

Now if you were to add weight lifting to your program, you will be burning calories during your sessions as well and getting to your BMR deficit to allow fat-loss BUT now you are also maintaining your muscle mass. This allows more stored-fat to be used as fuel; therein, reducing your bf%.

IMPORTANT: With the correct diet (carb-cycles, correct macros, multiV, BCAA, and gallon of water per day) you can have the potential of reducing your Body Fat Percentage which is alot different then losing weight in terms of lb / kg. Bodyfat is what represents how lean/cut/muscular a person looks. By weightlifting some days and doing cardio on other days as well as keeping control of carb/protein/healthy fat ratios in your daily BMR, you will get lean and it will be more beneficial in the long run.

Having a higher muscle mass allows you to keep weight off as well. Plus weight lifting helps reduce stress.

In terms of Nutrition what your essentially trying to do is referred to as "cutting" in bodybuilding. You can accomplish that in many different ways, diets, and workout programs. The goal is simple. Burn as much calories in the shortest amount of time while maintaining a high intensity. I suggest you find a full-body program that you can follow on bodybuilding.com. Do it for 2 weeks and then switch programs.

Keep your diet right and the benefits of weightlifting are endless....

Note of caution tho: Form is more important than strength. Injuring your self is just counter productive so be patient, consciousness, and careful.

hilts1969

Think i'm screwed then fella was hoping a few machines around my running would at least give a bit of definition, was always a long shot i guess

amit949

Well how about doing circuits before your cardio sessions? Or do your cardio in the AM on a empty stomach. Then in the PM do chest, arms, back, legs, abs all in one circuit. Its call compound movement circuit training. IF you choose to lift and run in the same session then do a circuit consisting of weightless body exercises such as push-ups to plank to burpees followed by a pull up. So you do 4 total circuits meaning do a push-up then go into plank position then burpee up and then do a pullup. Do that for 10 reps and for 2-3 sets and you will jump start your Heart Rate making your cardio session more effective.

There are many ways to fit it into your time constraints. Its a matter of commitment really.

richardheath

Well... it depends on what you really want/expect from your program.

Definition is a function of overall body fat % more so that muscle mass per se. If you are above about 15% body fat (for a male), you won't have much definition: your muscles might be there, but they'll be covered by a layer of fat.

So - if you continue your current program, and continue to lose weight, most of that weight will be fat. As you lose the fat, the muscles will become more defined. You will also get a bit stronger, as your undergo neuromuscular adaptation (basically, your brain gets better at telling the muscles what to do).

But you really aren't going about it in a very efficient manner. I started out this way, and yes, I got some results - I lost weight, and got some definition. But you will NOT gain (much) muscle mass. You will NOT get massively stronger.

To get stronger, follow a full body program with progressive loading (otherwise known as "lifting heavy"). Starting Strength, Strong Lifts etc.

To get bigger (more lean body mass) AND stronger, you need to lift heavy AND eat at a surplus. [Then eat a deficit to remove the extra fat you also added.]

At the very least, look to a decent split program to use on the machines/with dumbbells and cut down the cardio to a few HIIT sessions a week. e.g. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/lee-labrada-12-week-lean-body-trainer.html This will give you a much more balanced approach that what you are doing now.

Oh, and complete the program you chose - don't just follow it for 2 weeks, as the poster above suggested. Muscle confusion is a myth.

susieoj

All I can say to this is OMG no you're not wasting your time lol- yes you should incorporate weight training into your fitness routine. ....and no you're not going to end up just suddenly looking jacked

amit949

Oh, and complete the program you chose - don't just follow it for 2 weeks, as the poster above suggested. Muscle confusion is a myth.

I agree with everything else he said except I think he misunderstood my program changing comment. Regarding the 2 week thing, I meant it more so as a way to train at different angles. Muscle confusion is not a myth btw but it was not what I was trying to say.

I was saying, stimulus change is important for intensity / development. It can be anything from switching a routine in terms of exercise order, using a dumbbell instead of barbell, or a wide grip instead of a close grip. These changes are necessary to maximize the development of a muscle because growth hormone is released most when a muscle fiber is loaded in challenging ways.

The idea of Muscle confusion comes in when you have been training for a long time with a constant stimulus on muscle with the same load and angle. This leads to less activation of Type 1 and 2 fibers within the muscle as the body adapts. LESS not NO activation but LESS. Now I realize this would take quite some time to reach that point. But just to clarify the idea, a person doing the same weight and routine for a year will make less gains (all things being equal) than the person who altered order / angle of the exercises.

Majority of the rounties on bodybuilding.com have changes in stimulus built into them on a weekly basis. It is simple to understand that muscles have the ability to outgrow a stimulus; therefore, for the sake of activation of fibers, new angles or exercises are required. If you think muscle confusion is a myth you must also think people can't reach a plateau?

You realize the human body is designed to adapt and loves routine. It also is designed to retain fat and increase its energy resources. So "changing it up" allows for maximizing your training as well as increasing the fun. Doing new things will always require more energy than doing the same thing over and over.

cwolfman13

Resistance training is just about the most important thing you can do, especially for body composition. That said, you should do some kind of real program to maximize the benefit. This can be a beginner strength program like SS or SL 5x5...or a beginner hypertrophy program or there are numerous body weight programs out there. The key is that these are structured in such a way as to provide the most effective benefit.

hilts1969

It is as i thought really too complicated and time consuming but more importantly not something i would consider doing as i would not stick to it, my main goal is running and this will be the main goal, the weight for me comes off quite easily anyhow and has never been a problem, i have 30 mins a session to spend on weight machines as they are the only things open to me

My choice really is weight machines as i have described or nothing, i don;t even want to be jacked or get big in the slightest it's not for me

I will give it 6 months to see if there is any difference to my strength or body and decide if it is worth carrying on, if not i will just stick to the running

Thanks anyhow

richardheath

What's too complicated? It's simple: find a program; stick to it.

It doesn't have to be time consuming either: find a program that can be done in 30 mins a day, 3 days per week (since that is the time you say you have).

And why would you not consider doing it when you appear to be already doing it and are going to spend 6 more months doing it?

You are not going to get jacked. Ain't going to happen. [Unless you do heavy lifting and eat a surplus. Steroids would help.]

Will weight training help your running? Yes. If you get stronger, you will get faster.

Now - if you are training for a marathon or such, then fine, concentrate on your running. Nothing wrong with that. But if you are, as you said, wanting to get a bit of muscle definition and maintain LBM while also running, then resistance training will help. Doing what you doing is OK, but finding a more balanced program will be more efficient.

In the end, it's up to you of course.

hilts1969

Any program i do would have to have to use the weight machines i am already using, due to the time i am in the gym i cannot get on any of the free weights that they have, i asked if what i was doing would gain me any muscle or if i was wasting my time, it was a simple question really, if i had wanted to know about squats deadlifts, balancing my diet, macros, protein shakes, talking on the phone in between grunting out five reps to look like arnie etc... i would have

i was expecting either

you will add a little then no more

add nothing noticable

will gain but at a slower rate

i guess i will have to judge the results in time and come to a conclusion myself

phjorg1

Any program you do with that attitude will result in failure.