You can't build muscle and lose weight! So whats the point?

soinbnsng
soinbnsng Posts: 65 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Okay that wasn't an affirmative statement.
I am trying to lose a significant amount of weight and have read tons and tons about how weight lifting can help more than cardio. But is that true? because I have also read in many different places that you cant build muscle and lose weight since losing weight requires a calorie deficit and gaining muscle requires a calorie surplus.
So I am confused, Should I focus less on weights and more on cardio UNTIL I have lost the weight and are ready to tone up.
If so, how many minutes of cardio should I do per week?
«1

Replies

  • Shannon_PAC
    Shannon_PAC Posts: 24
    I'm interested what people have to say about this.
  • grantdumas7
    grantdumas7 Posts: 802 Member
    Do both cardio and weights. As a beginner you can lose weight and gain muscle at the same time. It just comes down to following a good diet and exercise program. Ultimately weight-loss comes down to calories.
  • tomcornhole
    tomcornhole Posts: 1,084 Member
    Lift weights while losing weight to minimize the amount of muscle mass you lose. It is MUCH more difficult to get muscle back once you lose it. A lot of folks get to their goal weight or BF% and don't like what they see. I was one of them. Went from 254 to 185 and looked like a POW. Now I am struggling to add back LBM that I lost and it is a very difficult task.

    Start lifting now. Do cardio, too if you enjoy it. But definitely move heavy things while losing weight.

    Tom
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Focus on your diet first. Until you've got your caloric deficit nailed down, it's not going to make any meaningful difference what kind of exercise you do. This is especially true if you have a lot to lose.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Lift weights while losing weight to minimize the amount of muscle mass you lose. It is MUCH more difficult to get muscle back once you lose it. A lot of folks get to their goal weight or BF% and don't like what they see. I was one of them. Went from 254 to 185 and looked like a POW. Now I am struggling to add back LBM that I lost and it is a very difficult task.

    Start lifting now. Do cardio, too if you enjoy it. But definitely move heavy things while losing weight.

    Tom

    ^this

    Also, it's healthy, so why not?
  • Cranquistador
    Cranquistador Posts: 39,744 Member
    Lift weights now to retain your LBM while you lose weight...bonus is you will look better when you get where you want to be.
  • Tffanie4712
    Tffanie4712 Posts: 115
    Yes I'm struggling as well I hope when I get down to my goal weight and goal body fat percentage I will like what I see.
  • Amy_B
    Amy_B Posts: 2,317 Member
    The program I am doing now touts "Muscle burns fat," which totally makes sense to me. I would say it definitely won't hurt to strength train with your cardio.
  • mamasmaltz3
    mamasmaltz3 Posts: 1,111 Member
    Lift weights while losing weight to minimize the amount of muscle mass you lose. It is MUCH more difficult to get muscle back once you lose it. A lot of folks get to their goal weight or BF% and don't like what they see. I was one of them. Went from 254 to 185 and looked like a POW. Now I am struggling to add back LBM that I lost and it is a very difficult task.

    Start lifting now. Do cardio, too if you enjoy it. But definitely move heavy things while losing weight.

    Tom

    ^this

    Also, it's healthy, so why not?



    What they said. And the more muscle you keep the more you get to eat.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Lift weights while losing weight to minimize the amount of muscle mass you lose. It is MUCH more difficult to get muscle back once you lose it. A lot of folks get to their goal weight or BF% and don't like what they see. I was one of them. Went from 254 to 185 and looked like a POW. Now I am struggling to add back LBM that I lost and it is a very difficult task.

    Start lifting now. Do cardio, too if you enjoy it. But definitely move heavy things while losing weight.

    Tom

    ^this

    Also, it's healthy, so why not?

    ^^yep.

    While you may make some 'newbie' lifter gains at first, they will be pretty small. The main reason is for the preservation of muscle. There are a slew of other benefits also.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    Lift weights while losing weight to minimize the amount of muscle mass you lose. It is MUCH more difficult to get muscle back once you lose it. A lot of folks get to their goal weight or BF% and don't like what they see. I was one of them. Went from 254 to 185 and looked like a POW. Now I am struggling to add back LBM that I lost and it is a very difficult task.

    Start lifting now. Do cardio, too if you enjoy it. But definitely move heavy things while losing weight.

    Tom

    This.

    I wish I had started lifting sooner. I am recomping, so I'm building a tiny amount of muscle while eating at maintenance. It's very slow going. Would have been better to have kept what I had in the first place instead of trying to "lose weight first and then tone up"
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    Well, you can certainly LOSE muscle and lose weight, that's for sure.

    So if you want to lose 30 lbs... do you want to lose 20 lbs of muscle and organ, and 10 lbs of fat? Or do you want to lose 3 lbs of muscle and organ, and 27 lbs of fat?

    Make your choice.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Lift weights while losing weight to minimize the amount of muscle mass you lose. It is MUCH more difficult to get muscle back once you lose it. A lot of folks get to their goal weight or BF% and don't like what they see. I was one of them. Went from 254 to 185 and looked like a POW. Now I am struggling to add back LBM that I lost and it is a very difficult task.

    Start lifting now. Do cardio, too if you enjoy it. But definitely move heavy things while losing weight.

    Tom

    ^this

    Also, it's healthy, so why not?

    Just belaboring the point here...
  • Shannon_PAC
    Shannon_PAC Posts: 24
    I started weight training about 4 weeks ago with a trainer. I train with him twice per week. I gained 5 pounds almost immediately and had not lost anything. Then I noticed I was peeing a lot and stepped on the scale and BAM! 6 pounds gone.

    The one thing I will say is this: Being strong makes you more functional. Do it. I noticed today that lifting heavy groceries or picking up my nearly 50 pound 5 year old is like nothing anymore. Even little things are easier. I no long groan when I have to bend over an pick something up or walk up several flights of stairs. Everything is just easier.

    Strength training makes you feel healthy and strong. They scale may stick for awhile, but it will eventually move.
  • uconnwinsnc
    uconnwinsnc Posts: 1,054 Member
    Okay that wasn't an affirmative statement.
    I am trying to lose a significant amount of weight and have read tons and tons about how weight lifting can help more than cardio. But is that true? because I have also read in many different places that you cant build muscle and lose weight since losing weight requires a calorie deficit and gaining muscle requires a calorie surplus.
    So I am confused, Should I focus less on weights and more on cardio UNTIL I have lost the weight and are ready to tone up.
    If so, how many minutes of cardio should I do per week?

    You can't build muscle while you lose weight, but you certainly can lose muscle while you lose weight. You don't want that, right? So by weight training, you will maintain as much muscle as you can while trying to burn off as much fat as you can. Your goal is to limit muscle loss while on a calorie deficit.


    Edit: Didn't read thread. People already made this point.
  • 50racinggirl
    50racinggirl Posts: 96 Member
    Do both cardio and weights. As a beginner you can lose weight and gain muscle at the same time. It just comes down to following a good diet and exercise program. Ultimately weight-loss comes down to calories.

    I agree. I lost 64 pounds by lifting weights and doing cardio. I've gained some of it back and just started doing the same routines again to drop the 30 pounds. I truly believe in moderation and balance.
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    Doing the strength training helps ensure that you lose mostly FAT, which is what people actually want to lose when they say "lose weight." If you don't do resistance training, your body will sacrifice lean muscle very easily in a deficit.
  • Myhaloslipped
    Myhaloslipped Posts: 4,317 Member
    I lift much more than I do cardio, and I have been meaning to step up my cardio a bit. The only problem is that the actual decrease in the number on the scale is SLOW, but I am loving the results I am seeing. So I basically said screw the scale a while back and really only weigh now every once in a while.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Well, you can certainly LOSE muscle and lose weight, that's for sure.

    So if you want to lose 30 lbs... do you want to lose 20 lbs of muscle and organ, and 10 lbs of fat? Or do you want to lose 3 lbs of muscle and organ, and 27 lbs of fat?

    Make your choice.

    While I agree 100% with your sentiment, I have not seen those kinds of numbers FWIW. Even with what I would consider an extreme approach (e.g. HCG 500 cal/day), the worst ratios I have seen are 2:1 fat: fat-free mass losses. That's bad enough.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    Well, you can certainly LOSE muscle and lose weight, that's for sure.

    So if you want to lose 30 lbs... do you want to lose 20 lbs of muscle and organ, and 10 lbs of fat? Or do you want to lose 3 lbs of muscle and organ, and 27 lbs of fat?

    Make your choice.

    While I agree 100% with your sentiment, I have not seen those kinds of numbers FWIW. Even with what I would consider an extreme approach (e.g. HCG 500 cal/day), the worst ratios I have seen are 2:1 fat: fat-free mass losses. That's bad enough.

    I suppose I was exaggerating a little, but in all honesty people who don't understand how difficult it is to put on lean mass are better served with a little exaggeration.

    You can lose 10 lbs of lean mass in a few months. It can take years to put that back on.
  • soinbnsng
    soinbnsng Posts: 65 Member
    Thanks everyone for their input! so helpful!
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    NO, START LIFTING NOW!

    You dont' need to make new muscle tissue- your body already has tons of muscle fibers that you aren't using. The first few months to a year of strength training are all about training your CNS (central nervous system) to fire up muscle fibers that you don't use. For everyday activities you only use a tiny percentage of what you have. So you lift weights, and you fire up tissue, and then those fibers become hormonally active and start burning more calories throughout the day.

    Without building any new tissue you can:
    -lose weight/fat
    -get stronger
    -have more muscle definition
    -burn more calories
    -be better able to perform daily activities
    -strengthen your bones
    -look better
    -reduce daily pain (like back and neck pain)
    -Better regulate blood sugar

    and, most importantly,
    FEEL TOTALLY BADASS all the time.

    You don't need to make new tissue to get any of the benefits of weight lifting.
  • Fullsterkur_woman
    Fullsterkur_woman Posts: 2,712 Member
    You can lose 10 lbs of lean mass in a few months. It can take years to put that back on.
    Especially if you are a woman. I lament all the muscle I lost when I lost 50 pounds in my early 20s. I could be so awesome right now if I hadn't! :laugh:
  • edwardkim85
    edwardkim85 Posts: 438 Member
    Okay that wasn't an affirmative statement.
    I am trying to lose a significant amount of weight and have read tons and tons about how weight lifting can help more than cardio. But is that true? because I have also read in many different places that you cant build muscle and lose weight since losing weight requires a calorie deficit and gaining muscle requires a calorie surplus.
    So I am confused, Should I focus less on weights and more on cardio UNTIL I have lost the weight and are ready to tone up.
    If so, how many minutes of cardio should I do per week?

    That's if you're already lean and have a low body fat.

    If you have a lot of fat to burn, you can use fat as a fuel to gain strength and muscle.

    I've lost 30 lbs so far in 4 months and strength trained hard - had significant gains in all lifts.

    If you're new to lifting or have been away for a while like me, you will get stronger to a certain point.

    Those people are talking about people who are already lean + trained for years. Those people have an extremely difficult time to lose fat and gain muscle(almost imposs).
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
    I agree with everyone on this thread - train with resistance in the way you like, to retain lean mass.

    Put simply, your body when in a calorie deficit, it will be 'looking' for energy stores and wasters that aren't needed. Not lifting will mean, the body will 'see' it as not needed for daily activities and drop it accordingly. If it is being used (the muscle) the body will conserve it.

    Incidentally, one of the best ways to maintain muscle mass/recover between workouts is to use carbs around training time and eat simply protein/fats/veg around other meals.
  • HexyleneGlycol
    HexyleneGlycol Posts: 56
    NO, START LIFTING NOW!

    You dont' need to make new muscle tissue- your body already has tons of muscle fibers that you aren't using. The first few months to a year of strength training are all about training your CNS (central nervous system) to fire up muscle fibers that you don't use. For everyday activities you only use a tiny percentage of what you have. So you lift weights, and you fire up tissue, and then those fibers become hormonally active and start burning more calories throughout the day.

    Without building any new tissue you can:
    -lose weight/fat
    -get stronger
    -have more muscle definition
    -burn more calories
    -be better able to perform daily activities
    -strengthen your bones
    -look better
    -reduce daily pain (like back and neck pain)
    -Better regulate blood sugar

    and, most importantly,
    FEEL TOTALLY BADASS all the time.

    You don't need to make new tissue to get any of the benefits of weight lifting.

    LOL, nothing really to input except yes, weight training does make you feel badass and sexy! and LMAO Your weight loss scale quote is hilarious!!!!
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    Your muscles might get all nice and solid while in a deficit, and you could fool me if that's not gaining muscle. I'm not saying it is; it's probably glycogen or something, but it matters little to me :D My muscles are quite different, and that is very motivating on its own.

    Don't sweat the details. Try it and see if you like what you see and feel! And do it to preserve LBM at least, yes.
  • MisterDerpington
    MisterDerpington Posts: 604 Member
    I see so many of these posts. Holy crap does NOBODY care about being strong enough to do more things in their daily lives? Does everyone just care about being cut and not the fact that they have trouble helping move furniture or even bringing in a case of water from the car? You can gain strength even if the muscle gains aren't huge. A stronger person is a more useful person.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    I see so many of these posts. Holy crap does NOBODY care about being strong enough to do more things in their daily lives? Does everyone just care about being cut and not the fact that they have trouble helping move furniture or even bringing in a case of water from the car? You can gain strength even if the muscle gains aren't huge. A stronger person is a more useful person.

    Man, I do! I'm disabled with a bad back. Stronger (with few flare-ups) is the key for me, yeah.

    How it looks is very nice, too, however :D

    (edited for wine typos!)
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    Okay that wasn't an affirmative statement.
    I am trying to lose a significant amount of weight and have read tons and tons about how weight lifting can help more than cardio. But is that true? because I have also read in many different places that you cant build muscle and lose weight since losing weight requires a calorie deficit and gaining muscle requires a calorie surplus.
    So I am confused, Should I focus less on weights and more on cardio UNTIL I have lost the weight and are ready to tone up.
    If so, how many minutes of cardio should I do per week?
    Is the number on the scale all that counts? So if something allowed you to lose 10 pounds of bone, you'd want to do that too?

Categories