Obesity and Lifting For Women

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trippsj3
trippsj3 Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello everyone! I have some questions about lifting to lose weight. I bought the book New Rules of Lifting for Women, and I have a a concern about being obese and lifting and if it's a good method, I love squats and working my arms I'm just scared to start a lifting routine and not lose the fat but build the muscle underneath. Any insight would be helpful. Any women who have done a program something like this or have advise for me. Id love to be strong and fit but I'd really like to lose a lot of fats as well. I have a high body fat % and want insight for getting it down. Thanks everyone!

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  • FFfitgirl
    FFfitgirl Posts: 369 Member
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    I weigh around 200 and do weight lifting. I love it! Eating at a deficit will help with fat loss. Weight training will help keep muscle. It's helped my boobs look better as I lose :)
  • KatissimusDorsi
    KatissimusDorsi Posts: 79
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    A strength training program can absolutely help you to lose fat. More than likely, since you're a beginner, you'll also gain some muscle. But this is a GOOD thing!

    When it comes to making sure that you lose a lot of fat, diet is going to be your #1. The best workout plan in the world won't help you lose fat if you're not eating at a caloric deficit. But I assume that's why you're on myfitnesspal!

    While I haven't used that program myself, my understanding is that it's a great basic program to get you into free weights, which is awesome! The good thing about strength training is it will help you keep your muscle instead of losing it while you diet.

    The only training considerations I use for obese clients are related to your mobility. Usually problems arise in an exercise like the squat, where full mobility can be tough due to excess body fat in the way. Same thing for exercises like reverse crunches. But for the most part, you should be fine. Good luck!
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    As long as you're eating at a calorie deficit, you will build/gain little to no muscle mass (bulk). As someone eluded to, there is such a thing as newbie gains but they are so minor you probably won't even notice. You will notice a difference in strength but that's a completely different thing. What strength training (along with proper nutrition) will help you do during the weight loss process is to help retain more muscle (so your weight loss is mostly fat) and this will help you burn more calories at rest.

    As with most other exercises, it's not just good for helping with weight loss, it also helps with things like balance, mobility, bone strength, etc. Weight loss is mostly about diet/calorie intake though so make sure you're focusing on that as well and not just depending on exercise to help you lose.

    Best of luck!
  • ShannonMpls
    ShannonMpls Posts: 1,936 Member
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    I started lifting when I weighed 300+ pounds. It most definitely didn't make me bigger :)
  • RunHardBeStrong
    RunHardBeStrong Posts: 33,069 Member
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    Yes, start lifting while still overweight! First pic is me when just doing cardio and calorie counting. Second pic is me a year later after adding in heavy lifting and cutting back on the cardio. I only weigh 10 lbs less in the second picture but shed fat and inches like crazy.
    IMG_2370727871921_edit_1395347474109.jpeg

    IMG_491072966659_edit_1395346729531.jpeg
  • lindsey1979
    lindsey1979 Posts: 2,395 Member
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    Don't worry about bulking up. It's nearly impossible for women to do without extra hormone therapy/steroids as we normally don't have the testosterone to support such bulking. You may gain a little initially, but that's likely increased water because you retain more water while repairing muscle.

    Lifting heavy (I prefere 3x5 -- Starting Strength) is one of the best things you can do to maintain/minimize lean body mass loss while in a caloric deficit. That and getting enough protein -- there is some debate on what that is, but I aim for at least 0.7 g protein per lb body weight.

    If you want to see an awesome story about someone powerlifting and how it recomped her body, check this out -- she's not bulky at all! -- http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
  • jessucc2029
    jessucc2029 Posts: 2
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    You look amazing! How did you get started at 300 lbs lifting weights?
  • h7463
    h7463 Posts: 626 Member
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    Hi! I have trained a 240 lbs girl with weights for 3 months. It took us a bit to find exercises that would work with some limited mobility, but into the second week, she was on fire! Our favorite warmup was kettlebell training. Easy on the joints and killer cardio at the same time. Watch your breathing and form, and drink plenty of water. If you are consistent with your training, you'll be shrinking in no time! Good luck!

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