I want to buld some muscle even though im over weight

Red_Nationhtx

Ok well I lost about 60lbs last year by only changing my diet within 3-5 months .

however ive recently put back on quite a bit and I hate it.

I want in incorporate weight training and cardio this time around and looking for some recommendations anyone has.

I just recently been diagnosed with knee tendinitis /jumpers knee and have some bulging disc in my back but im determined to get back on track .

any help/advice is greatly appreciated .

Thanks in advance

stats.

28/m/5'11

weight before weight gain 255lbs aug.2013

weight now 280 may. 2014

JoRocka

well- you aren't going to build a lot of size in muscle- but odds are you'll build density/strength- and minimize muscle loss as you continue to lose weight. (that's good)

Since you have some very specific physical problems- I would see a sports PT for help.

There is no reason to not start lifting in some form or another now as long as you are care and safe about it.

Things for your own research would be
Starting Strength
New Rules of Lifting
Strong lifts.

_HeartsOnFire_

well- you aren't going to build a lot of size in muscle- but odds are you'll build density/strength- and minimize muscle loss as you continue to lose weight. (that's good)

Since you have some very specific physical problems- I would see a sports PT for help.

There is no reason to not start lifting in some form or another now as long as you are care and safe about it.

Things for your own research would be
Starting Strength
New Rules of Lifting
Strong lifts.

QFT

MissFit0101

well- you aren't going to build a lot of size in muscle- but odds are you'll build density/strength- and minimize muscle loss as you continue to lose weight. (that's good)

Since you have some very specific physical problems- I would see a sports PT for help.

There is no reason to not start lifting in some form or another now as long as you are care and safe about it.

Things for your own research would be
Starting Strength
New Rules of Lifting
Strong lifts.

this is great advice

RECowgill

Resurrecting a dead thread, hope this helps you.

What you're saying sounds a bit familiar to me. I'm 5'10" and was 280lbs towards the end of 2012, my highest weight ever. I did a bunch of research and decided to start lifting to keep/build muscle and strength and burn fat. It didn't hurt that I had lifted before, about 17 years earlier though. No real activity since then. And my problems were mostly dietary, I was eating too much of the wrong stuff. So incrementally, slowly, I also worked on fixing that.

Fast forward to now I'm about 227, eat better and lift regularly. I have a herniated disc in my lower back that works against me, which I got about 6 years ago as the result of my fat body breaking down on itself, and because I was fat for so long I developed a persistent case of shin splints. Despite that, I deadlift 360, bench 250 and have dramatically improved my energy levels and mobility.

I can't say for sure what you should do, but I can tell you I got here by fixing my diet and weight training. I would do some cardio sometimes, but not really. Usually just a check of my cardiovascular health- can I do 45mins on the elliptical? The answer is yes, when before I could not. Weight training did that for me. In my experience, weight training will give you good cardiovascular health by default.

I've done various split routines, Stronglifts 5x5 and routines of my own design. I happen to think that the compound routines like SL are superior, my focus was on building functional strength, holding onto lean mass and burning fat, which I think SL is excellent for. In my opinion little is better than weight training centered around the barbell, or at least freeweights, and full body compounds will give you the best results (squats, deadlifts, benching, rows, standing overhead press, etc). I've made my progress avoiding small moves: the smaller the exercise (shrugs, wrist curls, etc) the more wasteful it is in my opinion.

But despite my views on that I also believe the weight training routine you pick doesn't really matter. A person can make progress with almost any of them. You kinda have to figure out what works for you, what you respond best to, what excites you to keep going back. I think thats the most important thing. So really just pick one and do it. Or try many like I did, that works too.

On the issue of a slipped disc, you can still do decent lifts with that problem. For whatever reason, my disc problem makes me bad at squats (my 1RM is 240, but my legs are much stronger than that, my back can't handle it). But I deadlift much better than I squat, with no real issues there. I had to build up my deadlift PR over time, very slowly, and practicing form a lot. I learned that I can really hurt myself if I do a back exercise with bad form (threw my back out for almost a week doing bad form on rows) but if I use good form and protect my spine, pay attention to my body, I do ok. I don't know the severity of your issue, I assume everyone whose got a slipped disc is a bit different in what they can handle. Mine may not be so bad, I don't know.

I do know that doing heavy back exercises has helped my back overall, not hurt it. I only got hurt when I did something stupid, and every other case has improved my back problems. I'm pretty sure that making your back stronger with weight training would help anyone with back problems, even if the back training you have to do is very light or specific to avoid injury. My issues aren't fixed permanently, but I can feel them being reduced. And doing basic things, like bending down to pick something up, was a major problem for me at 280 with a bad back. Now its no big deal, and I have the energy to do it easily. There's always a persistent dull throb in my lower back, been there for years and never goes away. But its better, not as bad as it used to be by a long shot.

One other thing, I was diagnosed in late 2012 with asthma and was prescribed an inhaler. Fixed my diet, did weight training, asthma went away. I don't have it and breathe great. I had other health problems that went away or were fixed outright, no surgeries, no pills just fix what I eat and weight train in the gym. I think this depends on the individual, and perhaps how severe the problem is, but again my experience is that the problems you have now may not be the problems you have 1-2 years from now with consistent lifting and lifestyle changes.

You may find your tendonitis receding in severity, or maybe being so minimized that its not really a problem anymore. My shin issues have definitely gotten better. Hope this helps you in your motivation.