StrongLifts 5x5 for Weight Loss?

kkrueger611

I'm currently starting up on my journey to lose weight. I'm hoping to lose around 130 pounds or so, and while I'm not trying to "bulk up" and look like a bodybuilder, I want to just be healthy and strong. My friend is suggesting I do StrongLifts 5x5 with him, and I am kind of skeptical. I see a lot of success stories behind it, but I haven't really seen anything about people using it to lose weight. So my question is, would it be a program that would be good if I am trying to lose weight, or should I start off somewhere else that involves more cardio and things of that nature, and then maybe switch over to this type of program later on when I have already cut down?

doointhis4me

I was wondering this too..in for replies :-)

BusyRaeNOTBusty

A weight lifting program does not result in weight loss.

A weight lifting program preserves muscle mass while you lose weight as a result of a calorie deficit. So yes, Strong Lifts is a great program to preserve muscle while you lose weight from a calorie deficit.

LKArgh

The goal of such a weight training prgram is not to burn lots and lots of calories, it is to not lose muscle. You will lose weight by eating less calories than you burn. Ideally it is a combination of all 3 things: some cardio, some strength training, limiting calories. Each part serves a different purpose.

lindsey1979

Lifting is really important for weight loss because, as others have mentioned, it helps you keep the muscle you already have. So the weight you lose comes more from fat than muscle -- this will also help your body composition as your body fat percentage will decrease more quickly. For newbie lifters, they may even put on a little muscle, but generally this is very rare when you're in a caloric deficit (newbies being one of the few exceptions).

This is so important because it's really hard to put on muscle. So, it's much better to keep as much of the muscle you have when you're losing weight. Otherwise, you can take off weight faster, but you get the skinny fat look -- when you're thin, but have no muscle. It's much, much harder to take off a lot of weight (both fat and muscle) and try to rebuild the muscle when you get to a good weight. That's why so many suggest weight lifting as part of a weight loss regime.

It also helps burn a little bit of calories -- both during the lifting itself and by helping you keep more muscle (as muscle burns more calories than fat of the same amount). But, it's not the chief calorie burning mechanism -- that's going to cardio. Adding in HIIT cardio can be the most beneficial -- like hill sprints.

But, your biggest weight loss weapon is going to be diet -- creating a calorie deficit is going to be your biggest means of losing weight, and most find it's far easier to do that by eating well than by a ton of exercise.

I'd also recommend checking out the Starting Strength book. It's what the Stronglifts dude ripped off. I've never seen any reason for the increase of sets from 3 to 5 (SS is 3x5 where Stronglifts is 5x5) and most ditch the higher sets later on to increase their weights. But, the reason I recommend the SS book so much is that it talks a lot about form -- and having proper form is essential when lifting heavy.

As for bulking up, don't worry about it. It's virtually impossible for women to do due to the lack of testosterone. So lift heavy!

quiksylver296

I'm on week three. I've been eating well, weighing and logging my food and hitting my macros. My scale has been dropping like nobody's business. I also do some cardio after I lift, thirty minutes or so. Thirty minutes in the weight room, thirty minutes cardio.