What does lifting heavy do?

prisky780

Hi, I'm kind of newbie here. I'm training with a trainer 3 times a week lifting weights. I'm petite and started off with 3 lbs. Believe me by the 3rd reps I was done. Now after completing my 3rd week, I'm lifting 10lbs which is great and I do see improvement on my strength.

Questions is what does this lifting do for my body other than toning? I asked to focus more on arms, legs, and core but overall body toning. I see a huge difference on my glutes. However, no improvement on my abs. I feel as if my stomach has gotten even bigger.

Also, literally learned about eating deficit yesterday. I was barely eating 1100 and my intake should be 1378. Bumped it up today. Could it be that my diet was too low for me to lose all that fat?

How does this work? How does it NOT work? I also do beginner's yoga for 30 minutes before work out. Shouldn't that help too? Do I really need to blast out cardio?

I DON'T mind increasing weight but I do I mind bigger hips. I want smaller hips so I can fit into my pants. Please help me understand.

colors_fade

Lifting heavy helps increase your strength (as you are seeing) and, depending on whether you are cutting or bulking, it will help maintain/preserve muscle mass, or increase it.

Cutting = eating at a deficit so as to lose weight, optimally to lose fat and not muscle.
Bulking = eating at a surplus so as to gain muscle mass.

As for abs: One thing to recognize is that you cannot target fat loss. When your body starts to burn fat from your body, it will take the fat from all over. Your stomach may feel bigger, and actually be bigger, because you're developing the muscles underneath the fat. The muscles get bigger, the fat stays the same, so you will gain size as a whole.

Lifting Heavy: this is basically a requirement for building strength. The "toned" look you are after is a product of muscle mass and low body fat percentage. Unfortunately you cannot really do both at the same time (add muscle and cut fat). It's more or less a one-or-the-other approach. Most often what happens is people choose to cut first, eating at a deficit and cutting body fat. To ensure that more fat is lost and less muscle is lost during this process of cutting, strength training - lifting heavy - is done to preserve the muscle you already have (because if you don't lift, you will lose fat AND muscle).

Once you've reached a low enough body fat percentage to be happy, then you can choose to add additional muscle, if you wish, but eating a slight caloric surplus and continuing to lift heavy.

You do not need to "blast out" cardio to lose body fat. Walking is an effective enough cardio exercise to sufficiently create a larger calorie deficit for weight loss.

What you want to do, ideally, is eat at a slight caloric deficit, and then create a larger deficit through exercise. Everything you do, from strength training to yoga to walking or running, will burn calories.

Maintain a consistent deficit and you will lose weight.

prisky780

Thank you. Your explanation helps a lot. I wasn't eating at deficit since I barely learned about it yesterday. I was also lifting (heavy at least for me). This explains why my pants are getting tighter around my waist. It's probably muscle gain and no fat loss. Bottom line is I need to eat at deficit to see some results and keep doing my exercise. Great! I think I'm off to a good start. So excited!

martinel2099

Lifting heavy helps increase your strength (as you are seeing) and, depending on whether you are cutting or bulking, it will help maintain/preserve muscle mass, or increase it.

Cutting = eating at a deficit so as to lose weight, optimally to lose fat and not muscle.
Bulking = eating at a surplus so as to gain muscle mass.

As for abs: One thing to recognize is that you cannot target fat loss. When your body starts to burn fat from your body, it will take the fat from all over. Your stomach may feel bigger, and actually be bigger, because you're developing the muscles underneath the fat. The muscles get bigger, the fat stays the same, so you will gain size as a whole.

Lifting Heavy: this is basically a requirement for building strength. The "toned" look you are after is a product of muscle mass and low body fat percentage. Unfortunately you cannot really do both at the same time (add muscle and cut fat). It's more or less a one-or-the-other approach. Most often what happens is people choose to cut first, eating at a deficit and cutting body fat. To ensure that more fat is lost and less muscle is lost during this process of cutting, strength training - lifting heavy - is done to preserve the muscle you already have (because if you don't lift, you will lose fat AND muscle).

Once you've reached a low enough body fat percentage to be happy, then you can choose to add additional muscle, if you wish, but eating a slight caloric surplus and continuing to lift heavy.

You do not need to "blast out" cardio to lose body fat. Walking is an effective enough cardio exercise to sufficiently create a larger calorie deficit for weight loss.

What you want to do, ideally, is eat at a slight caloric deficit, and then create a larger deficit through exercise. Everything you do, from strength training to yoga to walking or running, will burn calories.

Maintain a consistent deficit and you will lose weight.

everything he said+++

MisterZ33

Lifting heavy helps increase your strength (as you are seeing) and, depending on whether you are cutting or bulking, it will help maintain/preserve muscle mass, or increase it.

Cutting = eating at a deficit so as to lose weight, optimally to lose fat and not muscle.
Bulking = eating at a surplus so as to gain muscle mass.

Lifting Heavy: this is basically a requirement for building strength. The "toned" look you are after is a product of muscle mass and low body fat percentage. Unfortunately you cannot really do both at the same time (add muscle and cut fat). It's more or less a one-or-the-other approach. Most often what happens is people choose to cut first, eating at a deficit and cutting body fat. To ensure that more fat is lost and less muscle is lost during this process of cutting, strength training - lifting heavy - is done to preserve the muscle you already have (because if you don't lift, you will lose fat AND muscle).

So if i cannot add muscle and cut fat at the same time, should i even bother lifting weights if i am in weight loss mode?

Thanks, CF.

christinazaia

Lifting heavy helps increase your strength (as you are seeing) and, depending on whether you are cutting or bulking, it will help maintain/preserve muscle mass, or increase it.

Cutting = eating at a deficit so as to lose weight, optimally to lose fat and not muscle.
Bulking = eating at a surplus so as to gain muscle mass.

As for abs: One thing to recognize is that you cannot target fat loss. When your body starts to burn fat from your body, it will take the fat from all over. Your stomach may feel bigger, and actually be bigger, because you're developing the muscles underneath the fat. The muscles get bigger, the fat stays the same, so you will gain size as a whole.

Lifting Heavy: this is basically a requirement for building strength. The "toned" look you are after is a product of muscle mass and low body fat percentage. Unfortunately you cannot really do both at the same time (add muscle and cut fat). It's more or less a one-or-the-other approach. Most often what happens is people choose to cut first, eating at a deficit and cutting body fat. To ensure that more fat is lost and less muscle is lost during this process of cutting, strength training - lifting heavy - is done to preserve the muscle you already have (because if you don't lift, you will lose fat AND muscle).

Once you've reached a low enough body fat percentage to be happy, then you can choose to add additional muscle, if you wish, but eating a slight caloric surplus and continuing to lift heavy.

You do not need to "blast out" cardio to lose body fat. Walking is an effective enough cardio exercise to sufficiently create a larger calorie deficit for weight loss.

What you want to do, ideally, is eat at a slight caloric deficit, and then create a larger deficit through exercise. Everything you do, from strength training to yoga to walking or running, will burn calories.

Maintain a consistent deficit and you will lose weight.

christinazaia

this is very helpful to me too thanks....I been having a really hard time...great info:happy:

mrsmitchell0510

Lifting heavy helps increase your strength (as you are seeing) and, depending on whether you are cutting or bulking, it will help maintain/preserve muscle mass, or increase it.

Cutting = eating at a deficit so as to lose weight, optimally to lose fat and not muscle.
Bulking = eating at a surplus so as to gain muscle mass.

Lifting Heavy: this is basically a requirement for building strength. The "toned" look you are after is a product of muscle mass and low body fat percentage. Unfortunately you cannot really do both at the same time (add muscle and cut fat). It's more or less a one-or-the-other approach. Most often what happens is people choose to cut first, eating at a deficit and cutting body fat. To ensure that more fat is lost and less muscle is lost during this process of cutting, strength training - lifting heavy - is done to preserve the muscle you already have (because if you don't lift, you will lose fat AND muscle).

So if i cannot add muscle and cut fat at the same time, should i even bother lifting weights if i am in weight loss mode?

Thanks, CF.

Yes, absolutely keep lifting while you are in weight loss mode! It will build strength and help your body to retain the muscle you already have while it burns off the fat.

JoRocka

Lifting heavy helps increase your strength (as you are seeing) and, depending on whether you are cutting or bulking, it will help maintain/preserve muscle mass, or increase it.

Cutting = eating at a deficit so as to lose weight, optimally to lose fat and not muscle.
Bulking = eating at a surplus so as to gain muscle mass.

Lifting Heavy: this is basically a requirement for building strength. The "toned" look you are after is a product of muscle mass and low body fat percentage. Unfortunately you cannot really do both at the same time (add muscle and cut fat). It's more or less a one-or-the-other approach. Most often what happens is people choose to cut first, eating at a deficit and cutting body fat. To ensure that more fat is lost and less muscle is lost during this process of cutting, strength training - lifting heavy - is done to preserve the muscle you already have (because if you don't lift, you will lose fat AND muscle).

So if i cannot add muscle and cut fat at the same time, should i even bother lifting weights if i am in weight loss mode?

Thanks, CF.

well if you want to lose muscle AND fat then sure- don't lift.

But lifting while you're losing helps maximize FAT loss. Because weight loss =/= fat loss.

weight is just weight- could be coming from anywhere- water- waste- fat- muscle.

I personally like to lose body fat- so I lift when I'm losing. Means I stay strong- and look good when I get to my optimal goal.

ValGogo

Keep lifting. Get on that barbell. Every part of your body will benefit.

MisterZ33

great responses...thank you all.

212019156

Regarding your strength gains from 3 weeks of working out, they are neuro-muscular at this point meaning you are training your nervous system to work more efficiently. It takes a long time to add actual muscle mass.

kdiamond

Lifting will not give you bigger hips, quite the contrary.

Lifting is good for so many things...but definitely make you look more trim and compact. As long as your diet is on key (and yes, you need to eat more than 1000 a day no matter what) there is no limit to what your body can achieve.

colors_fade

So if i cannot add muscle and cut fat at the same time, should i even bother lifting weights if i am in weight loss mode?

Thanks, CF.

YES!

It is critical to preserving the precious muscle you already have!

When you eat at a deficit, you're going to lose fat AND muscle. But strength training can minimize the muscle loss.

colors_fade

Regarding your strength gains from 3 weeks of working out, they are neuro-muscular at this point meaning you are training your nervous system to work more efficiently. It takes a long time to add actual muscle mass.

Great point, and so important for beginners to understand. Just because you can push more weight around after a couple weeks and are getting "stronger" doesn't mean you automatically have more muscles (or more accurately, I suppose, bigger muscles).

Muscle growth requires a lot of things. Extra fuel (in the form of calories), testosterone, and time. They don't grow quickly, that's for sure.

CHSegl

Please come join the group at Stronglifts 5x5 for Women- you'll learn tons!

SezxyStef

Regarding your strength gains from 3 weeks of working out, they are neuro-muscular at this point meaning you are training your nervous system to work more efficiently. It takes a long time to add actual muscle mass.

Great point, and so important for beginners to understand. Just because you can push more weight around after a couple weeks and are getting "stronger" doesn't mean you automatically have more muscles (or more accurately, I suppose, bigger muscles).

Muscle growth requires a lot of things. Extra fuel (in the form of calories), testosterone, and time. They don't grow quickly, that's for sure.

On a couple points here...not just this post.

Yes you can lose fat and gain muscle at the same time...but that is while eating at maitenance or a very small deficit. It is called recomp.

Yes you can gain muscle while at a deficit if you are new to lifting or obese...those gains will be small and short lived but doable...

Not saying that has happened here but...it is possible.

Normally for building muscle you do need a surplus and a progressive load lifting program.

For recomp you need patience as it takes a while.

RHachicho

Noob gains aren't always small. One blessing of being very fat or obese is that your fat can metabolize lots of calories. And so can cover even large deficits. If your body is getting all it's TDEE from diet and fat there is no need for it to compromise protein synthesis. So while as a general rule gains are impossible at a deficit. For some people this does not hold true. Especially those with a decent amount of weight to lose. Sure it will eventually plateau. Usually because they have lost enough weight that your body can no longer afford not to dip into dietary protein for essential calories.

psuLemon

I also want to point out that resistance training will also maintain metabolic functions, maintain strong bones and help offset disease like osteoporosis <-- big for women.

_lyndseybrooke_

I'm not saying this to be rude, so hear me out. You can lift more than 10 lbs. You say you're "petite," but a toddler can lift more than 3 lbs, which is the weight you say you started at, so just how petite are you? 2 feet tall? I'm not making fun of you for potentially being weak - I'm suggesting that you're underestimating your own strength. Most women are able to start with the bar (45 lbs) on squats and bench press and a bit more on deadlifts (I started with 95 lbs with no prior lifting experience). "Feeling a burn" on the third rep doesn't mean that's as heavy as you can go. I just really doubt that you're some special butterfly that legitimately can't lift more than 10 lbs unless you have some sort of medical issue. If you can pick up a one-year-old, you're lifting more than 10 lbs. Hell, I've picked up purses that were more than 10 lbs.

Lift heavier. Just try it. I think you'll surprise yourself. Don't let the "I'm a petite little lady" excuse hold you back from getting as much out of your workout as you possibly can.

Liftng4Lis

So if i cannot add muscle and cut fat at the same time, should i even bother lifting weights if i am in weight loss mode?

Absolutely YES

DjinnMarie

Your question has already been answered. I just wanted to add that you should do yoga after your work out, instead of before.

WandaWoman41

Bump to drill it into my head. I'm seeking a happy medium

prisky780

I'm actually at 10 lbs now. I'm slowly increasing the size and it is working. I'm 5 feet and started between 104/105 lbs. Yes, you can compare my arms to a toddler and no I'm not kidding. I did my first measurement 2 days ago and I increased 1 and 1/2 inch.

The problem is when I gain weight, I only gain weight on my waist and my thigh area. I don't think I have gained any weight since my high school days around arms or neck or around my wrist area. If any, maybe 1/2 a inch around my arm.

But since when you have to lose belly fat, you have to lose all around, I said to my trainer 'let's tone up my body and lose body fat and increase some muscle'. So I'm working on it.

Problem is I have completed my month of workouts and after the measurement, I don't think I lost any weight around my waist. I have gained thigh, calf, arms, neck, and chest area. Shouldn't I be seeing "SOME" result on my waist now? I mean even if it a half a inch or even less. In fact I think I have gained half 1 inch more.

So my confusion if lifting is really helping. Am I targeting the correct muscle? Am I not eating right? When should I expect to see any result? I'm just not sure "WHERE and HOW" to improve. I'm not so much focused on the number on the scale but the inches on the measuring tape.

DeadliftAddict

Lifting heavy helps increase your strength (as you are seeing) and, depending on whether you are cutting or bulking, it will help maintain/preserve muscle mass, or increase it.

Cutting = eating at a deficit so as to lose weight, optimally to lose fat and not muscle.
Bulking = eating at a surplus so as to gain muscle mass.

As for abs: One thing to recognize is that you cannot target fat loss. When your body starts to burn fat from your body, it will take the fat from all over. Your stomach may feel bigger, and actually be bigger, because you're developing the muscles underneath the fat. The muscles get bigger, the fat stays the same, so you will gain size as a whole.

Lifting Heavy: this is basically a requirement for building strength. The "toned" look you are after is a product of muscle mass and low body fat percentage. Unfortunately you cannot really do both at the same time (add muscle and cut fat). It's more or less a one-or-the-other approach. Most often what happens is people choose to cut first, eating at a deficit and cutting body fat. To ensure that more fat is lost and less muscle is lost during this process of cutting, strength training - lifting heavy - is done to preserve the muscle you already have (because if you don't lift, you will lose fat AND muscle).

Once you've reached a low enough body fat percentage to be happy, then you can choose to add additional muscle, if you wish, but eating a slight caloric surplus and continuing to lift heavy.

You do not need to "blast out" cardio to lose body fat. Walking is an effective enough cardio exercise to sufficiently create a larger calorie deficit for weight loss.

What you want to do, ideally, is eat at a slight caloric deficit, and then create a larger deficit through exercise. Everything you do, from strength training to yoga to walking or running, will burn calories.

Maintain a consistent deficit and you will lose weight.

^^Listen to this. Yeah no one else really needs to add a comment. Lol

focusedonfitness2015

Lifting heavy helps increase your strength (as you are seeing) and, depending on whether you are cutting or bulking, it will help maintain/preserve muscle mass, or increase it.

Cutting = eating at a deficit so as to lose weight, optimally to lose fat and not muscle.
Bulking = eating at a surplus so as to gain muscle mass.

As for abs: One thing to recognize is that you cannot target fat loss. When your body starts to burn fat from your body, it will take the fat from all over. Your stomach may feel bigger, and actually be bigger, because you're developing the muscles underneath the fat. The muscles get bigger, the fat stays the same, so you will gain size as a whole.

Lifting Heavy: this is basically a requirement for building strength. The "toned" look you are after is a product of muscle mass and low body fat percentage. Unfortunately you cannot really do both at the same time (add muscle and cut fat). It's more or less a one-or-the-other approach. Most often what happens is people choose to cut first, eating at a deficit and cutting body fat. To ensure that more fat is lost and less muscle is lost during this process of cutting, strength training - lifting heavy - is done to preserve the muscle you already have (because if you don't lift, you will lose fat AND muscle).

Once you've reached a low enough body fat percentage to be happy, then you can choose to add additional muscle, if you wish, but eating a slight caloric surplus and continuing to lift heavy.

You do not need to "blast out" cardio to lose body fat. Walking is an effective enough cardio exercise to sufficiently create a larger calorie deficit for weight loss.

What you want to do, ideally, is eat at a slight caloric deficit, and then create a larger deficit through exercise. Everything you do, from strength training to yoga to walking or running, will burn calories.

Maintain a consistent deficit and you will lose weight.

I think I love you....This is literally every question I've always asked and you have answered it so beautifully...It finally made sense to me. :flowerforyou:

icyeyes317

I'm not saying this to be rude, so hear me out. You can lift more than 10 lbs. You say you're "petite," but a toddler can lift more than 3 lbs, which is the weight you say you started at, so just how petite are you? 2 feet tall? I'm not making fun of you for potentially being weak - I'm suggesting that you're underestimating your own strength. Most women are able to start with the bar (45 lbs) on squats and bench press and a bit more on deadlifts (I started with 95 lbs with no prior lifting experience). "Feeling a burn" on the third rep doesn't mean that's as heavy as you can go. I just really doubt that you're some special butterfly that legitimately can't lift more than 10 lbs unless you have some sort of medical issue. If you can pick up a one-year-old, you're lifting more than 10 lbs. Hell, I've picked up purses that were more than 10 lbs.

Lift heavier. Just try it. I think you'll surprise yourself. Don't let the "I'm a petite little lady" excuse hold you back from getting as much out of your workout as you possibly can.

Thank you. I couldn't word it nicely. I am petite (5' 1/2"), and my 4 year old, whom I regularly pick up, weighs 40 lbs. You CAN, you SHOULD, you NEED to lift real weights. They help you medically on SO. MANY. LEVELS. Everything from regulating blood pressure and lowering instances of cardiac unrest to improving bone density to help reduce chances of developing bone disorders.

erickirb

I'm actually at 10 lbs now. I'm slowly increasing the size and it is working. I'm 5 feet and started between 104/105 lbs. Yes, you can compare my arms to a toddler and no I'm not kidding. I did my first measurement 2 days ago and I increased 1 and 1/2 inch.

The problem is when I gain weight, I only gain weight on my waist and my thigh area. I don't think I have gained any weight since my high school days around arms or neck or around my wrist area. If any, maybe 1/2 a inch around my arm.

But since when you have to lose belly fat, you have to lose all around, I said to my trainer 'let's tone up my body and lose body fat and increase some muscle'. So I'm working on it.

Problem is I have completed my month of workouts and after the measurement, I don't think I lost any weight around my waist. I have gained thigh, calf, arms, neck, and chest area. Shouldn't I be seeing "SOME" result on my waist now? I mean even if it a half a inch or even less. In fact I think I have gained half 1 inch more.

So my confusion if lifting is really helping. Am I targeting the correct muscle? Am I not eating right? When should I expect to see any result? I'm just not sure "WHERE and HOW" to improve. I'm not so much focused on the number on the scale but the inches on the measuring tape.

That weight and size gain would be water weight. when new to exercise or changing intensity your muscles store water, once you get use to the routine your muscles will shed most of the excess water.

And don't just lift weights, follow a tried tested and true lifting program (starting strength, stronglifts 5x5, strong curves, new rules of lifting, etc.)

RavenLibra

give the 5x5 program a 12 week cycle... while maintaining your calorie intake... add a bit more protein (to help with muscle repair while you are lifting)... NOTE: a month is simply NOT long enough to gauge any significant changes... your body is currently re-establishing it's chemistry to cope with your new activity level... muscles begin to retain water and glycogen as you stress your muscles...so you'll see some short term "size" differentials from when you began... again these are short term as your body starts looking for a new "normal"

NOTHING is going to speed up the process... it will take time, sweat and education to get where you are going.. be patient... and enjoy the journey.

and Welcome to MFP:bigsmile:

BusyRaeNOTBusty

What lifting routine are you doing?

12by311

I'm not saying this to be rude, so hear me out. You can lift more than 10 lbs. You say you're "petite," but a toddler can lift more than 3 lbs, which is the weight you say you started at, so just how petite are you?

Just a cute story. My 3 year old went with me to lift one day. Without prompting, he walked over to the dumbbells, picked up some 5's (they may have been 3's, can't remember) and started doing suitcase deadlifts....with good form! I don't even do those!