What is the point of weight training while you're in calorie

AlsDonkBoxSquat

<---- I started out doing cardio for years, loved it so much I became a group fit instructor, I still struggled. I joined here and lost some weight, but I was losing lean mass at a pretty high rate too (20 - 25%). Took it to the weight room in July, continued to lose weight, but more than that started to look defined and greatly reduced the rate at which I was losing lean mass (10 - 15%). I'm now holding a pretty steady weight, but I just upped my calories 2 weeks ago by 250 just to see what would happen. I go in with the hard core men at my gym and pump the iron before the sun even knows what hit it on Tuesdays and Thursdays, it always makes me chuckle when they pick on me on Tuesday and then do one of my Tuesday moves on Thursday. Man I love those guys.
Here's a link to some pictures I posted today. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/415052-pictures-over-the-past-7-months

It doesn't give the full picture because I don't have pictures from when I really started at the beginning of March. The other thing is that DH and I were looking at pictures over the weekend from the past 5 years and I just kept saying "Whoa, and I thought I looked good there." As compared to where I am now, I was definitely not looking sleek back then.

SergeantSunshine_reused

I read on here over and over how "women can't bulk up while they're in a calorie deficit" usually during the debates over how much muscle is attractive on a female....

So, what IS the point of a person lifting while they're in a calorie deficit? Is there any benefit for it, or is it a waste of time until you get into maintenance mode?

Retention of lean muscle, building strength, conditioning muscle and raising RMR to burn more body fat. Need I say more?

A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Yes!! Helps avoid the the "skinnyfat" look.Will look way better naked

ninerbuff

You can absolutely make meaningful muscle gains while maintaining a calorie deficit... You might not be able to end up looking like a bodybuilder, but generating lean muscle mass is a great way to speed up your fat loss.

You can increase strength, muscle endurance and conditioning, but adding muscle on calorie deficit is practically impossible. You need a calorie surplus to do it.


A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

hpsnickers1

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-many-calories-does-muscle-really-burn-and-why-its-not-about-calories-anyway/

Body composition is 80% diet and the other 20% is a combination of genetics and exercise.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/chronic-cardio/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/chronic-cardio-2/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/case-against-cardio/

lizziebeth1028

Changing your body composition, having more active tissue to torch calories even while at rest, looking awesome, protecting yourself from injury while doing cardio, walking and running faster, being able to carry heavy shopping upstairs without panting, opening your own jars... need I go on?

Since I added in weight training, my scale weight loss has slowed but there's a noticeable change in shape, especially round the waist and upper arms, I'm running faster than ever (thus blasting even more calories during cardio) and haven't had any of the recurrent injuries I was getting.

Well said!

rainbowbuggy

Bump to read later...sounds like a lot of very useful information. Great topic to post about! Thanks!

Lift_hard_eat_big

I wiII simplify it for everyone once and for aII, muscle is one of those things that follows the saying, "If you don't use it, you Lose it"

Continue to Lift heavy even while dieting to preserve as much muscle mass as possible

engineman312

ATT949

The goal is to retain muscle mass. It's very hard for women to grow their muscles so it's best not to lose it if you've got it. It's easier for me to build muscles but it's still good to hang on to the "extra" muscle that we need to move an obese body than to let it atrophy.

susanswan

I'm 54 now and have been using relatively light dumbbells 5 - 8 pounds and doing video work outs at home for the last 4 years. I started at 205 and am now down to 138.2. I have never ever had any noticeable arm muscles or upper body strength, but I do now! Not big muscles, not that YOU would notice as you walk by me, but I do see them when I exercise. I also used to have a very pear shaped body and now I am told that I am "slim". That might be too strong a word, but using weights and strength training your entire body will help reshape you to the best you can be! And as they say, muscle burns fat. I used to weigh 135 when I was 40 but didn't exercise and I wore a siz 8 then. With exercise I now wear a size 6 and have been since I was 140 pounds!

SolidGoaled

Wow - OP here.

Just wanted to say thank you for all the useful pics, links, information and experience!

I will continue my journey with P90X and my couch 2 5k program. Will I have to work out this much to maintain my results? I hope someday to reduce my workouts to 3-4 times per week. Right now, its more like 6 days per week.

I definitely need to up my "game" so to speak on the eating side of things. I find myself slacking and having to "make up" for it with extra exercise...