Shifting to resistance training?

gazerofthestars

Hello all!

Today my BF% is 10 numbers less than it was exactly 1 year ago. It's at 21% at the moment, and my friends tell me I look weak and weary. The loss has come about through an year of caloric deficit but I've kept that up by doing a LOT of cardio and some light lifting (in the form of 10 - 15 lbs dumbbells).

My question is that should I now focus more on lifting heavier weights? I want to be able to look like an "athlete" and also be stronger by building muscle.
Does anybody here have any advice regarding that?

And also does anyone here do a 'spike' day in combination with when they lift heavy?

Thanks

RunChinni

As long as you mix in cardio with weightlifting, you should be able to be lean.

10-15 lbs dumbbells is definitely on the lower side. Increase your weights gradually. Strength train every alternate day and keep up the cardio workout every other day.

Looking lean also depends a lot on your diet. You definitely want to eat more protein on the days you lift, cut down on the carbs and fat intake...

Canadien

Try slowly increasing the weight of the dumbbells. Never lift light to do more reps - less reps at a higher weight is more effective! You should also eat a bit more (especially protein) to build up that muscle.

gazerofthestars

my diet is definitely more on the protein heavy side already. I figured I wasn't lifting heavy enough and wasn't sure about the routine.

Here's to hoping I can lift more than 50 lbs soon
Thanks all.

nikolaim5

You should always be lifting heavy, regardless of your goals. None of this "high reps for toning/weight loss" business. That's not how it works. Lifting heavy weights builds muscle. Lifting light weights builds less muscle. Weights=muscle. Food=fat loss. That is the simplified version of course. You do need to be getting adequate calories and protein to build muscle efficiently. However, even in a calorie deficit, one should still be lifting heavy weights in or to minimize muscle loss.