Strength Training for "Obese" people?

TrefG

Some amazing info here guys. Thank you very much to everyone who has contributed.

I think half of my problem when it comes to strength is mindset - firstly I see it as bulking up (which in my head is defeating my objective of losing weight - i know i know lol). Secondly I seem to feel I am " doing more" when I do cardio and thirdly I wonder if muscle is actually building under these layer(s) of fat lol.

It's quite obvious that the general feeling is that is definitely worthwhile even at my current weight. I shall devize a plan to add more in.

Thanks again everyone

Azdak

Some amazing info here guys. Thank you very much to everyone who has contributed.

I think half of my problem when it comes to strength is mindset - firstly I see it as bulking up (which in my head is defeating my objective of losing weight - i know i know lol). Secondly I seem to feel I am " doing more" when I do cardio and thirdly I wonder if muscle is actually building under these layer(s) of fat lol.

It's quite obvious that the general feeling is that is definitely worthwhile even at my current weight. I shall devize a plan to add more in.

Thanks again everyone

You don't need to do a huge amount of strength training. A basic circuit of 8-10 exercises, (maybe even fewer), 2 sets of 12-15 reps, done twice a week is a good starting point. Doesn't take a huge amount of time, doesn't beat you up, and, as a beginner, it will give you all the benefits from strength training that you are likely to get at this point in your journey.

A lot of the comments are all over the map--a frequent mistake is for someone who is an experienced lifter, maybe even not overweight, to recommend their program--even though your body and your current physiology bears no resemblance to theirs whatsoever.

If you have 80-100 pounds to lose, you do not need to "build muscle". Chances are, you have a lot of muscle already--you need it to support your larger body. So following a program to "build muscle" at this point is putting the cart before the horse.

There is, however, a synergistic effect when combining resistance training and cardio for weight loss, whether or not you increase lean mass at all. There is no agreed explanation of why this is so--the results just show that it is. Strength training does also help conserve lean mass. You can realize those benefits following the guidelines I described above.

After you have seen some initial gains in strength/decreases in weight, you can ramp up the intensity to the 6-10 RM range and start getting a little more aggressive--branch out into more complex movements using free weights, etc. By that time, your body should have adapted and you should be ready for that next level.

determinedbutlazy

I started at 240 and i do a mix of both, 50/50.