lose weight THEN strength train, or both?

isk8nbessy

So I need some advice. I am a former athlete with a decent amount of muscle which has been covered up with fat since graduating from college a couple years ago. I currently weigh 178 (down from 185 a few weeks ago) and have been doing strength training 3x a week, spin class 2x a week, yoga 1x a week, and i walk for an hour 5x a week plus the 30DS every morning. My concern is that ideally Id like to be in the 130-140 range but have a toned and fit look. I'm afraid since I am doing alot of strength training now, I'll be adding muscle on top of muscle I already have and not see the scale drop at all. Should I focus more on cardio and nutrition to get down in weight THEN do strength? Or do I continue what I'm doing and hope the muscle i'm building will move the fat out of the way for a toned look even if I'm still high on the scale? Everything I've been told says I need to combine both to have the most effective weight loss but I need somebody to explain this a little better before I continue down the wrong or right path..

AntWrig

So I need some advice. I am a former athlete with a decent amount of muscle which has been covered up with fat since graduating from college a couple years ago. I currently weigh 178 (down from 185 a few weeks ago) and have been doing strength training 3x a week, spin class 2x a week, yoga 1x a week, and i walk for an hour 5x a week plus the 30DS every morning. My concern is that ideally Id like to be in the 130-140 range but have a toned and fit look. I'm afraid since I am doing alot of strength training now, I'll be adding muscle on top of muscle I already have and not see the scale drop at all. Should I focus more on cardio and nutrition to get down in weight THEN do strength? Or do I continue what I'm doing and hope the muscle i'm building will move the fat out of the way for a toned look even if I'm still high on the scale? Everything I've been told says I need to combine both to have the most effective weight loss but I need somebody to explain this a little better before I continue down the wrong or right path..

Both.

Muscle burns fat.


/thread

ShawnaCurley

I agree, do both! Afterall, I would rather look good than just rely on what the scale says.

maevestewart

Definatley do both, it will be well worth it in the long run

hapoo100

in my opinion- definitely both

allymorin

deeefinitely both! muscles chew up calories. they maintain weight loss. The weight will come off with cardio yes, but unfortunately many people underestimate the power of weights
& take measurements instead. i don't even weigh myself.
weight is the measure of gravitational pull you have on the earth. it cannot tell you about all the millions of different components that your body is made up of !

KatieJane83

Agree with all the previous posters, definitely do both!

tjkemommy

All the research I have done and all the fitness trainers and nutritionist I have spoken with say you should eat right, do your cardio and your strength training at the same time. Lean muscle helps burn fat. You may not see the numbers doing down on the scale because as we all know muscle weighs more than fat. So you should keep track of your inches. You will see the results there more than the scale some days. Good Luck!

gymshoe42

I say do both.
I've done the other two options before and now I'm doing both.

I did 1.5 years of JUST cardio ... I lost 40 lbs ... but lost any muscle definition and it didn't look good. I felt skinny, but weak.
Gained it all back over the next few years.
Couple years ago I did JUST strength training for 16 months. Almost zero cardio. I got a nice buff toned look in my arms, shoulders and legs ..., but my gut would not go away. I did lose about 20 lbs in the process, ..waist size tightened up , ... I went from XL / L t-shirts to wearing medium shirts comfortably. But any minor little thing would make me winded. Running up the stairs, taking groceries in. I felt strong, but at the same time still felt weak.

So now, I lift 3x a week, I've been doing 2x cardio a week,...gonna up that to 3x cardio this week actually, includes a day for swimming, etc. I've lost about 10 lbs in 3 months (nothing to write home about), but clothes are feeling better AND I feel in better overall shape.

So while you may lose weight faster just focusing on cardio, ...I think doing both is the best, balanced way to go.

Dahavol

As you are a former athlete, you are unlikely to add much muscle in caloric deficit. However, strength training will help maintain your current muscle mass while you diet and that will help with keeping your losses to fat losses. Most people that think they are gaining muscle and losing fat are in fact losing fat and maintaining muscle, which makes the muscle appear more defined. In all but the over-fat beginner, it is very difficult to gain muscle mass while maintaining a caloric deficit.

jrditt

I'm struggling with this question too. I really want the scale to keep going down but I have to eat a lot more to strength train 3 times a week. I guess I would rather be strong and look better than rely on the number. It would be awesome if someone could give us the perfect amount of both to do in a week and how much to eat

JennyZD

DO BOTH! Muscles make your body work harder and hence burn more fat. But don't you think you're working out TOO MUCH? 45 minutes of cardio per day should be more than enough. Remember your muscles grow and rebuild themselves while you're resting and recovering

Rae6503

Ditto both.

As we lose weight our bodies lose both fat AND muscle. Strength training and adequate protein intake can preserve this muscle as much as possible. It's much easier to preserve what we have, and build new when the times comes than it is to lose muscle and have to rebuild what we used to have. Plus the resulting body looks better naked.

loischapman

Love Love Your Post...Thank you!!!!!

CyberEd312

Ditto Both!!! They go Hand in Hand..............

erickirb

Both, but if you do decide to do only one do Strength training and create your deficit based on diet.

All cardio does is strengthen your endurance and heart and allow you to eat more. Following MFP you will not lose more weight doing cardio vs. nothing. MFP will have you lose your goal amount of weight either way. The strength training will ensure that you retain most of your lean muscle as you lose weight.

elysecea

Do both!! Muscle burns more fat and also you shouldnt really rely on your scale. Measure yourself! This will keep you from getting discouraged!