Confused about weight lifting

justincass09

Hey all. So I've been on my diet now since January and I've been seeing pretty good results (down 39lbs) but I have noticed that I lost a little bit of strength too. So the past two weeks I have been lifting weights three times a week and doing cardio 3-4 times a week. Here is what I'm confused about, I have read that your not supposed to weight train while trying to drop abunch of pounds because of the calorie deficit your body doesn't have enough calories to support growing muscles. I'm not looking to gain abunch of muscle, I just want to retain my muscle while I burn fat and maybe gain a small amount of muscle along the way. Basically I'm wondering if you think I should continue to lift while I diet or if I should just diet until I reach my goal and then begin to weight train?

RunHardBeStrong

Yes lift now! You are correct you won't really build new muscle on a calorie defecit but you will maintain quite a bit more muscle and burn more fat than if you just do cardio.

smor27

Lifting now will help you burn the excess calories and therefore help in your weightloss.

gastankerdriver

I am doing both. My goal is to lose 20 pounds and increase strength and muscle size. It is working and I have lost about 18 pounds. I try to keep under my calorie goal, but on some days I go over (usually on my day of rest, my body seems to be extra hungry.) I also try to break up my meals so I am constantly feeding my muscles every day. I split my protein drinks into 6 half shakes. I try to eat more complex carbohydrates, so I am eating more efficiently. For me, the bottom line comes to this--almost all of us can use more muscle strength. Except for a few, rare individuals (mostly pro athletes), adding muscle isn't going to hurt anything. In fact, it increases your metabolism and has many other benefits, so I would go with continued weight training.

MikeSEA

I have read that your not supposed to weight train while trying to drop abunch of pounds because of the calorie deficit your body doesn't have enough calories to support growing muscles. I'm not looking to gain abunch of muscle, I just want to retain my muscle while I burn fat and maybe gain a small amount of muscle along the way. Basically I'm wondering if you think I should continue to lift while I diet or if I should just diet until I reach my goal and then begin to weight train?

It is more difficult, and potentially highly unlikely, to build muscle while on a caloric deficit. However, if you're looking to retain muscle, keep up with the lifting and make sure you protein intake is adequate.

justincass09

Alright, thanks for the advice guys. I'll definitely continue to lift then while I lose weight.

Nataliaho

The reality is that for most people who haven't been lifting for years, we are not lifting to our physical potential anyway. So while you may not technically build muscle during your calorie deficit, you may still see improvements in your lifts because you are tapping into your body's potential. There is a whole lot of technique and psychology that goes into lifting heavy, so definately keep with it!!