Should I lose fat before weight training?
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Hi, It depends on what you want. I prefer to lose the weight then tone up. I know a lot of people who are overweight and hit the gym- they not only lose weight but gain muscle too. Don't over do the weights - you don't want to look masculine !
Women don't have the needed testosterone levels to bulk up like men do. The women bodybuilders have worked EXTREMELY HARD to look the way they do.0 -
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHATHIS IS A REPLY TO - MMAPAGS - This poor girl wanted advice about going to the GYM!
She should work out - get rid of the weight - then hit weights.
Women should never over do it on the weights, women should always look feminine!0 -
THIS IS A REPLY TO - MMAPAGS - This poor girl wanted advice about going to the GYM!
She should work out - get rid of the weight - then hit weights.
Women should never over do it on the weights, women should always look feminine!
I don't suppose you would care to post a picture showing your physique?0 -
Hi, It depends on what you want. I prefer to lose the weight then tone up. I know a lot of people who are overweight and hit the gym- they not only lose weight but gain muscle too.
That's what I'm doing. Cutting down just a few more pounds of fat, then I'm going to join a gym and tome up everywhere. I can't afford a gym right this minute anyways, so it works out.
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Weights & cardio together. Lift first then do cardio after to burn out your glycogen stores completely and burn fat.
Lifting will tone your muscle and help retain lean muscle mass. As you lose fat your physique will be waiting underneath.
Make sure you hit each muscle group once per week. Start slow and progress. Enjoy it.0 -
THIS IS A REPLY TO - MMAPAGS - This poor girl wanted advice about going to the GYM!
She should work out - get rid of the weight - then hit weights.
Women should never over do it on the weights, women should always look feminine!
Oh dear.
I should go inform my husband that I look like a man.....he'll be so disappointed. Better go take him to have his eyesight checked too.0 -
Weights & cardio together. Lift first then do cardio after to burn out your glycogen stores completely and burn fat.
Lifting will tone your muscle and help retain lean muscle mass. As you lose fat your physique will be waiting underneath.
Make sure you hit each muscle group once per week. Start slow and progress. Enjoy it.
I can so agree with doing cardio after lifting. I'll typically do 10-15 minutes on either an arc trainer or treadmill to warm up, bust out the free weights (doing Stronglifts here and freaking LOVING it), then follow up with another 30-60 minutes on the treadmill. The cardio after takes a bit more effort, but the effect has been noticeable.
I eat a calorie deficit, still do weights and cardio. I already looked like a dude, so I can't comment on lifting making you look like a man.0 -
It sounds like you want to do weights. After the first reply that suggested so you were happy and seemed ready to run out and do them.
I think most people should do cardio, weights or both. IT should be based on what you want to do, what keeps you active and committed.
For me cardio has been a great asset for me in losing the 62 pounds I have so far. Lifting will only be used to tone, my choice is to not become overly muscular. But that is me, everyone needs to decide the body type they want and the activity that they will stick with to get there.0 -
NO START NOW0
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Start yesterday.
And, kudos to you girl! Good luck! :flowerforyou:0 -
What are you 12? Lets see your results. Because I have yet to see a woman here that looks like a man.0
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Lift weights ASAP. Yes, you won't see immediate results from the training because of the layer of fat on top, BUT lifting heavy now is a good habit to start, it will be adding useful muscle to your body, and you won't end up looking pathetically skinny fat once you reach your goal weight.
Lifting heavy transforms your body in a GOOD way, enhancing femininity and increasing youthfulness.0 -
THIS IS A REPLY TO - MMAPAGS - This poor girl wanted advice about going to the GYM!
She should work out - get rid of the weight - then hit weights.
Women should never over do it on the weights, women should always look feminine!
Huh? :huh:
OP..get lifting as soon as possible ..you'll be glad you did.0 -
Do both. I just started weights last month, up till then its only been cardio. I already feel better and am enjoying it.
Good luck0 -
What are you 12? Lets see your results. Because I have yet to see a woman here that looks like a man.
I eat like a man. Sweat like a man. Sometimes I smell like a man. Even swear like a man.
But I'm pretty sure I still look like a woman.
/checks pants...
Nope. No penis.0 -
If feedback from the scale is very important to you, then worry about losing fat first.
However, if measuring smaller and looking better are more important to you, then start the weight training from the beginning. Building muscle will slow your weight loss (number on the scale) but will speed up the process of looking good!0 -
Hi Natasha, I lost weight through strict diet before joining MFP. Then I stalled so I started walking 30 minutes a day. I eventually again hit a plateau so I bought a bicycle and joined a gym. I walk and ride as often as possible. I go to the gym everyday for one hour which I split into half hour cardio and half hour strength training, but rarely do I ever repeat any single routine in a given week. I joined a Yoga class at the gym and attend once each week. When not losing weight, I find I'm losing body fat (fast!), toning muscle, and gaining more muscle. So, rather than just record my weight, I measure and track % body fat every two weeks. This variety in my routine helps me remain focused and stay on track. I'm never frustrated or bored now.0
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THIS IS A REPLY TO - MMAPAGS - This poor girl wanted advice about going to the GYM!
She should work out - get rid of the weight - then hit weights.
Women should never over do it on the weights, women should always look feminine!
WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I GOT THIS MANLY PHYSIQUE????
I wish you could have saved me! :cries:0 -
Just to clarify this was in response to the chic calling someone stupid and saying women will look like men blah blah. I guess it got removed.What are you 12? Lets see your results. Because I have yet to see a woman here that looks like a man.
I eat like a man. Sweat like a man. Sometimes I smell like a man. Even swear like a man.
But I'm pretty sure I still look like a woman.
/checks pants...
Nope. No penis.0 -
Most of the info you have gotten so far is right on. You do not have to wait to start weightlifting/strength training. You can eat at a deficit AND lift and lose body fat. Cardio is optional.
Here is my cut and paste advice.
Losing fat anywhere on the body is more to do with a calorie deficit than any particular exercise. With that said the fat will burn off from wherever the body decides. You cannot control this and it usually comes off in the reverse order it went on.
To lose "weight" put your calories in a moderate deficit. Notice I said "weight". To make sure the majority of your weight loss comes from "body fat" you will need to do resistance training. Muscle is very expensive to maintain calorie wise. If you do not convince your body that the muscle is necessary it will get rid of it. This can look great on the scale but is terrible for body composition. This site is full of people who reach their weight loss goals and are not happy with the way their bodies look. This is usually do to large calorie deficit (from severe dieting or excessive cardio) and no resistance training (lifting relatively heavy weights). Strength training should be started as soon as possible. I recommend picking a premade program like Starting Strength or Stronglifts 5x5. Any will get you results for quite awhile.
Is cardio necessary for fat loss? Nope. You can lose weight just with diet alone or diet with strength training combined to maximize fat loss.
Should you do cardio anyways? Yep. Many benefits of doing cardio but I recommend high intensity cardio. 20-30 minutes as hard as you can go. Try HIIT training at first. Do that about 3 times per week. Spending hours on a treadmill will burn calories but is so inefficient that I think its a waste of time. I do not recommend trying to turn you weightlifting into cardio with circuit training. Just add cardio afterward and keep them separate or do the strength training first and then do the circuit training as your cardio.
Read this and the attached study but do not lower your calories that low:
http://fitnessblackbook.com/dieting_for_fat_loss/maintain-muscle-mass-on-800-calories-per-day/
Watch this video for setting up calorie goals and macros (protein, fats, carbs)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bakMu9ddQ5I
Watch this video to decide what kind of cardio you might want to do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up5n86VGC3c 0
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