Do you need to lift weights when you are very overweight?
Replies
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I think you need a little resistance training with weights. Why? To build muscles which will help you burn fat! I say some weight training is definitely needed!! Cardio is great, but remember to mix it up & don't do the same thing over & over again!0
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One of my trainers told me that at first if you are very overweight, your own body weight while doing the cardio works as your weight exercise. But later you need to add weights as your body slims down, since you are not carrying around as much.
Laughably incorrect
More than weight, it is about what shape you are in. My shoulders got really weak while I did nothing the last few months, so cardio exercises that involve my arms at shoulder height or higher are building my strength in that area. No matter how many times you pump your arms up and down, I don't think cardio is ever going to build more arm strength.0 -
yes. if only to preserve as much lean body mass as you can while you lose.
also the body weight exercises can be great depending on your strength levels. but once you can do those things you need to make them harder. IMO that's more efficient to do with free weights0 -
All good comments, thanks! I know I definitely need the cardio so I'm going to start with that 3x a week and maybe more if I can commit to that. Then maybe I'll get a trainer just for a few sessions so he/she can show me what weights to use.
I have about 200 pounds to lose as well. I include a little bit of strength training with my cardio, when I have time. I've noticed an improvement in my posture and how I carry myself. Plus, it gives you another non-scale goal to work towards. So, when the scale is being mean to me, I can focus on my inches lost, or on my increased distance on the treadmill, or that I can now move the weight setting down another notch on the machines.
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I didn't read every comment in this thread so forgive me if I'm being repetitive, but there's fat-burning hormonal advantages to weight lifting that you don't get nearly as much of doing cardio. For that reason, and preserving muscle mass, it's highly advantageous to start now.0
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Would you get the same fat-burning hormonal advantages doing bodyweight resistance movements if the intensity of each exercise was such that you are working to strength reps; i.e. 5 - 12 repetitions?
Bodyweight routines are my choice for strength work and I feel the right level of soreness after a workout and would like to think I am generating a similar metabolic effect on my musculature as I would lifting. I have certainly seen strength gains and a steady drop in body fat.0 -
Alactic system of burning fuel in the body
Anaerobic system of burning fuel in the body
Aerobic system of burning fuel in the body
Exercises that match the way to burn fuel
Muscle fibers contained in the body and how they are best exercised and fuelled - Type 1 and Type II (argue over a and b later)
So, if you research those factors you will only conclude that to aid your weight loss you must do not just aerobic and weight lifting you must make sure that the weight lifted is HEAVY/low reps, Medium/Medium Reps and Light/high reps and cardio should be done at at least 65%-75% of your maximum heart rate.
Or as a trainer, who has been in the business for 40 years, said to their new client looking for weight loss. Cardio burns fat (in lay terms, plus all the other benefits for heart, lungs etc.) and weight training burns inches (body recomposition)
So, cardio burns fat, weights burn inches.0 -
Would you get the same fat-burning hormonal advantages doing bodyweight resistance movements if the intensity of each exercise was such that you are working to strength reps; i.e. 5 - 12 repetitions?
Bodyweight routines are my choice for strength work and I feel the right level of soreness after a workout and would like to think I am generating a similar metabolic effect on my musculature as I would lifting. I have certainly seen strength gains and a steady drop in body fat.
Yeah, for sure. It doesn't matter if your resistance comes from iron or your own body, but it's going to be hard to get a 12-rep max set for very long on, for example, your quads and glutes without weight, and those are big groups to neglect. Pushups have almost endless variations to make it harder but there's a limit to what you can do with bodyweight squats.
If you are starting out very unfit or very overweight, however, you will get some good mileage out of them.
Edit: I take back what I said about bodyweight squats. I just remembered pistol squats.0 -
Nobody NEEDS to lift weights, or brush their teeth, or bathe for that matter.
But it's very, very good for you to do so.
There's no reason to delay. Start last Thursday.0 -
Alactic system of burning fuel in the body
Anaerobic system of burning fuel in the body
Aerobic system of burning fuel in the body
Exercises that match the way to burn fuel
Muscle fibers contained in the body and how they are best exercised and fuelled - Type 1 and Type II (argue over a and b later)
So, if you research those factors you will only conclude that to aid your weight loss you must do not just aerobic and weight lifting you must make sure that the weight lifted is HEAVY/low reps, Medium/Medium Reps and Light/high reps and cardio should be done at at least 65%-75% of your maximum heart rate.
Or as a trainer, who has been in the business for 40 years, said to their new client looking for weight loss. Cardio burns fat (in lay terms, plus all the other benefits for heart, lungs etc.) and weight training burns inches (body recomposition)
So, cardio burns fat, weights burn inches.
What?0 -
When I first started, I focused 100% on cardio. I had a goal in mind - get the weight off. Once I got a lot of the weight off, I started with more of a cross training (combining weights AND cardio). For me, weight loss only comes with cardio. But, I definitely wanted the weight side of it once I was thinner so I could have a leaner look to me. Different people will likely tell you different things. You'll get the anti-cardio people who tell you that cardio isn't necessary. There will be people who do both (like me) and people who only want to do cardio.
In all honesty, none of them are "right" or "wrong" - it all depends on YOUR goals.
^This.0 -
Cardio will burn more fat, so listen to your doctors. But strength training (including, but not limited to, weights) will help keep more muscle as lose, so I'd suggest doing both.0
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You should absolutely be doing some type of resistance training to round it all out0
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I'm not sure exactly how much weight I want to lose but it's significant, maybe 200lbs. My doctor and others just say cardio, cardio, cardio to get the weight off. Should I also be lifting weights or is that not important until an initial 100 lbs is off or so?
Well, here's my opinion.
With cardio it seems generally easier to work off a calorie deficit. If you have a hard time eating under your TDEE (look it up if you don't know what it is, it is not the number mfp gives you), then cardio is great if you have little time to exercise. It is also included easily in daily activity (walk to work instead of drive etc).
Weight training seems to make everyone look phenomenal. And I think it's more important to get rid of the fat vs the weight. The weight people get rid of on high calorie deficits is not all fat, it's muscle/water/other. If I had my time back I would have went harder at the weights, that's coming from someone who doesn't enjoy it. I want stronger bones, a higher resting metabolic rate and I want to be stronger in general. Cardio can't do that for me.0 -
Here's me at the beginning of 2012:
all I did to lose weight was calorie restrict and lift weights. Granted, I've been leaner and nearly as strong as I am today before, so my body has an advantage when I decided to rededicate myself this past year.
Resistance training (done safely) is so superior to cardio in an either/or situation it's not even funny. Everyone who strives to be healthy and goes out of their way to exercise should strength train. I firmly believe that.0 -
I recently joined a gym and was informed at the induction that the non-cardio exercises (can't remember the technical term) are actually better for weight loss than cardio, although they obviously advise a combination of both. Good luck 0
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YESYESYESYESYEYES!
oh, noob posted a pic...are we posting pics?0 -
I am actually going to go against the grain and against what I usually advise. With the amount of weight you have to lose, I would focus on cardio at first. There are a couple of reasons for this
- you will already have significant LBM due to your size
- at your weight (no offense) the focus should be on losing weight rather than body comp for health reasons
- seeing results quicker will be more satisfying when you have such a large amount to lose
That being said, when you get down to where you have say 100lb or even 200lb to lose, definitely start lifting.0 -
Alactic system of burning fuel in the body
Anaerobic system of burning fuel in the body
Aerobic system of burning fuel in the body
Exercises that match the way to burn fuel
Muscle fibers contained in the body and how they are best exercised and fuelled - Type 1 and Type II (argue over a and b later)
So, if you research those factors you will only conclude that to aid your weight loss you must do not just aerobic and weight lifting you must make sure that the weight lifted is HEAVY/low reps, Medium/Medium Reps and Light/high reps and cardio should be done at at least 65%-75% of your maximum heart rate.
Or as a trainer, who has been in the business for 40 years, said to their new client looking for weight loss. Cardio burns fat (in lay terms, plus all the other benefits for heart, lungs etc.) and weight training burns inches (body recomposition)
So, cardio burns fat, weights burn inches.
What?
What do you mean, what? What you do not understand, what I wrote is rubbish. What? what what0 -
Alactic system of burning fuel in the body
Anaerobic system of burning fuel in the body
Aerobic system of burning fuel in the body
Exercises that match the way to burn fuel
Muscle fibers contained in the body and how they are best exercised and fuelled - Type 1 and Type II (argue over a and b later)
So, if you research those factors you will only conclude that to aid your weight loss you must do not just aerobic and weight lifting you must make sure that the weight lifted is HEAVY/low reps, Medium/Medium Reps and Light/high reps and cardio should be done at at least 65%-75% of your maximum heart rate.
Or as a trainer, who has been in the business for 40 years, said to their new client looking for weight loss. Cardio burns fat (in lay terms, plus all the other benefits for heart, lungs etc.) and weight training burns inches (body recomposition)
So, cardio burns fat, weights burn inches.
What?
What do you mean, what? What you do not understand, what I wrote is rubbish. What? what what0 -
I'm overweight and I started losing weight in November. I went from barely fitting a 2x to almost out of a size 1x. Every thing I have read says to incorporate cardio and strength training.0
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Weightlifting is still good when you have a lot of weight to loose, as the more muscle you have the more calories your body burns also the afterburn for the calories your body continues to burn after weightlifting is higher than after cardio.0
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Sounds like your doctor has prescribed cardio for you, this will have been done for the numerous other health benefits that cardiovascular exercise provides, not just for your weight loss.
You have said that you are very overweight, so at the moment you and your doctors priority is to minimise the risk of disease, perhaps reduce medication, improve your cadriovascular system, etc etc.
Keep it simple, you have 200lbs to loose, it's a long journey. The important thing is to start exercising and changing your lifestyle. Just start burning calories, getting in a good habbit, and making a lifestyle change. You aren't going to loose muscle that you don't have whilst your body has so much fat available, so don't be scared into thinking that the treadmill is going to leave you "skinny fat". Your a long way from that and your overall health and disease risk is the important thing right now.
I wouldn't prescribe a lifting program to someone in your situation until you'd made a significant lifestyle change and made good progress on your weight loss and cardiovascular fitness. This will benefit you in the future if you decide to follow a strenght training program.
Not aimed at the OP:
Why does every thread get jumped on by "lift, lift, lift"??? Not everyone is comfortable with a gym or lifting weights, not everyone needs or wants to lift weights. I love the way "muscles burn fat when your not exercising" is always thrown in as a sweeper that pushes all of the other health benefits of cardio under teh table with one big fat brush! There are plenty of ways to maintain muscle tone without lifting weights. None of them matter if your gonna be dead in a year because of heart disease. This isn't a weights v's cardio debate, it's what is appropriate for the person. Loosing weight one step at a time, not one rep at a time.
There's nothing wrong with prescribing cardiovascular exercise to someone with large amounts of weight to loose. Say the OP went to the gym and did 4x30mins lifting per week, what do you think the results for their disease risk, diabetes, weight loss etc would be in 6 weeks? I know it wouldn't be anywhere near what it would if they did 4x30mins cardio per week for 6 weeks.
The important thing for a newcomer or someone with weight to loose is a managable program with results that keep them at it and benefit them in daily life so they will STICK WITH IT.
Anyway, rant over. I'll run off before a dumbell lands my way ;p0 -
Alactic system of burning fuel in the body
Anaerobic system of burning fuel in the body
Aerobic system of burning fuel in the body
Exercises that match the way to burn fuel
Muscle fibers contained in the body and how they are best exercised and fuelled - Type 1 and Type II (argue over a and b later)
So, if you research those factors you will only conclude that to aid your weight loss you must do not just aerobic and weight lifting you must make sure that the weight lifted is HEAVY/low reps, Medium/Medium Reps and Light/high reps and cardio should be done at at least 65%-75% of your maximum heart rate.
Or as a trainer, who has been in the business for 40 years, said to their new client looking for weight loss. Cardio burns fat (in lay terms, plus all the other benefits for heart, lungs etc.) and weight training burns inches (body recomposition)
So, cardio burns fat, weights burn inches.
What?
What do you mean, what? What you do not understand, what I wrote is rubbish. What? what what
So, explain the reason. I would like to know. What is the rubbish part, alactic, anaerobic, aerobic systems?0 -
Here's me at the beginning of 2012:
all I did to lose weight was calorie restrict and lift weights. Granted, I've been leaner and nearly as strong as I am today before, so my body has an advantage when I decided to rededicate myself this past year.
Resistance training (done safely) is so superior to cardio in an either/or situation it's not even funny. Everyone who strives to be healthy and goes out of their way to exercise should strength train. I firmly believe that.
What's all that stuff on the bed?0 -
Here's me at the beginning of 2012:
all I did to lose weight was calorie restrict and lift weights. Granted, I've been leaner and nearly as strong as I am today before, so my body has an advantage when I decided to rededicate myself this past year.
Resistance training (done safely) is so superior to cardio in an either/or situation it's not even funny. Everyone who strives to be healthy and goes out of their way to exercise should strength train. I firmly believe that.
What's all that stuff on the bed?
Shakeweights.0 -
cardio is very important for fat loss when you are bigger. you want to balance with strength training so you don't lose too much muscle, but that being said, the effects of muscle loss won't occur until you have come down in weight....I would say once you hit 25% body fat, you should think about weight lifting....but why not start them both and build up experience. I don't think you will "lose" time by adding strength training (ie - I don't think your fat loss rate will decrease, although your weight loss may decrease as you won't be losing as much muscle) - although you won't build (much) muscle on a caloric deficit I think it will still stoke your metabolism during non-workout times. most people (like me) who ask this question just don't like weights - but cardio and weights go hand in hand w/ eating healthy and at a deficit. others advocate only active weight training (like circuits w/o much rest). But, in my opinion you would be foolish to neglect the fat reducing gains from cardio (as well as the heart healthy gains).
CRAP!!! I am at 31% body fat! Should I stop lifting weights?0 -
Here's me at the beginning of 2012:
all I did to lose weight was calorie restrict and lift weights. Granted, I've been leaner and nearly as strong as I am today before, so my body has an advantage when I decided to rededicate myself this past year.
Resistance training (done safely) is so superior to cardio in an either/or situation it's not even funny. Everyone who strives to be healthy and goes out of their way to exercise should strength train. I firmly believe that.
What's all that stuff on the bed?
memory serves:
6 Curado 201D's
3 Citica 201D's
4 Curado 101D's
2 Chornarch 51mg's
2 Chronarch 101SF's
1 Morrum ZX 1601 ICBV BJ
and I think I had 2 Citica 201E's at the time.
Fishing reels.0 -
I would recommend doing a simple full body routine with machines 2x per week. No need to over-complicate things at this point.0
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Alactic system of burning fuel in the body
Anaerobic system of burning fuel in the body
Aerobic system of burning fuel in the body
Exercises that match the way to burn fuel
Muscle fibers contained in the body and how they are best exercised and fuelled - Type 1 and Type II (argue over a and b later)
So, if you research those factors you will only conclude that to aid your weight loss you must do not just aerobic and weight lifting you must make sure that the weight lifted is HEAVY/low reps, Medium/Medium Reps and Light/high reps and cardio should be done at at least 65%-75% of your maximum heart rate.
Or as a trainer, who has been in the business for 40 years, said to their new client looking for weight loss. Cardio burns fat (in lay terms, plus all the other benefits for heart, lungs etc.) and weight training burns inches (body recomposition)
So, cardio burns fat, weights burn inches.
What?
What do you mean, what? What you do not understand, what I wrote is rubbish. What? what what
So, explain the reason. I would like to know. What is the rubbish part, alactic, anaerobic, aerobic systems?
it's a little difficult to take someone seriously who a) looks like a smurf, 2) has no friends, no profile, just joined and X) post stuff that makes me have to google it or find a dictionary to understand.0
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