Do you need to lift weights when you are very overweight?

Loftearmen

If she's trying to drop 200lbs of excess weight I would say that she does have body comp goals. No need to be sarcastic to other members.

To the OP, start lifting light and gradually increase the weight as your fitness and strength levels improve. By lifting, I mean actually picking up a free standing implement like a barbell or a dumbbell, not overcoming the mechanical resistance of a machine. A really good, basic lifting routine that is a great resource for beginners is Stronglifts 5x5. If you go to stronglifts.com, they have the program there as well as detailed instructions on how to perform the lifts, how and when to increase the weight and a forum where you can go to have other people answer your questions and give you support when you need it. Good luck to you.

FullOfWin

Funny how people always say you NEED cardio when in fact you do not. You NEED a calorie deficit. Create it how you like.

Loftearmen

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Loftearmen

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.

Hey! There's another Powerlifter in this forum!

rm7161

There are numerous folks on here who put such an emphasis on dropping weight and getting there as quick as possible that they lost a lot of their LBM in the process. This can be rebuilt, but I am sure each and every one of them, had they the chance to start over, would say that hitting the weights earlier and taking a little more time to lose the weight would be the path they would choose.

When you are that overweight, you haven't got much in the way of LBM to lose. But building it up from the start is a good idea. The key is to start easy.

When I first started, I started light. 15 minutes on an elliptical (free in the gym in my apartment complex, so I used it) and good old fashioned resistance exercises that required no equipment, situps, pushups, moved into planks, etc. Seriously could not handle any more and had no money in which to buy a bunch of equipment. The important thing is I made it a habit and kept it up and kept pushing myself further.

This isn't to say that lifting isn't important or useful, because clearly it is, but when you are just starting and have that much weight to lose, you have an opportunity to build the lean body mass concurrently with cardio and a calorie deficit, and it is more important to learn to enjoy exercise and make it a regular habit in the beginning than anything else.

STrooper

In the end it will probably be a balance. Strength training hepls with the cardio (seems to make them more efficient. I noticed that downhill skiing. Cardio is omportant but the combination is what really helps).

Here's the good news (if you wish to call it that): when you have a large amount of weight to lose, if you start and focus on cardio, you are doing strength training. Just getting up and hauling all that mass already at some pace noticeably higher and longer than sitting on the couch has the effect of both ( a good test of that is climbing stairs. It takes both endurance to do it for some period of time and it takes strength to life the mass). That is basic physics.

But as the weight comes off the resistance lessens. As a practical matter, particularly as you lose weight, strength training will induce your body to burn calories at a slightly elevated rate. But you will have to find and adjust to a routine that suits you. I had been nearly 80-90% cardio. I have increased the resistance/strength training in recent months and although it does not show up in weight, it does show up on muscle tone and definition, something that is really hard to see through the fat layer until that layer eventually burns off.

ninerbuff

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?

Calorie deficit gets the weight off. Combination of both is probably the most beneficial.

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Martucha123

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.

this
you have a lot of LBM, more then you need.
Stick to cardio for a while, don't worry to much about lifting weights or eating lots of protein, just stick to your calories and move
Start lifting when you have 100-150 lbs to lose.
If you want to you can do body weight exercises : planks, push ups, squats ect. with your weight you will be challenging your body this way anyway

WendyTerry420

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.

this
you have a lot of LBM, more then you need.
Stick to cardio for a while, don't worry to much about lifting weights or eating lots of protein, just stick to your calories and move
Start lifting when you have 100-150 lbs to lose.
If you want to you can do body weight exercises : planks, push ups, squats ect. with your weight you will be challenging your body this way anyway

How is it possible to have more LBM than you need? That makes no sense.