HEAVY Guys! I'm looking for advice..

Spook_Nuke_Em

Hey guys,

Just wondering if any guys in the 250-350lb range have had success lifting weights while trying to drop a lot of excess pounds. I'm near 300lbs from 320 in the beginning of the year. I'm trying to get to 225. Right now I'm pretty much only doing cardio - What have been your experiences? Any Advice.

Thanks!

IronSmasher

I've come from 275lbs to 226lbs. Of course I had success, I was a 275lbs guy.

You should be lifting already.

Lift.


Are you lifting yet?

arickettsjr

Absolutely! Not me, but my workout partner started out at 330 and is down to about 230 a little over a year later. He did cardio but has been lifting heavy 3x/week the whole time and it's definitely been a huge benefit for him.

moustache_flavored_lube

Yes absolutely.. Being male, significantly overweight is pretty much the only exception to the "can't build muscle on a deficit rule" Balance your cardio and strength training, and you will have a better body at your GW

Spook_Nuke_Em

Thanks guys. I'll get to lifting! It's only been since High School. lol

Flintbeats810

Yeah man what everyone is saying! I'm sure you heard me talk about my brother before....he is a bodybuilder that has been doing it for over 25 years. His advice to me was that cardio is going to probably be the most important but i needed to lift as well to lose weight and tone at the same time basically so your not getting to your idea weight and then trying to start lifting then. Your burning calories and stuff when your working out too plus as you build more muscle your body becomes more effiecnt at burning fat. Now he did say to make sure to Vary up the routine as most people will say do so that your not getting complacent and your body doesn't "get used to the routine". He also said that even if i'm lifting "heavy" that reps should still be between 8 to 12 AT LEAST. He also said that its good for me to do higher rep routines (20 to 25 reps) to vary things some weeks because higher reps help more when your in "weight loss mode" . Now he competes and is in near contest mode all the time but he incorperates high rep work outs into his routine too and its funny when we work out together and they see this 245 ripped dude lifting such little weight and they ask him "dude you got that big lifting that?" lol

Flintbeats810

Yes absolutely.. Being male, significantly overweight is pretty much the only exception to the "can't build muscle on a deficit rule" Balance your cardio and strength training, and you will have a better body at your GW

^^ what he said! how many times have you seen someone lose like 100 Lbs and then say" now i want to start building muscle" or "Now i wanna bulk up" most of the time it was because they weren't lifting to get to where they were and they didn't realize they could have been doing it all together. I'll admit i was skeptical at first too about lifting but now that i'm down 80lbs and that i'm about 20lbs away from my "goal" i'm so glad i have been lifting because i'm loving the definition thats starting to come through!

stephaniemejia1671

I'm not a dude so I'm just passing by... lift. Women will care for you more. Lift now, run later.

proton77

I'm not that heavy but you can lose weight and maintain your muscle by doing both cardio and weight lifting. Cardio will burn a lot of calories which will result in weight loss and Muscle will help burn even more fat.

Spook_Nuke_Em

Yeah man what everyone is saying! I'm sure you heard me talk about my brother before....he is a bodybuilder that has been doing it for over 25 years. His advice to me was that cardio is going to probably be the most important but i needed to lift as well to lose weight and tone at the same time basically so your not getting to your idea weight and then trying to start lifting then. Your burning calories and stuff when your working out too plus as you build more muscle your body becomes more effiecnt at burning fat. Now he did say to make sure to Vary up the routine as most people will say do so that your not getting complacent and your body doesn't "get used to the routine". He also said that even if i'm lifting "heavy" that reps should still be between 8 to 12 AT LEAST. He also said that its good for me to do higher rep routines (20 to 25 reps) to vary things some weeks because higher reps help more when your in "weight loss mode" . Now he competes and is in near contest mode all the time but he incorperates high rep work outs into his routine too and its funny when we work out together and they see this 245 ripped dude lifting such little weight and they ask him "dude you got that big lifting that?" lol

Thanks a lot man! Picking up a weight bench of craigslist after work. Starting tonight!

DavPul

I started at 280 and was lifting before I did any cardio. The cardio comes and goes from my weekly routine but the lifting is its foundation. Got down to 223.

BrettPGH

I can tell you what'll happen if you don't..

I was 263 and did pretty much just cardio to lose weight. Yes I lost weight, but I sure wasn't happy with the results.

Lifting. That's what got me the results I was really after. No number on the scale means a thing compared to having some real muscle.

So put some weight on a bar and lift, son!

agggie550

Went from 382 - 238 ... been lifitng and doing cardio the whole time... i cycle in and out of more cardio then weights, then more weights then cardio for periods, but been doing both the whole time.

escloflowneCHANGED

I can tell you what'll happen if you don't..

I was 263 and did pretty much just cardio to lose weight. Yes I lost weight, but I sure wasn't happy with the results.

Lifting. That's what got me the results I was really after. No number on the scale means a thing compared to having some real muscle.

So put some weight on a bar and lift, son!

This!

I started at 271lbs last January and did only cardio for the first couple of months and lost 34lbs but I didn't look very different. I started weight lifting with my cardio and the weight loss slowed down but I started dropping pant sizes and went from a XXL to a Large within 2 months. I lost a lot of muscle mass in those first 34lbs...

Jerrypeoples

i am sure i am repeating stuff here but heres a quick background from my own personal exp

i would lift weights every other day and do about 30 minutes of cardio. afterwards i would get a #3 from mcdonalds. somehow the weight wasnt coming off.

two years later the switch went off and i got serious.

Since 6/12 i have focused on my workouts AND cardio. i got a fat loss workout from bodybuilding.com and began to follow it with some minor adjustments. I still did my cardio 7 days a week.

i am at the point now i am on auto pilot when it comes to cardio. 1 hour a day, on the weight loss setting, burning 800-840 cals a day.

i have now gone from lifting every other day to lifting m-w-f and on t-th i do abs. on t-th i also play basketball from 8-10

i have my calories at about 2000 for the day that i consume then minus what i burn

i started at 297 and am currently hovering at 230.

the biggest change you will have to make is not your body and not your eating habits. its your mind. you have to accept you need to do something about it, you need to be focused and you have to accept that just because you eat one way and workout one way for a week and lose 5lbs that you can do the same exact thing the next week and gain a lb.

your body is going to take time to adjust to what it is not used to.

my theory is it took a solid 30 years for me to put on this weight and its not going to come off after a few trips to the gym.

best of luck to you

ArroganceInStep

Definitely lift, it shouldn't even be a question. For me at least it's the difference between getting to the weight I want to be and looking like a freaking marshmellow that's been in the microwave for too long, or getting there and being jacked as hell.

I choose B, personally.

__RANDY__

I barely do any cardio

Anthony110101111110001101

I pick things up and put them down. :laugh:

I'm well and truly in that range and I am lifting and losing weight. I don't go overboard on the weights and could certainly push myself more but I'm more after a little muscle gain and more toning at this time. Usually do about half weights and half cardio in my session. I'd definitely recommend you pick things up then put them down too!

downsizinghoss

I will let you know when I get down to 350. :happy:

Lift.

If for no other reason than it makes you feel good and makes you want to exercise more.

drchimpanzee

Last June I was about 290 (down from 365 at my highest). By the end of the year I was 225-230 (seemed to fluctuate with water). I did high protein/low carb (mostly for my appetite since you can eat tons, no bs science), 45 minutes of cardio three days a week, and strength training three days a week with 15 minute cardio cooldowns. I didn't do anything too fancy. Pretty much just a simple full body. I'm pretty happy with the way things turned out and hope I can make more progress. I don't exactly have a ripped guys body but after losing so much I'm not sure I ever will BUT I'm the same weight I was before I started gaining in the first place and I can tell I'm more muscle than I was back then. Lifting is a must.

Pete_Mann

I was over 300 now around 215. I alternate 100% cardio days with weightlifting and some cardio (20 mins before and after lifting elliptical set for whichever muscle group I worked, or walking hills if it was legs.) I've lost a lot of weight, but I have put on muscle. It was pretty noticeable when I was wearing old clothes that fit when I was 20 pounds lighter than when I wore them the first time.

BrainsOnGains

Look at it this way. Say you lose all that bodyweight (fat)... dont you want some muscle mass to starting popping through to show off? otherwise you will lose fat and have muscle atrophy from your body burning fat and muscle. And muscle mass increases metabolism.....Thats just my opinion... total Broscience. But lift!

jackaroo21

Get lifting

danimalkeys

Definitely lift! I started at 280 last year. Got down to 225 in about 7 months, doing nothing but cardio. I lost a LOT of muscle along with the fat. I was a former heavy lifter, that's all I did, never did cardio. I was moving some pretty good weight for a 45-46 year old man. I stopped for a couple years due to being dinged up and losing my lifting partner to shift work. I gained a bunch of weight because I was still eating like I was lifting heavy.

I decided a few months ago that I was going to get back to the weight room. I could barely push 145lbs up for a few reps on bench. I got so discouraged I stopped lifting until about 3 weeks ago. When I originally quit, benching over my then heavyier bodyweight for reps was childs play. That's how far I fell. If I could rewind to this time last year, I'd have been lifting the entire time. My strength is coming back slowly, doing a 5x5 routine. I deadlifted 345x5 yesterday and I'll hit 315x5x5 next week on squats and 175x5x5 on bench. A long way from where I was but you don't get it all back in a day. I have no intentions of benching 4-5 plates a side again, but I want to return to a level of strength and fitness that is above average for a 50 year old man.

Lift! Full body, compound movements. Forget about curls, any lift that has "extension" or "cable" in the name. Squat, deadlift, row, bench, overhead press. Now!