Confused about lifting and weight loss

prattiger65

Somebody help me out. You cant build muscle without eating at a surplus and you cant lose weight without eating at a deficit. I understand both of these. So what is the physiology of lifting while losing weight. If I am not building muscle, whats the point? I know there is one, I just don't understand.

TR0berts

The point is that, by lifting and eating enough protein - generally accepted as 0.8-1 gram protein per pound of lean body mass (total weight - body fat, which you'd need to calculate from your BF%) - that you will retain most of your lean body mass while losing fat. Otherwise, as you lose weight, a good portion of it will be muscle and you probably won't like how you look when you get to your goal weight.

sweetzoejane

Retaining lean muscle mass while dieting. Just because you eat in a calorie deficit, doesn't mean everything you lose will be fat. This is why both adequate protein intake + strength training is important.

Lifting also helps you get stronger. You can get stronger without building muscle, and being strong is hot.

cwolfman13

You maintain muscle. in the absence of strength training while eating at a deficit, you will lose a lot of muscle along with the fat. I haven't lost a single Lb of muscle in this process due to lifting and meeting my protein macros. Preserving LBM not only leaves you looking better at goal weight, but also maintains a higher overall metabolism...ergo you get to eat more.

Additionally, you do make strength gains...weigh lifting has many benefits outside of building muscle mass.

prattiger65

Makes perfect sense. Thank you very much!

ETA: I asked in another thread, I will verify here. Is Stronglifts 5X5 a acceptible routine for this?

jonesin_am

I too had wondered the same thing for the longest time. Looks like you got some good answers! Now I'm off to lift some heavy things, put them down, and lift them again!

Another pro is that it makes me feel so strong and empowered! I LOVE lifting more than I ever thought I would.

jmadams111

There is a good chance you will reshape your body, lose inches instead of pounds in some cases.

albertabeefy

Keep in mind lifting while you diet can also result in strength gains, though not "build muscle". This happens as you train your nervous system, improve bone-density, etc., and will be very useful when it comes time to move from a diet phase to a mass-building phase.

monikalama

BUMP

skinnyinnotime

Another great benefit it prevents us losing bone density as we age, something us ladies suffer from with age.

jlapey

Makes perfect sense. Thank you very much!

ETA: I asked in another thread, I will verify here. Is Stronglifts 5X5 a acceptible routine for this?

After doing much research, I've decided to READ "Starting Strength" and then DO "Stonglifts 5X5. These are the two most recommended.

albertabeefy

Makes perfect sense. Thank you very much!

ETA: I asked in another thread, I will verify here. Is Stronglifts 5X5 a acceptible routine for this?

I do my 5x5 when on mass-gaining phase, not during my diet phase. During diet I tend to do higher repetitions.

5x5 is great for someone with a little training behind them who wants to improve their strength and increase mass. You may be better off first doing some 3x10 style training of lower weight... But ultimately what's BEST is doing what you'll enjoy and stick with

sweetzoejane

Makes perfect sense. Thank you very much!

ETA: I asked in another thread, I will verify here. Is Stronglifts 5X5 a acceptible routine for this?

As someone who has done SL as a beginner, I really would not recommend it for a beginner. The focus of the program is building strength very quickly. As a beginner, you should be focusing on form and basics first.

I recommend Nia Shanks' workout programs (Beautiful Badass, for example). Lots of programs within it to try, great instructional videos, and the information about lifting and nutrition is fabulous.

Second to that would be New Rules of Lifting for Women or Starting Strength.

cwolfman13

Makes perfect sense. Thank you very much!

ETA: I asked in another thread, I will verify here. Is Stronglifts 5X5 a acceptible routine for this?

Definitely...also Starting Strength. They are both very similar. Difference being SS is 3x5 (and personally I think more suited to beginners...also book is pretty much a must read)...also 5x5 subs BB Rows for the Cleans in SS. I did SS and actually substituted the BB Rows...but followed the 3x5 format...Cleans were just too technical and I didn't have anyone to show me proper technique.

drchimpanzee

There have been studies that if you're just starting out and/or if you're overweight and have fat to lose you can in fact build muscle and lose fat at the same time. It won't be to the extent that someone taking the steps to only gain would be able to but it will occur.

prattiger65

Makes perfect sense. Thank you very much!

ETA: I asked in another thread, I will verify here. Is Stronglifts 5X5 a acceptible routine for this?

As someone who has done SL as a beginner, I really would not recommend it for a beginner. The focus of the program is building strength very quickly. As a beginner, you should be focusing on form and basics first.

I recommend Nia Shanks' workout programs (Beautiful Badass, for example). Lots of programs within it to try, great instructional videos, and the information about lifting and nutrition is fabulous.

Second to that would be New Rules of Lifting for Women or Starting Strength.

I must point out that I am the gentleman in the profile pic

TR0berts

As someone who has done SL as a beginner, I really would not recommend it for a beginner. The focus of the program is building strength very quickly. As a beginner, you should be focusing on form and basics first.

I recommend Nia Shanks' workout programs (Beautiful Badass, for example). Lots of programs within it to try, great instructional videos, and the information about lifting and nutrition is fabulous.

Second to that would be New Rules of Lifting for Women or Starting Strength.

This post makes no sense. Strong Lifts and Starting Strength are virtually the same program. You squat every time out on both, you add 30 lbs every two weeks to deadlift on both, and you alternate bench press and overhead press each workout. Thus, your strength gains would be nearly identical, if you start off in the same spot.

Strong Lifts has you start out with the empty barbell, so that you do learn and practice proper form so that when you start pushing yourself, you know what you're doing.

StrongLifts is a fine beginner program, if you follow it properly.

jtbaddison

I used to think that you couldn't gain muscle weight on a calorie deficit, however, I found out I was wrong.

In the last season of the Biggest Loser, the season Chamipion, Danni gained 15 pounds of muscle weight while still at the ranch and consistently losing weight every week on a calorie deficit.

My understanding is that as your muscle mass grows, your body burns more calories on a daily basis. This is the reason that men burn more calories than women. There is no doubt that weight lifting is a critical component to any weightloss/fitness regimen.

Beyond calories burned, it also reduces injuries do to cardio activities like running or sports.

Hope this is helpful.

sweetzoejane

Makes perfect sense. Thank you very much!

ETA: I asked in another thread, I will verify here. Is Stronglifts 5X5 a acceptible routine for this?

As someone who has done SL as a beginner, I really would not recommend it for a beginner. The focus of the program is building strength very quickly. As a beginner, you should be focusing on form and basics first.

I recommend Nia Shanks' workout programs (Beautiful Badass, for example). Lots of programs within it to try, great instructional videos, and the information about lifting and nutrition is fabulous.

Second to that would be New Rules of Lifting for Women or Starting Strength.

I must point out that I am the gentleman in the profile pic

Oh, I should start looking at profiles. HAHA! Sorry, normally it is the women here who are asking about lifting, but should not have made assumptions.

There is just a New Rules of Lifting book though (but the information and programs are relatively similar). Starting Strength then is also great, but quite technical.

Capt_Apollo

Somebody help me out. You cant build muscle without eating at a surplus

says who?

TR0berts

I do my 5x5 when on mass-gaining phase, not during my diet phase. During diet I tend to do higher repetitions.

5x5 is great for someone with a little training behind them who wants to improve their strength and increase mass. You may be better off first doing some 3x10 style training of lower weight...

This also makes no sense. Higher reps is for hypertrophy - building bigger muscles. You need to be on a Caloric surplus - mass-gaining phase - for that. 5x5 is for strength - neuromuscular adaptation with considerably less muscle growth. And strength gains can definitely be made during Caloric deficits.

sweetzoejane

As someone who has done SL as a beginner, I really would not recommend it for a beginner. The focus of the program is building strength very quickly. As a beginner, you should be focusing on form and basics first.

I recommend Nia Shanks' workout programs (Beautiful Badass, for example). Lots of programs within it to try, great instructional videos, and the information about lifting and nutrition is fabulous.

Second to that would be New Rules of Lifting for Women or Starting Strength.

This post makes no sense. Strong Lifts and Starting Strength are virtually the same program. You squat every time out on both, you add 30 lbs every two weeks to deadlift on both, and you alternate bench press and overhead press each workout. Thus, your strength gains would be nearly identical, if you start off in the same spot.

Strong Lifts has you start out with the empty barbell, so that you do learn and practice proper form so that when you start pushing yourself, you know what you're doing.

StrongLifts is a fine beginner program, if you follow it properly.

I meant SS, with the information from the book, is far more helpful to a beginner. And, to be honest, with the assumption that OP was the woman in the pic, I wouldn't recommend SL to a woman who is a beginner. That may sound sexist, but I'm not really trying to be. I'm a woman who started out with SL and have my reasons for not recommending it to beginners. Maybe it's different for men. I wouldn't know.

Capt_Apollo

Makes perfect sense. Thank you very much!

ETA: I asked in another thread, I will verify here. Is Stronglifts 5X5 a acceptible routine for this?

i like 5/3/1 (strstd.com) but yeah, 5x5 and starting strength is good.

SlvrBluGoddess

bump

Capt_Apollo

I do my 5x5 when on mass-gaining phase, not during my diet phase. During diet I tend to do higher repetitions.

5x5 is great for someone with a little training behind them who wants to improve their strength and increase mass. You may be better off first doing some 3x10 style training of lower weight...

This also makes no sense. Higher reps is for hypertrophy - building bigger muscles. You need to be on a Caloric surplus - mass-gaining phase - for that. 5x5 is for strength - neuromuscular adaptation with considerably less muscle growth. And strength gains can definitely be made during Caloric deficits.

you don't have to be. i was doing a combination of low reps high weight and high reps low weight, and i wasn't eating a surplus. i was eating just shy of maintenance. i built size, strength, and lost weight.

lesspaul

There is a well known phenomenon that those of us new to strenuous exercise can lose fat and build muscle at the same time. The gym term for this is "Newbie gains" and it has been proven through research, although I can't find the reference at the moment.

phatguerilla

Body fat is a calorie surplus, even if its not the simplest means of tranforming calories into muscle gains its still possible.

Capt_Apollo

also, roll tide.

bpotts44

Somebody help me out. You cant build muscle without eating at a surplus and you cant lose weight without eating at a deficit. I understand both of these. So what is the physiology of lifting while losing weight. If I am not building muscle, whats the point? I know there is one, I just don't understand.

Retention on lean muscle mass is the primary reason as well as overall health, calorie burn, etc. However, you can gain muscle in caloric deficit as long as your protein is good especially if you are obese and new to lifting.

TR0berts

I do my 5x5 when on mass-gaining phase, not during my diet phase. During diet I tend to do higher repetitions.

5x5 is great for someone with a little training behind them who wants to improve their strength and increase mass. You may be better off first doing some 3x10 style training of lower weight...

This also makes no sense. Higher reps is for hypertrophy - building bigger muscles. You need to be on a Caloric surplus - mass-gaining phase - for that. 5x5 is for strength - neuromuscular adaptation with considerably less muscle growth. And strength gains can definitely be made during Caloric deficits.

you don't have to be. i was doing a combination of low reps high weight and high reps low weight, and i wasn't eating a surplus. i was eating just shy of maintenance. i built size, strength, and lost weight.

"Need" was perhaps a poor choice of wording on my part. But, in regards to what that poster was saying, he's really doing it in a quite inefficient way. He'd be better off reversing what he's doing.

SyStEmPhReAk

GREAT responses and info!!

Why can't all MFP threads be as accurate with replies to the OP?!? :grumble: :noway: