Olympic Lifting and weight loss/muscle gain

wolveslovemee

Hey all

So Im fairly new to crossfit (not new to working out by any means). I just started maybe 4 weeks ago. My CF place has specialized Olympic weightlifting classes 5 times a week for an hour. They basically just help you perfect your form, get stronger etc.

Just curious if anyone noticed any weight changes if/when you lifted heavy. Obviously, the speed is COMPLETELY different than CF WoDs. They are adamant about having you only do 2-4 reps of each thing (moves vary by day) and take 3 mins of sitting down/break before going again on the platform.

Im still eating at a calorie deficit, not a HUGE one, but its there. Can I expect some good results? Regardless of that, I enjoy it. Would probably keep doing it even if nothing changed.

divemunkey

You should still torch some fat at a slight deficit, but you shouldn't pack on muscle. That does not mean you won't get stronger, you will, just not add lots of muscle like somebody who was bulking might.

wolveslovemee

You should still torch some fat at a slight deficit, but you shouldn't pack on muscle. That does not mean you won't get stronger, you will, just not add lots of muscle like somebody who was bulking might.

That makes sense and thanks for the reply. Im not looking to bulk just yet, Im still at roughly 30% bodyfat and would like to get it down to 20%.

Was just curious if me doing this would aid in my cause

melmckay99

I have had a personal trainer for the last 6 months and have gone through several 'phases' of training and also dropped about 25lbs. In november / december 2012 I was doing 'hypertrophy' which is about 70-80% of your max weight, high reps and frequent workouts. This is when the bulk of my weight loss happened. Then in January I went into 'max power' phase where it was low reps but trying to max out your weight. This was fun because it made me fel like superwoman! I made it to full body weight for my squats and deads. The work outs were low energy but still very demanding on the body. I plateau'd at my weight loss here but gained a lot of strength and muscle. Then in February we started more endurance and energetic workouts, and my trainer went on a crossfit training course and we started that! I have lost another couple of pounds since then and even went beyond my weight loss goal (I lost too much, if such a thing exists!). At my fitness level and age / weight (29 yr old, female of 118lbs), I can have days where I put away over 2,000 cals in food and won't see anything major happen on the scale. I average about 1,400-1,600 cals a day though. Back when I was trying to lose weight I was less though, maybe more around 1,200-1,400 cals per day.

Weight lifting is awesome for the body. When yo are stronger and have more muscle you burn more calories just by doing nothing. This means you can eat more (which is what I do now) or you can speed up your weight loss!! win-win if you ask me!

melmckay99

oh...just saw your comment about BF%....I should also add that I went from about 28% BF to about 19% now and I owe most of that to weight lifting and a clean diet. Just dont' look at my weekend diary for examples of clean eating though as I have loosened up just a "bit" since going into maintenance mode

wolveslovemee

oh...just saw your comment about BF%....I should also add that I went from about 28% BF to about 19% now and I owe most of that to weight lifting and a clean diet. Just dont' look at my weekend diary for examples of clean eating though as I have loosened up just a "bit" since going into maintenance mode

Yeah Ive been plateauing for about......5 months? Its been a long time since Ive been under 141 lb. Im not really all that concerned with the scale but 30-28% bodyfat is not where I want to be by any means. I think I would be content around 20%.

Just started paleo about 5 weeks ago so Im going to stick with it for at least 6-12 months. Workout wise I do CF 6 days a week, Oly training 4-5 days week and a rest day. Im hoping in the next 6 months I see SOME results. If not Im gonna have to do another rehaul. I have a feeling though this is the way to go.

Im eating roughly 1600-1800 a day (5'4.5", 141 ish pounds). Im definitely not in starvation mode at this point. I have insane protein macros and under 80 carbs a day, maybe on heavy lifting days I increase to 100 grams carbs. This should be a healthy and safe cut I imagine?

melmckay99

hmmm well I'm not a nutritionist but I just had a look at your diary and I would say the only thing missing is a regular intake of vegetables (besides potatoes! those don't count, lol). I know you said you are trying to do low carb (so why all the potatoes?), but I never did believe that carbs were the enemy. Of course that is open to interpretation too, as carbs from processed sugars are definitely not good for anyone. But if you are getting them from veggies and whole grains I think these are the good kinds. Again, I am no expert, but might be worth looking into! And you can eat a lot of vegetables for little calories, which is fun too,... makes meals seem bigger and makes me feel more full (the added fiber doesn't hurt too).

You might also want to look into the concept of "Alkaline vs. Acidic foods". In a nutshell, a mostly alkaline diet puts your body in a better state to lose weight. I don't remember all the scienc-y terms that go with it, but I do know that pretty much ALL fruits and vegetables are alkaline. Even fruits that you think would be acidic, like oranges or limes, are actually considered alkaline when it comes to digestion. It has something to do with the 'ash' or residue' that is left behind after you metabolize and digest food. Anyways...you will have to look it cause I can't remember all the details and will probably say something wrong if I try and explain it from my memory.

Again, don't take anything I suggest as 'the answer'. What worked for me won't work for everyone. It's a lot of trial an error and eventually you will find the winning combination for your body .

wolveslovemee

hmmm well I'm not a nutritionist but I just had a look at your diary and I would say the only thing missing is a regular intake of vegetables (besides potatoes! those don't count, lol). I know you said you are trying to do low carb (so why all the potatoes?), but I never did believe that carbs were the enemy. Of course that is open to interpretation too, as carbs from processed sugars are definitely not good for anyone. But if you are getting them from veggies and whole grains I think these are the good kinds. Again, I am no expert, but might be worth looking into! And you can eat a lot of vegetables for little calories, which is fun too,... makes meals seem bigger and makes me feel more full (the added fiber doesn't hurt too).

You might also want to look into the concept of "Alkaline vs. Acidic foods". In a nutshell, a mostly alkaline diet puts your body in a better state to lose weight. I don't remember all the scienc-y terms that go with it, but I do know that pretty much ALL fruits and vegetables are alkaline. Even fruits that you think would be acidic, like oranges or limes, are actually considered alkaline when it comes to digestion. It has something to do with the 'ash' or residue' that is left behind after you metabolize and digest food. Anyways...you will have to look it cause I can't remember all the details and will probably say something wrong if I try and explain it from my memory.

Again, don't take anything I suggest as 'the answer'. What worked for me won't work for everyone. It's a lot of trial an error and eventually you will find the winning combination for your body .

Oh god! LOL I dont count my veggies in MFP! Wow that must look like a horrible gut wrenching way to eat hahaha.

No no I eat a LOT of veggies, I just dont add them to my list xD.