He's gonna make me muscle freak! :'(

weightloss_forsuccess

haha okay, so i have a personala trainer now! I'm so happy!! But i'm a little scared..

I always believed to burn fat, it was always about the cardio.

run, run, run, skip, jog, cycle, run, run, run!

and thats what I did for years with little or no results..so i'm kind of excited that there might be another option....

The personal trainer said if i build muscle it will burn the fat right off...But i'm scared of muscles

I always did a little strength training...but that was never my main focus in the past.

I keep picturing myself either still fat with muscle...or a giant walking muscle...

Has any other guys bulked up to burn fat? Does it really work?

Calm my fears please

diodelcibo

I guarantee you will never look too muscular even if you trained with 100% efficiency for the next 30 years.

TavistockToad

But i'm scared of muscles

what?

why?

short_nerdy_lady

Muscle helps you burn more calories and makes you look tighter. Trust me

RCMPWannaBe

I guarantee you will never look too muscular even if you trained with 100% efficiency for the next 30 years.

^^ This. Your personal trainer is right. Muscle burns more calories than fat. Even if you do get a layer of muscle under the fat, it will be easier to lose with all the muscle!

BigDave1050

Lifting heavy and some cardio will go a long ways when it comes to weight loss! You'd have to do allot to be Arnold or Jay big!

floopysandi

I do strength training and am seeing great results (the scale isn't moving, but the fat is). You won't get muscle bound (it takes a lot of bulking and cutting to get that way... it doesn't happen overnight). You can do this!!

wareagle8706

I guarantee you will never look too muscular even if you trained with 100% efficiency for the next 30 years.

quoted for truth.

Josalinn

I'm starting a more serious weight lifting regiment this summer so I'm there with ya, but a lot of people have said the same to me as Miss Nerdy has said to you. They also told me that I don't need to worry about bulking i iam still eating t a deficit

JannaJ02

Not only does building muscle help up your metabolism to burn fat, it changes the way your body appears to be shaped and visually redistributes a lot of your mass. I've been working with a trainer since November - I've only dropped 20lbs total on the scale (started with MFP only recently) but have built up a LOT of muscle. It's totally changed the way I look!

Listen to your trainer. He'll steer you right.

BigMech

I lifted heavy while I lost my weight, and it does work. I did about 30 minutes of cardio, and 1.5hrs of lifting 5 days a week, and lost 260 in about 20 months, and have kept it off now for a year and a half.

I agree with dibelcibo, don't be afraid of muscles. Unless you taking steroids or some other drug, you will never get ridiculously huge. You will on the other hand, get lean and fit, and raise your metabolism!

logicman69

I guarantee you will never look too muscular even if you trained with 100% efficiency for the next 30 years.

This... as other people have stated.

saxmaniac

One thing you should pay close attention is body fat percentage, versus actual building new muscle to be "freak".

Often, lowering the body fat looks like you are gaining more muscle, since it's just revealing what you have, but in reality they are two entirely different things.

At your weight, you have significant muscle, because you need to carry yourself around. That's not a knock on you, it's to show how strong you are. If you lift as you lose, you want to preserve the muscle you have as much as possible.

As the others say, you can't accidentally bulk up. It takes effort. It's like accidentally being too rich - just stop making money.

jessykab74

But i'm scared of muscles

what?

why?

My exact thought!!

NovemberJune

Hi! I assume you are on a calorie deficit? If so, you will get smaller, not bigger.
Since you're a beginner, you might gain some muscle at first, but you'll also be losing fat. And after a while, you'll be losing fat, and just trying to hang on to the muscle you have by lifting.
If you're body fat % ever gets lower than you'd like (you get too muscley), you can just gain some body fat back by eating a little more. But that would be years down the line most likely.

csheltra26

I always believed to burn fat, it was always about the cardio.

run, run, run, skip, jog, cycle, run, run, run!

and thats what I did for years with little or no results..so i'm kind of excited that there might be another option....

This
if you have been doing tons of cardio with little results for YEARS, maybe its time to trust and believe there is another way! A better way vs hours of endless time on the damn treadmill.

Good luck to you!!

Crankstr

I wish I had gotten that advice when I was young!


DO IT!!!!!!

you will actually look SMALLER at heavier weight.

NO one EVER guesses my weight right!

Before...during..and I am 41..YOU sir are going to be amazing!

DrMAvDPhD

There are a lot of studies that indicate that muscle does have a metabolic advantage over fat (a pound of muscle takes more calories to maintain than a pound of fat). In essence, two people who weigh the same but one has more muscle and less fat will burn more calories every day just by living.

Weight training also burns calories both while you workout and while you recover.

However, I don't think it would harm your progress if you lifted with your trainer and added cardio on your own time!

Crankstr

There are a lot of studies that indicate that muscle does have a metabolic advantage over fat (a pound of muscle takes more calories to maintain than a pound of fat). In essence, two people who weigh the same but one has more muscle and less fat will burn more calories every day just by living.

Weight training also burns calories both while you workout and while you recover.

However, I don't think it would harm your progress if you lifted with your trainer and added cardio on your own time!

agreed..i weight train 3 days, and walk/cardio on the days i dont lift.

iWaffle

I keep picturing myself either still fat with muscle...or a giant walking muscle...

We all dream of being a giant walking muscle. Still not there yet. I doubt you'll hit that wall any time soon.

Calm my fears please

BeeElMarvin

"Lifting weights" will not make you a muscle freak. It will do exactly what you want it to do firm you up and enable your body to burn more calories at all times. Build some muscle, do some cardio! Don't be afraid, just keep doing it.

SoDamnHungry

You'll be sexy and trim. It's hard to get too much muscle without either steroids or a ton of extra work.

MorgueBabe

But i'm scared of muscles

what?

why?

weightloss_forsuccess

You know! those people who are more muscle than human! Thats how my personal trainer is...I dont want to look like that >.>

PetulantOne

You know! those people who are more muscle than human! Thats how my personal trainer is...I dont want to look like that >.>

Don't put the cart before the horse. If you get to the point where you think you appear to muscular, lay off the weight training, or eat a little more to add back some fat.

edit for typo

dinosnopro

Just lift the heavy and drop the fat. If you get too muscly, just stop lifting and put the fat back on.

I will warn you though, trying to get too muscly becomes addicting. :happy:

SpeSHul_SnoflEHk

The personal trainer said if i build muscle it will burn the fat right off...But i'm scared of muscles

I always did a little strength training...but that was never my main focus in the past.

Calm my fears please

It doesn't need to be your main focus either. You can incorporate strength training into your cardio routines. I do modified circuits (I do heavier weights wihtout breaks to keep my HR up, and it helps build muscle at the same time) M,W,F. I do higher intensity cardio on T, Th, Sa. I have made some significant improvements in my toning, and have built some strength and muscle as well.

I know several people who do strength training and cardio on alternating days. Also, I know people who start with cardio and then move into strength in a single workout.

My point is that it doesn't have to be one or the other. You can work in both if you desire.

LoraF83

Just lift the heavy and drop the fat. If you get too muscly, just stop lifting and put the fat back on.

I will warn you though, trying to get too muscly becomes addicting. :happy:

This. You don't get super muscular on accident. Especially not while still being overweight and eating in a calorie deficit.

Two or three years from now, when you've lost the weight, lowered your body fat percentage significantly and started eating at (or closer to) maintenance, you can have concerns about body composition.

Right now, just pick stuff up and put it down.

CarlKRobbo

Not gonna Happen!!

To get to that level "More Muscle than human" take YEARS of solid training, Solid nutrition, it does not happen over night, hell even those on ROIDS don't get there overnight!!

As stated, Muscle burns more calories then fat per day, hence why it'll burn up body fat, and if you ever think you are going too far, stop, ask the trainer again, and re-adjust.

Crankstr

Dont worry! You cannot grow much muscle in a calorie deficit.

Lifting will help you achieve your goals...trust us.

You are young! take advantage of that testosterone!

myofibril

Calm my fears please

Dude,

it's simple.

A calorie deficit created through good diet will cause you to lose the body fat. Getting your diet on point is by far the best thing you can do in that regard.

The weights will preserve your existing muscle mass and maybe even increase it a little as you go through this process. You might be afraid of your muscles but don't be - they are the things that currently mean you can perform your functions of day to day living given your present weight. If you don't fear them right now then you have nothing to worry about as you lose body fat.

Those rippling muscles you see on your trainer are as much to do with a low body fat % as they are with actual muscle. So all you have to do is stop dieting once you reach a body fat % you feel comfortable with. You will still have the muscle underneath to help you with being strong in daily life but they won't be prominent. Don't worry about ending up like the guys you see on body building magazines - most of them are juicing.

Job done.