Nearly finished losing weight, time for weight lifting?

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NowCanWillDo
NowCanWillDo Posts: 18
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all.

So I've nearly lost 20lbs, and I only have about 7lbs to go. Moving more, eating less. Went to the gym four times a week, ONLY for running, never weights.

I was just wandering If i should begin doing weight lifting now? I haven't done it through my weight loss process because I was too scared it would confuse my weigh-ins (since muscle weighs more than fat), but since I am getting closer, should I begin?

Or should I lose the rest of the fat, and THEN begin weight training?

I still have some slight man breasts/moobs, a slight tummy and slight handle bars, would doing weight training make me bulky (because I still have fat on me)?

Sorry for my noobness. Thanks all.

Replies

  • Off10h8ed
    Off10h8ed Posts: 282 Member
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    I am not sure but that is an excellent question because my plan has always been to hit the weights hard once I get 20 lbs from goal. As of now, I only use the treadmill on a 10.0 incline, a Nustepper and the elliptical on occasion. I am still quite a ways from goal tho.
  • CaseRat
    CaseRat Posts: 377 Member
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    As long as you're eating at a caloric deficit, you'll find it very hard to put on much muscle. Though the weight lifting would help shift the last few pounds of fat, too.

    If you want the best results for muscle gain, and to look the best, I'd continue doing your cardio, though perhaps try doing High Intensity Interval Training instead of just steady state cardio.

    Make sure your diet is in check, ensuring adequate protein intake (around 1g of protein for every lb of lean body mass, lean body mass being total body mass minus fat mass), and enough *healthy* fats, and you'll thank yourself for not losing too much muscle and keeping the losses to fat.

    Once you're at a stage when you feel you're lean enough, then it'd be time to hit the weights and get big.

    If you do a proper program, incorporating compound lifts such as deadlifts, squats, bench press and military press, and make sure you eat loads, you'll gain mass. Including the above protein and fat intake. Newbie gains can be awesome if you do it properly.
  • NowCanWillDo
    NowCanWillDo Posts: 18
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    Thank you CaseRat. So your saying that I should do some weight lifting for my last pounds? It wouldn't, you know, interrupt my weight loss or anything? :)
  • CaseRat
    CaseRat Posts: 377 Member
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    Well, that's not reeaaally what I said...I think that if you want to put on as much muscle as you can, you'd be better off waiting until you're not eating at a deficit before you start lifting. Although lifting will not interrupt weight loss, no, it will help it.

    You might not physically lose weight on the scales, as your body fat percentage will drop, and lean body mass MAY increase slightly.
  • NowCanWillDo
    NowCanWillDo Posts: 18
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    Okay, great feedback thanks. Also; would continuing to lose weight through intake and cardio be the best suitable way to lose the fat left on my body? Especially the man breasts, sides, stomach etc? Cheers :)
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Okay, great feedback thanks. Also; would continuing to lose weight through intake and cardio be the best suitable way to lose the fat left on my body? Especially the man breasts, sides, stomach etc? Cheers :)

    the weight training will take care of that!
  • swolegirlcb
    swolegirlcb Posts: 67
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    If the number on the scale that flashes before your eyes is important to you, than maybe weight. However, if burning fat and improving aesthetics and overall body composition is more important than yes definitely. Lift weights. If you are on a deficit your muscle gains will be minimal but the muscle you gain will burn more fat and speed up your metabolism. Lift weights, they are your best friend!
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
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    The sooner the better!

    The calorie deficit (through whatever means, cardio or diet) will help with the weight/fat loss. The weight lifting will help with maintaining your muscle mass as you lose weight - most people lose muscle too!

    ETA: I lifted throughout all my weight loss, and was so glad I did!
  • LadyIntrepid
    LadyIntrepid Posts: 399 Member
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    Weight train now! Yesterday, even! It will help you look much better when you get to goal weight. You'll be glad you did.
  • Sweetsugar0424
    Sweetsugar0424 Posts: 451 Member
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    I have been lifting weights the entire time I've been losing weight and while I might not have lost as fast as I would have if I was just doing cardio, I am more toned now and I look slimmer than I would otherwise. Cardio is not going to tighten things up for you, weight lifting will and even if this slows your loss, you will be that much closer to being toned rather than trying to lose the number and THEN starting on toning...just my opinion.

    Also, as others have said, eating at a calorie deficit you will not be able to build muscle and bulk up, just tone what you're currently working with.
  • zaph0d
    zaph0d Posts: 1,172 Member
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    The best time to start is last Thursday.
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
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    You should have started from the very beginning. You would have maintained your muscles instead of sacrificing them to see a number move on the scale. Luckily it is very easy for new lifters to regrain and grow muscle for the first couple months so you may get them back.
  • gmallan
    gmallan Posts: 2,099 Member
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    Weight training ASAP. It may mean that you need to focus on different ways of measuring yourself and your progress: measurements, body fat%, how your clothing fits. Remember that weight loss on the scales is not eveything. If you lift weights you will firm and tone. 1kg of muscle takes up 1/3 of the space that 1kg of fat does so even at the same weight you will be smaller. If you start now you will thank yourself when you do reach your goal weight as everything will look ssssooooooooo much better. You may even find that you need to up your goal weight 160lbs can look vastly different depending on your body fat %. There may even come a time when your goal is to put on weight :smile:
  • zela
    zela Posts: 92 Member
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    I had to check your profile in confusion if this is male or female question, not that it matters but you had me confused with the fat on your chest.

    To answer your question, you should have started lifting before you started your weight loss. You could have made better with your time and spent half the time in the gym to burn the calories you spent pointlessly running on a treadmill.

    Your philosophy/theory of the science of fat loss and muscle gain is horrifically flawed and I am stunned if you purely didn't make it up out of the fragments of your own imagination. If you are reading a book that has taught you to believe these things, do some good for the world and burn it so another human can't be contaminated with that false information.

    To continue on with my lecture, please invest some time in researching what you are doing with your body as you appear to be doing it all wrong. Your method has been tried and tested many times and it has failed just as many times.

    You can private message me if you need any help or kind and honest direction.
  • es2189
    es2189 Posts: 142 Member
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    Agreed with the last few posters. Definitely start right away. The way you look and feel is more important than a number on a scale.
  • GreyEyes21
    GreyEyes21 Posts: 241 Member
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    I weight train daily and I'm dropping weight like crazy!

    you are supposed to lift light weights (enough to barely finish 3sets of 12 reps in atleast 4 exercises, I started with 3.5lbs) to lose weight but gain slight muscle or maintain muscle

    and lift heavy weights (enough to barely finish 3 sets of 8 reps in atleast 4 exercises, ie 10+lbs to start) to gain muscle.

    I also jump rope (10min of jumping = 30 min of jogging)
  • jetscreaminagain
    jetscreaminagain Posts: 1,130 Member
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    Start already. Overweight people have some impressive muscles to carry around their weight. Weight training along the way could have preserved more muscle in the weight loss. Perhaps the pounds lost would've been a tad slower but more of those pounds would have been fat.

    Oh well. Start now.
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
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    Honestly, strength training should have been part of your regiment from the beginning. Even the most elite of runners/cyclists (I use that term VERY loosely when referring to runners) use some form of weight training.

    Generally, the only people who don't are the kinds of people who thought Richard Simmons was the best thing ever. I am sure you already know which people I am referring to, so I'll leave it at that. ;)
  • chiltonenator
    chiltonenator Posts: 33 Member
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    Research a good program like Starting Strength or Greyskull LP and start it. I've been lifting as I've lost weight (and doing cardio - yes you can do both). Best thing is that my lean mass is the same at 183 as it was at 253 (measured on my Withings scale). My lifting is nothing fancy - the basic Greyskull LP program. Three lifts every other day.

    Day 1. Curl, bench press, squat
    Day 3. Lat pull downs, overhead press, squat
    Day 5. Curl, bench press, dead lift

    Dead lift is every third day of lifting. I'm very conservative about increasing the weight since I'm restricting calories and also because I'm 57 years old. The dead lift I increase 5 lbs. a week. The squat 2.5 a week, the others 1-1.5 per week. I started as a fat f. 40% body fat who could barely squat the bar (45 lbs). Today I curled 61 lbs (2x12), bench pressed 110 (2x5, 1x7), squatted 122.5 (3x5) at 24% body fat.

    Before and after lifting I do 30 minutes on the treadmill. Days I'm not lifting I either run, swim, or ride my bike.

    So, yes, head over to that other section of the gym and start lifting.

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