Weight Training Tips to Prevent Skin Sagging

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wibutterflymagic
wibutterflymagic Posts: 788 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've just begun my weight loss journey but I'd like to do everything I can to lower my chances of sagging skin. What kind of exercises would you suggest? I've started doing some basic ab exercises with a stability ball and some bicep/tricep exercises with hand weights. Are those kind of exercises with slow weight loss good enough or should I do something else?

thanks

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  • MommaSpunk
    MommaSpunk Posts: 113
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    BUMP
  • m_shuman
    m_shuman Posts: 179
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    Skin sagging is caused by a number of factor including sun damage, how much weight you need to lose, genetics and stretch marks. Sometimes it goes back and sometimes it does not. There is no exercise that will keep it from happening just like fat loss can not be isolated to one area of the body or another. You can and should build up you muscle underneath the skin. This could help a little but it will not keep it from happening. I have been doing weight training 3X a week for over a year and I only had about 23 LBS to lose. I am 5'4" and weigh 121. I have saggy skin in my midsection due to the fact that I had babies and got stretch marks. I plan on having it surgically removed in the future and sometimes this is the only option to correct it. Sorry, if this is not what you wanted to hear but it is the truth.

    ETA: Please do not use this as a reason not to get healthy! You are much better off to have lean body mass in good cardiovascular shape under saggy skin than to have an overweight or obese BMI and not be able to climb the stairs or walk from you car to the front door of your house without getting winded.
  • oseinevergiveup
    oseinevergiveup Posts: 3
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    Thank You Very much :smile:
  • wibutterflymagic
    wibutterflymagic Posts: 788 Member
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    That's the one thing I keep reading is all the women that talk about sagging skin have had children. This is not the case with me and my first goal is about a 40lb loss and if I feel I can lose some more I might try for up to another 20 to be closer to a more ideal weight for my height. I have always had a little extra weight on me so being 120lbs at 5'2" isn't something that important to me. Just being happier with how I look is my goal. I know totally eliminating skin sagging isn't possible but I also know that there are some things that will help so it's not so bad. I would assume toning while losing weight would help.
  • Tina2Cats
    Tina2Cats Posts: 493 Member
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    I'm doing the 30 day shred and the workout tones as well as helps to lose weight. I've only been doing it for a week so there isn't much change yet, but should be at the end of 30 days. My abs get quite a workout.
  • samanthag1016
    samanthag1016 Posts: 15
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    Skin sagging has a lot to do with genetics, age, the amount of weight you need to lose and where it's distributed, and how long the skin has been stretched out. There isn't anything you can do to prevent it - sometimes it's just going to happen. But it doesn't happen to everyone.

    That being said, there are ways to minimize it - muscle development does help reduce sagging. Making sure your diet is conducive to healthy skin also helps, make sure you're eating enough fat and drinking enough water.
  • anemoneprose
    anemoneprose Posts: 1,805 Member
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    I'm pretty sure most of the damage to the skin is done on the way up, when you've gained the weight, and strained those tissues. I think it's a good idea to be cautious/slow on the way down for a lot of reasons, though (will mean a more sustainable deficit, and increase your odds of sticking with healthier eating longer, for one).

    But skin will adapt to a greater or lesser degree with time, and I think if you lose slowly, the longer time frame means skin may have more time to adapt (slowly) as you go, vs just after (& may be more psychologically acceptable). Apparently it takes ~2 years at goal weight to see the full adaptation. Either way, it's altogether more bearable to lose slowly.

    As m schuman said, stretch marks are an indication of how resilient that tissue is - if you have lots of stretch marks in an area, you're likelier to have loose skin there too.

    Good nutrition (vit c & other things supporting collagen growth) may help some, not sure how much. Not smoking will definitely help. Sunblock on exposed areas too.

    A greater proportion of muscle to fat under the skin = a firmer look. That's why a lot of people who've lost weight & find themselves 'skinny fat' or with loose skin lift heavy weights - to make that proportion work aesthetically. Surgeons/dermatologist recommend filling any space with as much volume as possible, in the form of muscle, before trying surgery or lasers etc. (Surgery = scarring tradeoff; lasers = temporary & expensive).

    Lifting heavy weights can only help.

    (my own goal is to hang on to a certain amount of fat (20-22%), for facial volume, but try to get the *shape* of the rest in order, via muscle development.)
  • hkry3250
    hkry3250 Posts: 140
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    One way to minimize skin sag around the mid section is to always try to keep your stomach sucked in as much as possible. Being over wieght lengthens the connective tissue between the muscles and skin. By keeping your stomach sucked in, you shorten that connective tissue.
  • wibutterflymagic
    wibutterflymagic Posts: 788 Member
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    Thanks everyone. That's gives me some new info.

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