How important is lifting weights?

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Sanzrox
Sanzrox Posts: 10
in Fitness and Exercise
I want to burn fat off my tummy and chin. But I do not have any weight lifting equipment. I am a 23 year old girl. Would walking and jogging be enough for weight loss?

Replies

  • baconsBACK
    baconsBACK Posts: 17
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    if you just lifted and didnt do cardio you would have better muscle tone and weight loss than just cardio. its very important
  • FionaDFair
    FionaDFair Posts: 125 Member
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    Last year, starting in mid-January, I did mostly cardio exercises and very minimal if any strength training. I would take long walks and bike rides, usually covering between 5 and 10 miles (more miles by bike). I wasn't as tight about my nutrition though. The result was that I lost about 15 pounds over the year. I'm not in any hurry, so that is okay with me.

    Starting this year, I've been going to a local gym about three times a week and have gotten a little tighter with my nutrition (no sodas, very limited refined/processed carbs, "healthy" fats over "unhealthy" fats). The results so far have been a little more dramatic. I've lost about 5 pounds in the last two weeks. If I stay on this course, I'll be losing around 1.5 pounds per week and toning my muscles in the process. I'm hoping to reintegrate more cardio exercises, especially bike riding, once the weather warms up a little more.

    In my case I've seen a little bit more weight loss per week since adding the strength training just a few times per week.
  • sz8soon
    sz8soon Posts: 816 Member
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    In regards to removing fat from your chin and tummy- the only way to spot reduce those is with cosmetic surgery. You can't pick and chose which areas of fat will get smaller first. Making sure your diet is right is going to have the biggest impact in fat loss.

    As far as importance of lifting weights, it's really more up to you to determine how you want to look. To me lifting is very important because I want muscles- very visible ones and I want to be strong. Whats your desired body type look like?
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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    I want to burn fat off my tummy and chin. But I do not have any weight lifting equipment. I am a 23 year old girl. Would walking and jogging be enough for weight loss?

    yes. :)

    but strength training has great advantages for your whole body and mind. so if you get a chance to start it up some time, definitely go for it!
  • browneyes97
    browneyes97 Posts: 98
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    I think weight lifting is important. Muscles burn more calories.
    Also, you do not need expensive weight loss equipment. You could always use soup cans to start off with. Or go to Five Below or Walmart and get a set of resistance bands. Cheap and easily transportable:)
  • lilpoindexter
    lilpoindexter Posts: 1,122 Member
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    I think cardio is what you need to lose fat. Plain walking should do the trick.
  • AlongCame_Molly
    AlongCame_Molly Posts: 2,835 Member
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    It's only as important as toning up and looking AWESOME is! :)
  • punkin_p
    punkin_p Posts: 29
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    There is no point in lifting weights lighter than your handbag.
  • livingdeadlifter
    livingdeadlifter Posts: 36
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    There is no point in lifting weights lighter than your handbag.
  • Controversial
    Controversial Posts: 157 Member
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    For fat loss, the answer is diet. Exercise to shape your body. Lift to increase strength.
  • thelovelyLIZ
    thelovelyLIZ Posts: 1,227 Member
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    Let's just put it this way-

    Getting anywhere below 135lbs we near impossible for until I started lifting weights. I got to my lowest adult weight, and got much smaller, even though the weight change was minimal (about 5lbs). I also maintained that size and weight relatively easily when I took a month or so off from working out and was eating whatever the hell I wanted.

    In short- lift weights. It does good things.
  • thelovelyLIZ
    thelovelyLIZ Posts: 1,227 Member
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    There is no point in lifting weights lighter than your handbag.

    ...other than, you know, building muscle or getting a new type of great workout. Sorry, I just completely disagree.

    I don't really understand why so many people discourage heavier lifting for women, but I've lost a few pounds and definitely gained muscle by getting familiar with barbells. In fact, deadlifting gives me a bit of a cardio workout if I don't rest a ton between sets. In my opinion, it's very important to strengthen your body.

    ....There is no point in lifting weights lighter than your handbag. As in, lifting heavy.
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
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    Resistance training allows you to retain lean body mass (and even increase it for beginners) while in a caloric deficit. The amount of calories you eat is going to determine the amount of weight you lose. Cardio will burn more calories and increase heart and lung health as well as endurance but does not promote lean body mass retention. Meaning you will lose weight with cardio alone but some will be fat and some will be muscles. Adding resistance training will keep you from losing to much LBM as long as your deficit is not too large and the vast majority of weight loss will be from body fat. This leaves most people with the lean, firm body they were looking to get.
  • livingdeadlifter
    livingdeadlifter Posts: 36
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    Good lord I'm tired. I completely misread that. Agree. Yes. I'm going to sleep now. My bad hahaha
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
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    Google around for body weight exercises, and phrases like you are your own gym, and your body is your gym. You can build some muscle/strength without having a weight set. :smile:
  • faceoff4
    faceoff4 Posts: 1,599 Member
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    I am a cardio junkie and have done it all my life, but I saw my best results against fat burn when I started lifting weights. Do a mix of both weights, cardio, and circuit training each week and I think you will like the results and they will come much quicker than only cardio workouts.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    Resistance training allows you to retain lean body mass (and even increase it for beginners) while in a caloric deficit. The amount of calories you eat is going to determine the amount of weight you lose. Cardio will burn more calories and increase heart and lung health as well as endurance but does not promote lean body mass retention. Meaning you will lose weight with cardio alone but some will be fat and some will be muscles. Adding resistance training will keep you from losing to much LBM as long as your deficit is not too large and the vast majority of weight loss will be from body fat. This leaves most people with the lean, firm body they were looking to get.
    ^ This. Strength training helps you retain lean body mass (of which muscle is a component) so you don't arrive at your goal weight only to find that you're a smaller, "skinny fat" version of your former self (slender, but still droopy/saggy and no muscle definition). You'll lose fat either way (straight caloric deficit, or same with cardio and/or weight training mixed in), but you'll lose more muscle along with the fat doing by diet and strictly cardio with no weight training. You'll still lose some muscle along with the fat even if you're weight training, but the proportion will be much lower.

    As far as the chin and tummy, no such thing as spot reducing. The fat will come off in a pattern determined by your genetics, you can't "choose" where you want to lose it from.
  • Sanzrox
    Sanzrox Posts: 10
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    Okay, so reading all your replies I guess lifting is very important. =)
    I dont have access to a gym so can y'all tell me specifically what equipment is the basic and most important. Like one or two things. I will buy those. =)
  • Sanzrox
    Sanzrox Posts: 10
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    Okay, I shall see where I can get em from. I don't have a Wallmart in my country. =p

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