Weights or no weights?

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Arranna1212
Arranna1212 Posts: 143 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
My Bf and I have this argument almost every time I leave for the gym to lift weights.. He says that you don't need weights to gain muscle and you can become lean by just doing crunches, sit ups, push ups and simple things like that without involving and kind of weight. That is kind of true, but I keep telling him that he will need to start lifting if he is going to maintain his weight loss and actually have a fitter body.

All in all I want to know, can someone become lean (not skinny fat) by just doing these?
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Replies

  • donyellemoniquex3
    donyellemoniquex3 Posts: 2,384 Member
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    You don't necessarily NEED weights, but they help.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
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    You could do body weight exercises, or you could keep lifting, but MUSCLES GOOD
  • GeminiFitness1
    GeminiFitness1 Posts: 63 Member
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    Weight training long term will help you lose weight faster than just cardio.
  • acogg
    acogg Posts: 1,870 Member
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    Gaining strength is a gradual thing. He must do it on his own terms and in his own time frame. YOU can't set his goals or time frame. You should worry about yourself and let your BF decide what he can do.
  • BluMae
    BluMae Posts: 6 Member
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    What he is referring to (whether he knows it or not) is using his body weight for training rather than free weights. It is as effective (weight training is weight training) but some people prefer to use free weights for their ease and to target specific muscles. Free weights are also used with body weight (holding a weight while doing crunches) to make an exercise more challenging.
  • ausheli
    ausheli Posts: 43 Member
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    Check out Convict conditioning, body weight only
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    You can develop a high level of fitness with just body-weight exercises (check out the book "You Are Your Own Gym")

    http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/body_weight_exercises/

    http://baye.com/bodyweight-versus-weight-training/

    it's really just a matter of personal preference and what your goals are.
  • WakkoW
    WakkoW Posts: 567 Member
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    Do what you enjoy. It is a lifestyle.

    I enjoy squats.
  • Arranna1212
    Arranna1212 Posts: 143 Member
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    Yea, he is talking about using his own body as a weight, instead of actual weights.
  • waldo56
    waldo56 Posts: 1,861 Member
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    Almost all of my strength training exercise is bodyweight training. I build muscles just fine.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,708 Member
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    You don't NEED weights, you need resistance.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    Do what you want. Let him do what he wants.
  • kinmad4it
    kinmad4it Posts: 185 Member
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    To be strict and slightly pedantic. He is using weight, his own bodyweight! Once you actually look into it properly and delve deeper than the normal uninformed "press ups and crunches" view most have, you'll find bodyweight training has plethora of different exercises for every skill or strength level. Have a look at Pistol Squats and Planche Push Ups on Youtube to see how far the exercises can really progress.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    I do nothing but body weight strength
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
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    You don't necessarily NEED weights, but they help.

    Simply true; however, as others have said, body weight IS weight. In my case, there are body weight exercises I am not ready for and the weights are actually easier.. (Example, I do a lat pull down at about 175 lbs but my body weight is 230 so chin up exercises are not really an option for me)... In this case, the body weight would actually be more strenuous than the corresponding weight based exercise. Like another poster said... you don't really need weight, you need resistance...
  • raulafanador
    raulafanador Posts: 18 Member
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    If your goal is to get lean then you are definitely going to want to focus on aerobic activities such as running, biking, swimming, etc. Lifting weights, while a good supplement to aerobic activity, does very little in torching fat. Same thing with body weight exercises. Average calorie burn for 1 push up is somewhere in the neighborhood of 1/2 to maybe 1 calorie. 3500 calories make up 1 lb. Of fat. So best case scenario, youd have to do 3500 push ups to burn just 1 lb. Of fat. Not a very efficient way of reaching your goals unfortunately. Anyways hope this info helps and good luck on your goals!
  • SpecialSundae
    SpecialSundae Posts: 795 Member
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    If your goal is to get lean then you are definitely going to want to focus on aerobic activities such as running, biking, swimming, etc. Lifting weights, while a good supplement to aerobic activity, does very little in torching fat. Same thing with body weight exercises. Average calorie burn for 1 push up is somewhere in the neighborhood of 1/2 to maybe 1 calorie. 3500 calories make up 1 lb. Of fat. So best case scenario, youd have to do 3500 push ups to burn just 1 lb. Of fat. Not a very efficient way of reaching your goals unfortunately. Anyways hope this info helps and good luck on your goals!

    Absolute codswallop! All running ever did for me is break me. I lost 17kg last year, almost entirely fat, despite doing no running or cycling and next to no swimming after my second round of running injuries in May.

    To lose weight you need a calorie deficit, how you get there is up to you. If cardio like that works for you, go for it. If you're just generally more active (walking when you can, taking stairs etc) then that's just as good.

    To neglect strength training in favour of cardio because it "torches fat" is daft.

    TL;DR: Calorie deficit causes weight loss, progressive strength training (bodyweight, barbell or other) helps lean muscle retention.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    Anyways hope this info helps and good luck on your goals!

    Weight training and CV training are complementary, they do different things and as part of a balanced routine they'll both contribute to weight loss and body composition optimisation.

    fwiw I've reduced bodyfat significantly on a predominantly CV based programme, but I also need to include bodyweight resistance training to optimise the balanced "lean" rather than targeted to my legs
  • yogicarl
    yogicarl Posts: 1,260 Member
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    Another thumbs up for bodyweight training here, so long as the resistance is kept to a range where you can only comfortably do around 6 - 9 reps in each set before you feel the next rep will fail or lose a lot of form.

    Also, as you and your bf lose fat you will appear more lean as the fat drops way from the muscles already there behind the fat layer.

    Weights or no weights - its whatever you like and stick with that will make the difference.
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
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    You don't NEED weights, you need resistance.

    Indeed.

    It's easier to get the right resistance via weights, though. For instance, if you're severely overweight and a beginner then doing pike push ups might be impossible but shoulder presses with, say, 5kg dumbbells is possible.

    And on the flip side, as it gets easier, you need to start doing research in ways of making your body appear heavier. Cranking out 30 push ups in a row means it's time to change things eg training for one handed push ups or planche push ups.

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