Is weight training necessary to lose body fat?

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Vincisomethng
Vincisomethng Posts: 149 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
For those who don't go the the gym or don't have dumbbells lying around (or don't have the money to).

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  • charleigh78
    charleigh78 Posts: 247 Member
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    No, not necessarily, but it is necessary if you want to lose fat without much muscle loss. Body weight exercises are good too.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    No. Not necessary at all. Might help, but that's another question.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,619 Member
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    No.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • RobsGirl_lds
    RobsGirl_lds Posts: 211
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    No, it is to minimize the amount of muscle you lose.
  • Kst76
    Kst76 Posts: 935 Member
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    I hate weigh lifting and only do cardio to lose weight. I haven't lost any muscles that i can tell. I swim 5 days a week which has shaped my upper body and arms.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
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    No, but it sure as heck makes it easier and gives the most spectacular results.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    No
  • yodenody
    yodenody Posts: 4 Member
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    NOOOOOOOOOO!


    But it helps lots. All resistance training has huge benefits.
  • 2013sk
    2013sk Posts: 1,318 Member
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    No... Eating less & moving more does : )
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
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    No. Weights do help ... really it is more RESISTANCE than weights... Creating resistance will help maintain your lean body mass while losing fat... This can be via weight training, lifting household items, activities such as crunches, situps, or pushups, etc. Just anything that causes resistance will help.. But as far as losing fat, calorie deficit via reduction of calories and/or increase in exercise.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    Necessary to lose fat? No. Necessary to look fit after losing the fat? Yes.

    If your goal is an aesthetically pleasing form then you should find a way to do some sort of resistance training. If your goal is simply to drop bodyfat even if it is at the expense of your muscle then no it doesn't matter much.
  • TimTomakin
    TimTomakin Posts: 23 Member
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    No, it's not necessary but it is optimal.

    Technically, all you need to lose fat is a caloric deficit. However, an increase in lean body mass will increase your BMR therefore allowing you to burn more calories daily. It will also give you a better looking body. You don't have to become a bodybuilder but adding even a day or two of resistance training will only benefit you long term.
  • xsmilexforxmex
    xsmilexforxmex Posts: 1,216 Member
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    Necessary to lose fat? No. Necessary to look fit after losing the fat? Yes.

    If your goal is an aesthetically pleasing form then you should find a way to do some sort of resistance training. If your goal is simply to drop bodyfat even if it is at the expense of your muscle then no it doesn't matter much.

    This.
  • RobsGirl_lds
    RobsGirl_lds Posts: 211
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    I hate weigh lifting and only do cardio to lose weight. I haven't lost any muscles that i can tell. I swim 5 days a week which has shaped my upper body and arms.
    Swimming is great full body resistance training! Unfortunately muscle loss happens to some extent on a long cut.
  • _elkahallick_
    _elkahallick_ Posts: 9
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    No it is not needed, but it is a very good option and one I prefer..... In all honesty exercise isn't the biggest factor to losing BF, but what you eat is...IMO Diet is the most important factor in losing BF...
  • hei_ma_ma
    hei_ma_ma Posts: 61 Member
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    You don't need weights to do "weight" training. You can do lots of exercises using your own body as the weight - push ups, wall sits, squats, lunges, planks, dips, crunches, etc. No fancy equipment needed.
  • HikeCyclist
    HikeCyclist Posts: 153 Member
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    I have *heard* that weights/resistance training, anything that builds muscle, will cause your body to burn more calories while at rest. BUT . . . after researching this, I've found that, "Claude Bouchard, an obesity researcher from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, who revealed that a pound of muscle, at rest, burns about six calories per day (and a pound of fat burns about two)." Apparently the difference is not that significant.

    Read more: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-many-calories-does-muscle-really-burn-and-why-its-not-about-calories-anyway/#ixzz2zAUSV1Hl
  • CipherZero
    CipherZero Posts: 1,418 Member
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    tl;dr: NO

    Longer version: Workout out with weights will build muscle which requires energy, burn some calories (but not as many as you'd think), and makes you fitter and look better naked. But it's not a requirement to lose weight.

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