Strength training and losing fat - have I got this right?

29_adjacent
29_adjacent Posts: 104 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I've been doing a bit of reading on here and have seen people talking about strength training and heavy lifting but I'm a bit confused/overwhelmed by all the information... can someone please tell me if I've got this right:

To lose fat but RETAIN muscle I need to eat a deficit and do some sort of strength training?

It's not possible to lose fat and GAIN muscle at the same time? Meaning if I eat at a deficit and do strength training I will still lose weight (i.e. the fat won't just be "replaced" by muscle)?

If I just ate at a deficit to lose weight and didn't do any strength training (only cardio) I would lose muscle as well as fat and could end up still looking "flabby" even when I reach my goal?

Have I understood that all correctly? If so, should I just start strength training IMMEDIATELY or try to lose a bit more first? (I'm currently 222 lbs)

Also, can someone please recommend a beginners programme I can do at home (I'm not in a position financially to join a gym right now).

Thanks.

Replies

  • richardheath
    richardheath Posts: 1,276 Member
    You are kind of on the right track!

    While in a deficit, your body is likely to use muscle proteins to help fill the gap. Eating 1 g protein per lb lean body mass per day and doing some sort of resistance training will help your body hang onto the protein in the muscle. This way, any weight lost will be fat, not muscle.

    It is HARD to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. Newbies and obese people might be able to, but for most people it will be slow. Heck, gaining muscle on a surplus is hard enough!

    Cardio doesn't eat muscle per se, but the strength training signals to your body that you need the muscle, so it hangs onto it. So if you do only cardio (or nothing at all), you will likely lose some muscle mass as well as fat.

    Yes, you should start immediately :-)

    Any resistance program will help with retaining muscle, be it body weight (look up "you are your own gym" for example), kettle bell or dumbbell routines etc. To gain muscle, you need to be doing a progressive lifting program like Stronglifts, Starting Strength, New Rules etc...
  • 29_adjacent
    29_adjacent Posts: 104 Member
    You are kind of on the right track!

    While in a deficit, your body is likely to use muscle proteins to help fill the gap. Eating 1 g protein per lb lean body mass per day and doing some sort of resistance training will help your body hang onto the protein in the muscle. This way, any weight lost will be fat, not muscle.

    It is HARD to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. Newbies and obese people might be able to, but for most people it will be slow. Heck, gaining muscle on a surplus is hard enough!

    Cardio doesn't eat muscle per se, but the strength training signals to your body that you need the muscle, so it hangs onto it. So if you do only cardio (or nothing at all), you will likely lose some muscle mass as well as fat.

    Yes, you should start immediately :-)

    Any resistance program will help with retaining muscle, be it body weight (look up "you are your own gym" for example), kettle bell or dumbbell routines etc. To gain muscle, you need to be doing a progressive lifting program like Stronglifts, Starting Strength, New Rules etc...

    Thanks for the reply!

    So does that mean I could do a progressive lifting program whilst still eating at a deficit and continue to lose weight (mostly fat hopefully) without replacing that "fat weight" with "muscle weight"?
  • becs3578
    becs3578 Posts: 836 Member
    I am no expert but I will tell you over the last 16 months I have been doing strength training and cardio, with modified diet. I have been able to lose fat, gain muscle and lean out. But sometime that means my scale is staying the same. Over the last month I have lost NO weight, but my body fat percentage as reduced.

    I am finding it tricky to fuel the body for as much exercise and training as I do now, and still lose on the scale... but I am losing the body fat battle right now so I am still smiling. You can see a pic from 16 months ago next to one I took today on my page. Definitely lost weight, and gained muscle at the same time!

    Good luck with your journey!!!!
  • mr_mitch
    mr_mitch Posts: 176 Member
    It sounds pretty well impassible... Would it be better to lose the body fat first and then work on gaining muscle?

    Or have I got it all wrong?!
  • 29_adjacent
    29_adjacent Posts: 104 Member
    I am no expert but I will tell you over the last 16 months I have been doing strength training and cardio, with modified diet. I have been able to lose fat, gain muscle and lean out. But sometime that means my scale is staying the same. Over the last month I have lost NO weight, but my body fat percentage as reduced.

    I am finding it tricky to fuel the body for as much exercise and training as I do now, and still lose on the scale... but I am losing the body fat battle right now so I am still smiling. You can see a pic from 16 months ago next to one I took today on my page. Definitely lost weight, and gained muscle at the same time!

    Good luck with your journey!!!!

    Thank you!! I have a long way to go until I get to where you're at - you look amazing, congrats!! But I will get there! Guess I need to start strength training! :)
  • ashenriver
    ashenriver Posts: 498 Member
    It sounds like you got it right.

    Also do not get confused, you can gain strength without gaining muscle. So while eating at a deficit and weight lifting 'heavy' you will lose fat, retain muscle and if you are weightlifting progressively, you will gain strength.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    It sounds pretty well impassible... Would it be better to lose the body fat first and then work on gaining muscle?

    Or have I got it all wrong?!

    No--resistance training aids in both areas--plus the increased strength tends to make people feel a lot more positive about themselves and that improves adherence. Not to mention, the whole "you can't build muscle in a deficit" thing is a bit overstated. That is usually emphasized by people who are trying to gain large amounts of muscle or who are already at lower levels of body fat. Beginners can see a modest increase in lean mass even at a deficit and often that increase is all they ever want. In any case, the overall benefits of resistance training are enough that people should start from day one--personally I think that, for beginners "gaining muscle" is a ways down on the list of benefits.
  • 34blast
    34blast Posts: 166 Member
    You have it correct. So your focus is fat loss right now. Many studies show it's best to focus on one thing at a time so you are not spinning your wheels. You should lift heavy with compound lifts (e.g. squats, press, dead lift, rows, etc). You are trying to tell your body to keep the muscle it has. Also eating enough protein (how much is highly debatable) and not going into too big a deficit will help also to retain the muscle you have.

    I should point out that novices can add muscle and strength sometimes while losing fat. Once you get to intermediate strength or close to it not much chance. So in your shoes 2 or 3 times a week do a full body workout. Learn the lifts correctly and start light. Add a little weight to the bar each session. When you can not do this any more (known as stalling), drop the weight 10 - 20% and start adding weight again slowly.

    You can find the strength standards here http://lonkilgore.com/freebies/freebies.html
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
    I am no expert but I will tell you over the last 16 months I have been doing strength training and cardio, with modified diet. I have been able to lose fat, gain muscle and lean out. But sometime that means my scale is staying the same. Over the last month I have lost NO weight, but my body fat percentage as reduced.

    I am finding it tricky to fuel the body for as much exercise and training as I do now, and still lose on the scale... but I am losing the body fat battle right now so I am still smiling. You can see a pic from 16 months ago next to one I took today on my page. Definitely lost weight, and gained muscle at the same time!

    Good luck with your journey!!!!

    Good to hear because I feel the same way. I could have written this post minus the before after pictures though. Your progress is awesome~
  • 29_adjacent
    29_adjacent Posts: 104 Member
    You have it correct. So your focus is fat loss right now. Many studies show it's best to focus on one thing at a time so you are not spinning your wheels. You should lift heavy with compound lifts (e.g. squats, press, dead lift, rows, etc). You are trying to tell your body to keep the muscle it has. Also eating enough protein (how much is highly debatable) and not going into too big a deficit will help also to retain the muscle you have.

    I should point out that novices can add muscle and strength sometimes while losing fat. Once you get to intermediate strength or close to it not much chance. So in your shoes 2 or 3 times a week do a full body workout. Learn the lifts correctly and start light. Add a little weight to the bar each session. When you can not do this any more (known as stalling), drop the weight 10 - 20% and start adding weight again slowly.

    You can find the strength standards here http://lonkilgore.com/freebies/freebies.html

    Thanks for the advice! Yes my focus at the moment is fat loss but I also don't want to lose what muscle mass I have hence why I'm thinking about starting strength/resistance training. I'm not really looking to GAIN muscle per say. I mean, some would obviously be good but I don't want to replace all the fat weight with muscle weight - I take it there's no way that would happen if I'm in a deficit? Sorry if I'm asking a stupid question - I really am pretty clueless about all this. But I'm starting to learn a lot from people on here, just want to make sure I'm understanding it all correctly. Thanks so much for helping!
  • richardheath
    richardheath Posts: 1,276 Member
    A female, new to strength training, without steroids, in a calorie SURPLUS while lifting heavy will be able to gain around 0.25 lb of muscle every week.

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/general-philosophies-of-muscle-mass-gain.html

    On a deficit, that number will be less. And, as you reach your maximum genetic potential, that number will go down (you can't go on building muscle indefinitely). So no, you won't be simply replacing fat with muscle (at least not until you get to a lowish body fat % and start to eat around maintenance; but even then it will be slow).
  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
    I'll make it simple for you.

    To lose weight you need a calorie deficit, you will lose fat and muscle in a deficit.

    If you work out while at a deficit, it's inefficient to grow muscle, but, you can improve strength and signal your body to retain muscle (not lose as much).

    If you want to gain mass, eat a small calorie surplus.

    You will gain muscle and fat in a surplus, it's impossible not to gain fat and muscle at the same time.

    You can practice bulking / cutting. Bulking you gain weight for muscle, then cut (eat at a calorie deficit) to lose fat you gained.
  • freddi11e
    freddi11e Posts: 317 Member
    bump
  • mymodernbabylon
    mymodernbabylon Posts: 1,038 Member
    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/12/09/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/

    This is a good bodyweight workout.

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