How Would Heavy Lifting Help To Lower Body Fat?

albayin · July 2014

Hi elementary student here again,

Based on the suggestions I received, I decided to re-focus on lowering my body fat. I have a decent body composition right now but can be much better.

I was wondering how heavy lfiting would help me to achieve a lower body fat? :flowerforyou:

LaneB89 · July 2014

By itself it won't. In conjunction with a caloric deficit (weight loss), it will help ensure that the vast majority of your weight loss comes from fat and not muscle. This will leave you looking better at the end of your weight loss.

vorgas · July 2014

Basic thermodynamics.

Lets just say, as a hypothetical, that at your height/age/weight 1600 calories is maintenance for you. 1600 calories will only support so much weight. Lets just say, again hypothetically, that it's 120 lbs. So, if you eat 1600 calories your weight won't fluctuate outside of norms, right?

Now, lets pack on 3 lbs of muscle. I say this like it's easy, but it ain't. But lets just say you do, for this example. What will happen? Remember your caloric intake will only support 120 lbs. But you just added 3 lbs, so what is going to go away? Body fat.

So you've increased your muscle mass, and lowered your body fat. That's a lower body fat %.

And if you want to add muscle, you need to lift heavy. 5 lb dumbbells or Body Pump ain't gonna do it.

albayin · July 2014

Basic thermodynamics.

Lets just say, as a hypothetical, that at your height/age/weight 1600 calories is maintenance for you. 1600 calories will only support so much weight. Lets just say, again hypothetically, that it's 120 lbs. So, if you eat 1600 calories your weight won't fluctuate outside of norms, right?

Now, lets pack on 3 lbs of muscle. I say this like it's easy, but it ain't. But lets just say you do, for this example. What will happen? Remember your caloric intake will only support 120 lbs. But you just added 3 lbs, so what is going to go away? Body fat.

So you've increased your muscle mass, and lowered your body fat. That's a lower body fat %.

And if you want to add muscle, you need to lift heavy. 5 lb dumbbells or Body Pump ain't gonna do it.

but from what I read, adding 3 pounds of muscle merely burn about 12 calories more vs 3 pounds fat, which doesn't sound very impressive...Did I mess up the concept here?

millsrobm · July 2014

If I understand things correctly, heavy lifting damages muscle; the body then expends energy (calories) to repair those muscles. Could be way off on this.

BigGuy47 · July 2014

but from what I read, adding 3 pounds of muscle merely burn about 12 calories more vs 3 pounds fat, which doesn't sound very impressive...Did I mess up the concept here?

I agree with you. While it's technically correct that muscle burns more energy than fat, the benefits are often overstated.

If your goal is simply to reduce body fat - the point of lifting is to reduce the muscle loss while in a caloric deficit. If your goal is to change your body shape by adding lean mass, that's an entirely different discussion.

Iwishyouwell · July 2014

Heavy lifting won't do much to actually lower your body fat. Your caloric deficit will take care of the majority of that.

It's primary impact is helping your preserve muscle tissue during the deficit and giving you an overall better look when your body fat levels do get low.

DeguelloTex · July 2014

Heavy lifting won't do much to actually lower your body fat. Your caloric deficit will take care of the majority of that.

It's primary impact is helping your preserve muscle tissue during the deficit and giving you an overall better look when your body fat levels do get low.

Yeah, this.

AllOutof_Bubblegum · July 2014

Heavy lifting won't do much to actually lower your body fat. Your caloric deficit will take care of the majority of that.

It's primary impact is helping your preserve muscle tissue during the deficit and giving you an overall better look when your body fat levels do get low.

All this. What heavy lifting does is keeps you from losing lean muscle mass along with fat while you're in a calorie deficit, making the percentage of weight you do lose more fat than muscle. Bing, bang, boom--fat loss. Voila.

DeguelloTex · July 2014

Basic thermodynamics.

Lets just say, as a hypothetical, that at your height/age/weight 1600 calories is maintenance for you. 1600 calories will only support so much weight. Lets just say, again hypothetically, that it's 120 lbs. So, if you eat 1600 calories your weight won't fluctuate outside of norms, right?

Now, lets pack on 3 lbs of muscle. I say this like it's easy, but it ain't. But lets just say you do, for this example. What will happen? Remember your caloric intake will only support 120 lbs. But you just added 3 lbs, so what is going to go away? Body fat.

So you've increased your muscle mass, and lowered your body fat. That's a lower body fat %.

And if you want to add muscle, you need to lift heavy. 5 lb dumbbells or Body Pump ain't gonna do it.

I thought the only way to increase your muscle mass was to eat at a surplus and if you eat a surplus you'll gain some fat along with the muscle you gain? So to add that 3lbs of lean mass wouldn't she have to eat more than her usual 1600?

Your first premise isn't necessarily correct.

albayin · July 2014

so eating at deficit is still the key to fat loss. OK.

RGv2 · July 2014

so eating at deficit is still the key to fat loss. OK.

Eating at a deficit is the key to WEIGHT LOSS.

When you lose weight in that deficit the body loses water, fat, and muscle. Lifting while in that deficit promotes the preservation of muscle mass so your deficit causes you to lose mainly water and fat......thus lowering your BF% because you're dropping the fat and keeping the muscle.

albayin · July 2014

so eating at deficit is still the key to fat loss. OK.

Eating at a deficit is the key to WEIGHT LOSS.

When you lose weight in that deficit the body loses water, fat, and muscle. Lifting while in that deficit promotes the preservation of muscle mass so your deficit causes you to lose mainly water and fat......thus lowering your BF% because you're dropping the fat and keeping the muscle.

thank you for clarifying. What I meant to say even lifting heavy, I would still have to eat at deficit to lose fat...

DeguelloTex · July 2014

so eating at deficit is still the key to fat loss. OK.

It never wasn't.

cingle87 · July 2014

FYI from studies I have read, 1lb of lbm will burn roughly 6 more calories not a noticable amount. Onto the the origonal question lifting heavy while eating at a calorie deficit will encourage lbm rentention meaing a higher % of the loss comes from fat.

albayin · July 2014

FYI from studies I have read, 1lb of lbm will burn roughly 6 more calories not a noticable amount. Onto the the origonal question lifting heavy while eating at a calorie deficit will encourage lbm rentention meaing a higher % of the loss comes from fat.

hope I can prove this with my own experience, some day.

SezxyStef · July 2014

Basic thermodynamics.

Lets just say, as a hypothetical, that at your height/age/weight 1600 calories is maintenance for you. 1600 calories will only support so much weight. Lets just say, again hypothetically, that it's 120 lbs. So, if you eat 1600 calories your weight won't fluctuate outside of norms, right?

Now, lets pack on 3 lbs of muscle. I say this like it's easy, but it ain't. But lets just say you do, for this example. What will happen? Remember your caloric intake will only support 120 lbs. But you just added 3 lbs, so what is going to go away? Body fat.

So you've increased your muscle mass, and lowered your body fat. That's a lower body fat %.

And if you want to add muscle, you need to lift heavy. 5 lb dumbbells or Body Pump ain't gonna do it.

I thought the only way to increase your muscle mass was to eat at a surplus and if you eat a surplus you'll gain some fat along with the muscle you gain? So to add that 3lbs of lean mass wouldn't she have to eat more than her usual 1600?

Your first premise isn't necessarily correct.

I'm not saying you're wrong I'm just going off what everyone seems to say. Ripped dudes and gals, speaks up. Can you gain lean mass eating at maintenance?

I am not ripped by any stretch of the imagination but my understanding is that you can recomp at maitenance. Meaning losing fat and gaining muscle...mind you it is very very very slow...

levitateme · July 2014

Basic thermodynamics.

Lets just say, as a hypothetical, that at your height/age/weight 1600 calories is maintenance for you. 1600 calories will only support so much weight. Lets just say, again hypothetically, that it's 120 lbs. So, if you eat 1600 calories your weight won't fluctuate outside of norms, right?

Now, lets pack on 3 lbs of muscle. I say this like it's easy, but it ain't. But lets just say you do, for this example. What will happen? Remember your caloric intake will only support 120 lbs. But you just added 3 lbs, so what is going to go away? Body fat.

So you've increased your muscle mass, and lowered your body fat. That's a lower body fat %.

And if you want to add muscle, you need to lift heavy. 5 lb dumbbells or Body Pump ain't gonna do it.

I thought the only way to increase your muscle mass was to eat at a surplus and if you eat a surplus you'll gain some fat along with the muscle you gain? So to add that 3lbs of lean mass wouldn't she have to eat more than her usual 1600?

Your first premise isn't necessarily correct.

I'm not saying you're wrong I'm just going off what everyone seems to say. Ripped dudes and gals, speaks up. Can you gain lean mass eating at maintenance?

I am not ripped by any stretch of the imagination but my understanding is that you can recomp at maitenance. Meaning losing fat and gaining muscle...mind you it is very very very slow...

I've been losing body fat (gained actual weight) while eating maintenance and lifting heavy.

I've gone from 150 and 29.8%BF to 159 and 29.1% BF. Dropped a pants size. Not ripped yet, but hope to be someday. A calorie deficit isn't the only way, unless I have a freakishly fast metabolism and never realized (I am eating 2500-2700 a day on average, 5'4", 31 female)

How Would Heavy Lifting Help To Lower Body Fat?

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