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Weight Training Only?

The scale has been psyching me out since my fitness program started. I want to lose weight, but I want it to be almost entirely fat loss, though. I've mainly been doing cardio, and while I see some results, I feel like there's more I could be doing. Can I take in more protein and do weight lifting only/mostly?

Replies

  • Chrisparadise579
    Chrisparadise579 Posts: 411 Member
    Absolutely! High protein diets are extremely helpful to lose weight. I usually recommend eating roughly 50% protein 30% carbs 20% fat when weight lifting and trying to lose weight. Also only weight lifting is perfect for weight lose and in most cases is much more effective than cardio.
  • strong_er
    strong_er Posts: 109 Member
    To maximize fat loss (and not muscle loss) it's a good idea to incorporate weight training regardless of whether you keeping doing cardio or not. Yes, you can do only weight training, eat at a deficit, and lose weight. But it is also fine to use cardio to help maintain the caloric deficit in addition to the weight training.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    It works just fine.
  • tomcornhole
    tomcornhole Posts: 1,084 Member
    caloric deficit + weight training is probably the ideal fat loss program. Caloric deficit to lose weight, strength training to ensure most/all of that weight loss is fat. You can add cardio if you want to increase your food intake while maintaining a reasonable caloric deficit. Makes a well rounded health regimen, IMHO.

    And just so we're clear, strength training is cardio. At least 5x10 sets of squat or deadlift at 60% one rep max weight are.

    Tom
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
    That's what I do :wink:
  • jmadams111
    jmadams111 Posts: 145 Member
    You can also do strength training in a "cardio mode." Start with light cardio to get your heart rate up to the fat burning zone for a short time. Then don't push to always max out weight, but go for repeated sets at a lower weight, with minimal rest between sets and reps to maintain your heart rate.
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