Strength training question

For weight training, the benefit is the calories burn afterwards not during the session. You burn more carbs than fat and protein though.

You can't really quantify how many calories you burned from a weight training session. Just know that you do burn calories and that you can burn a lot of them if you have a high training intensity without too much rest.

HRM don't work for calories when strength training. They monitor heart rate. The equations they use to convert heart rate to calories are only valid during steady state cardio.

I just use MFP's numbers and round down a little for lifting. At 160lbs burn about 100 calories for a half hour. But we don't lift to burn calories. We lift to gain strength, preserve muscle mass, and be generally awesome.

I actualyl think it is worth it. I sweat more during strength training than I do in a Zumba class. Just saying. You might want to invest in one.

Well it depends on how you work out.

Remember that activities like running are aerobic and that weight lifting is anaerobic.
They both have uses and are utilized for different things.
Aerobic is good for endurence and burning fat.
Anaerobic is good for strength and size.

Most athletes have to do both because doing any one alone is not productive.

If you weightlift using a circuit method with minimal rest and moderate weight you'll have strength and endurence.

However if you weightlift you'll reduce ATP and increase strength and mass..

The trick is to find a happy medium. Personally I do a ton of circuit training and intense cardio before lifting weights... but at least once a week I lift very heavy and do no cardio... this has helped me to achieve a better result

Having mass and being cut does NOT make you fit.. and DO NOT look at the scale as a measure of health. Listen to your body. The idea that having more muscle is best and makes you healthy a strictly body building point of view. Most body buildrs struggle when confronted with a Spartan Run or Tough mudder. Too much mass to carry around and too little endurence.

JZ_Evolution_Mark2 wrote: »

However if you weightlift you'll reduce ATP

????? Please explain this physiological process

dbmata wrote: »

Lofteren wrote: »

JZ_Evolution_Mark2 wrote: »

However if you weightlift you'll reduce ATP

????? Please explain this physiological process

One can only assume he means this.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/galanis9.htm
(Which is heavily simplified.)

I know what ATP is. "Reducing ATP" is not a lasting effect of any form of exercise, it is simply used as a source of fuel for cellular respiration. Anything that you do will therefore "reduce ATP" just like anywhere you drive will "reduce Gasoline". The reason I asked is because stating that if you weightlift you'll reduce ATP is an incorrect/misleading statement. I was just curious of what made him think this in the first place. I suspect it stems from not actually understanding aerobic/anaerobic respiration, Kreb's and Calvin cycles, etc...

The purpose of weight training is not only to get strong and gain endurance but also to lose weight. The more muscle you have the more calories you burn, even when you are at rest. Therefore, it makes your cardio workouts that much more productive and your overall daily calorie burn proportionally higher. Furthermore, stronger muscles help you recover faster and work harder. I recommend some level of strength training for everyone wanting to get into shape. However, it is difficult to determine the overall calorie burn from a weight training routine, a lot of different variables to factor in. That's probably why Fitnesspal doesn't automatically factor it into your calorie count although you can make some basic assumptions using the MFP method. Additionally, it is the muscle recovery that burns a lot of your calories, more than the activity itself. My recommendation, don't factor in your calories from fitness training and you'll reach your goal quicker than you thought and pack on some sexy lean muscle while your at it.

wilsoncl6 wrote: »

The purpose of weight training is not only to get strong and gain endurance but also to lose weight. The more muscle you have the more calories you burn, even when you are at rest. Therefore, it makes your cardio workouts that much more productive and your overall daily calorie burn proportionally higher. Furthermore, stronger muscles help you recover faster and work harder. I recommend some level of strength training for everyone wanting to get into shape. However, it is difficult to determine the overall calorie burn from a weight training routine, a lot of different variables to factor in. That's probably why Fitnesspal doesn't automatically factor it into your calorie count although you can make some basic assumptions using the MFP method. Additionally, it is the muscle recovery that burns a lot of your calories, more than the activity itself. My recommendation, don't factor in your calories from fitness training and you'll reach your goal quicker than you thought and pack on some sexy lean muscle while your at it.

The bolded part, while true, is pretty insignificant. Putting on 10lbs of new muscle (which is A LOT, and will take A LONG TIME) will have minimal impact on your BMR.

Strength training should NOT be done with the expectation that it will lead to weight loss.

MrsWanland wrote: »

I guess I am more confused than ever lol I'm trying to lose another 60 lbs or so. Is strength training the way to go or not?

Strength training is important if you want to maintain strength and muscle mass while losing weight. If you diet and do cardio with no strength training then you will lose weight but a lot of it will be muscle. So yes, strength training is the way to go but you should also do plenty of cardio (preferably in the form of HIIT, in my opinion) if your goal is to lose fat.

meridianova wrote: »

Lofteren wrote: »

MrsWanland wrote: »

I guess I am more confused than ever lol I'm trying to lose another 60 lbs or so. Is strength training the way to go or not?

Strength training is important if you want to maintain strength and muscle mass while losing weight. If you diet and do cardio with no strength training then you will lose weight but a lot of it will be muscle. So yes, strength training is the way to go but you should also do plenty of cardio (preferably in the form of HIIT, in my opinion) if your goal is to lose fat.

i have a question about this... i see a lot of information stating that it's impossible to build muscle while in a caloric deficit, although "newbies" will see gains. wouldn't the body simply pull the necessary energy to build and repair muscles, and increase their mass, from the existing bodyfat stores if there isn't a surplus from food? if that's how we function when we have an intake that's less than output, why wouldn't it also work for increased output functions like building muscle mass?

Not really possible. To build muscle you need protein. When protein is present from your diet you stop burning body fat for energy. This is one of the main functions of insulin. You eat food, you produce insulin, insulin stops (slows) the use of fat for energy.

So you wont have the building material and the energy available at the same time if you are relying on stored fat.

Of course even in a daily deficit your are in a surplus around meals. A small amount of new muscle could be made in those times but muscle building is such a slow process that this is a minuscule amount. You are lucky just to repair the damage from workouts. Forget adding new mass.

mustgetmuscles1 wrote: »

Not really possible. To build muscle you need protein. When protein is present from your diet you stop burning body fat for energy. This is one of the main functions of insulin. You eat food, you produce insulin, insulin stops (slows) the use of fat for energy.

So you wont have the building material and the energy available at the same time if you are relying on stored fat.

Of course even in a daily deficit your are in a surplus around meals. A small amount of new muscle could be made in those times but muscle building is such a slow process that this is a minuscule amount. You are lucky just to repair the damage from workouts. Forget adding new mass.

LOL, wwwhhhhhat?!?!? You're trolling right?

You need surplus calories to induce muscle hypertrophy, period (aside from the correct training variables). Protein is basically the building blocks for muscle tissue but you cannot do this on protein alone. Additionally, protein does not cause your body to stop burning body fat for energy. Protein can elicit an insulin response but it's generally not significant. Protein is actually believed to be more thermogenic in-nature. I think you may have confused Protein with Carbs for the affect upon Insulin. Unfortunately this is why Carbs have misguidedly received a bad rap.

The last comments lends itself to timing, and at this point timing is not a significant factor for the average person. I was listening to an interview with Dr. Bill Campbell the other day and suggested that there is little evidence to suggest that eating 4 to 6 meals / day is any better than eating 2 meals per day.