Weight training while in a calorie deficit?
Shanairah1991
Posts: 152 Member
I've heard mixed opinions about this topic.
First it was, you should incorporate weights into your routine to help you loose body fat faster.
Now, after months and months of lifting as heavy as I can and lots of reps, I hear it's harmful while in a calorie deficit. I understand the concept of your body not being able to repair itself because it's not getting enough fuel. Maybe this is why I am very sore for days after my workout?
What I really want to know is, should I be lifting while loosing body fat? Or should I wait until I hit my goal, then up my calories to a surplus and start from scratch? Thanks!
First it was, you should incorporate weights into your routine to help you loose body fat faster.
Now, after months and months of lifting as heavy as I can and lots of reps, I hear it's harmful while in a calorie deficit. I understand the concept of your body not being able to repair itself because it's not getting enough fuel. Maybe this is why I am very sore for days after my workout?
What I really want to know is, should I be lifting while loosing body fat? Or should I wait until I hit my goal, then up my calories to a surplus and start from scratch? Thanks!
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Replies
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Always
Be
Lifting0 -
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Shanairah1991 wrote: »
Because it helps maintain the muscle you have. Putting on muscle is difficult. Keep what you can and progress from there once you reach goal instead of losing and trying to gain back.0 -
To add, I've never heard that it is harmful.
I've lifted in considerable deficits and it didn't affect my soreness levels.0 -
DavPul is correct again.
You heard that from who?
No, it is not why you are sore. The soreness is normal DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness)... normal.
Lift heavy. Build muscle. Live better.0 -
Lift. You don't want to lose your present muscle as you are losing weight. Keep doing what you are doing. As long as soreness isn't pain?0
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3dogsrunning wrote: »Shanairah1991 wrote: »
Because it helps maintain the muscle you have. Putting on muscle is difficult. Keep what you can and progress from there once you reach goal instead of losing and trying to gain back.
Great thanks!0 -
riffraff2112 wrote: »Lift. You don't want to lose your present muscle as you are losing weight. Keep doing what you are doing. As long as soreness isn't pain?
No it's not pain. I know the difference, I have joint problems and the two feelings (joint pain and muscle soreness) are completely different.0 -
You very much can and should be lifting regardless of your calorie intake. Lifting is sooo good for you. You're not going to be able to progress your strength very well while in a deficit, however. If it's your first year or so lifting you'll still be able to get stronger due to CNS adaptation but after that you'll need to be in a caloric surplus to gain strength. That's of course if that's your goal.
You may be experiencing soreness due to how you're lifting. You're saying you're doing heavy weight and lots of reps. That'd be my guess why you're getting sore. If you're going super heavy then you shouldn't be shooting for more than 4-6 reps a set (1-6 reps a set for strength, 8-12 reps a set for hypertrophy and 15+ a set for muscular endurance). If you want to have a lot of volume in your program then you'll definitely need to drop the weight a bit to allow for it.
One last thing. If you're following a legitimate weight training program then just stick to it and you'll get the results you're after, if not, find one that's geared toward your goals. That way you'll be more focused in the gym and will see results a lot faster then if you didn't have a plan in place. Good programs will have the sets, reps, and weight progression all lined out, too, so it makes things a lot easier to manage.
Hope that helps some! If you need me to clarify anything or answer any other questions I'll do my best! Good luck!0 -
Weight lifting in a GREAT way to help your body burn extra calories. The more lean muscle you have, the more calories your body burns at resting. While weight lifting alone doesn't burn a lot of calories (unless done in an interval type setting where you are intermixing it with cardio and keeping your heart rate up), it is essential for reshaping your body and making you less prone to injury. You will look and FEEL better if you continue the strength training. (This video is an excellent example of interval type strength training:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xFI5CT5GYA&index=14&list=PL83u46lsqJvlxI9R1dIHwcWhJVwLBSPOi
It is MORE THAN OKAY to weight lift while in a calorie deficit. The important thing is making sure the calories you ARE taking in are good fuel for rebuilding those broken down muscles (protein, protein, protein!!!!!).
If you find yourself really sore after a lifting session (usually the next day or even more so on the second day) try warming up your body for at least10-15 minutes doing some kind of cardio exercise. Once the body is warm, engage the body is some deep stretching, concentrating most on those muscles that are really tense.
Oh....and drink a TON of water.
That's my 2 cents...0 -
reverendjim44 wrote: »You very much can and should be lifting regardless of your calorie intake. Lifting is sooo good for you. You're not going to be able to progress your strength very well while in a deficit, however. If it's your first year or so lifting you'll still be able to get stronger due to CNS adaptation but after that you'll need to be in a caloric surplus to gain strength. That's of course if that's your goal.
You may be experiencing soreness due to how you're lifting. You're saying you're doing heavy weight and lots of reps. That'd be my guess why you're getting sore. If you're going super heavy then you shouldn't be shooting for more than 4-6 reps a set (1-6 reps a set for strength, 8-12 reps a set for hypertrophy and 15+ a set for muscular endurance). If you want to have a lot of volume in your program then you'll definitely need to drop the weight a bit to allow for it.
One last thing. If you're following a legitimate weight training program then just stick to it and you'll get the results you're after, if not, find one that's geared toward your goals. That way you'll be more focused in the gym and will see results a lot faster then if you didn't have a plan in place. Good programs will have the sets, reps, and weight progression all lined out, too, so it makes things a lot easier to manage.
Hope that helps some! If you need me to clarify anything or answer any other questions I'll do my best! Good luck!
Thanks, this is very informative.
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MelanieMamaof5 wrote: »Weight lifting in a GREAT way to help your body burn extra calories. The more lean muscle you have, the more calories your body burns at resting. While weight lifting alone doesn't burn a lot of calories (unless done in an interval type setting where you are intermixing it with cardio and keeping your heart rate up), it is essential for reshaping your body and making you less prone to injury. You will look and FEEL better if you continue the strength training. (This video is an excellent example of interval type strength training:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xFI5CT5GYA&index=14&list=PL83u46lsqJvlxI9R1dIHwcWhJVwLBSPOi
It is MORE THAN OKAY to weight lift while in a calorie deficit. The important thing is making sure the calories you ARE taking in are good fuel for rebuilding those broken down muscles (protein, protein, protein!!!!!).
If you find yourself really sore after a lifting session (usually the next day or even more so on the second day) try warming up your body for at least10-15 minutes doing some kind of cardio exercise. Once the body is warm, engage the body is some deep stretching, concentrating most on those muscles that are really tense.
Oh....and drink a TON of water.
That's my 2 cents...
When I worked out at home I used to do something like this. I would warm up on my elliptical for 5 minuets, then lift for 2-4, then back on the elliptical, etc. Going to the gym now though, I'd be the crazy lady running from the elliptical to the weight rack and back, lol.0 -
Continue your strength training but rebalance your diet by upping your protein level. Many people lose muscle and fat when they on calorie restriction diets. Protein builds, repair and maintain your muscle. So, make protein the core of your diet and adjust the carbs and fats to make the balance of calories. Feel free to email via MFP if.you have more questions on this. Good luck.0
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So long as you're eating adequate protein, as other say, you should be fine. You may not GAIN muscle mass but you can at least MAINTAIN it as you cut your body weight.
(Adequate protein is around 0.8x-1.6x grams/kg of lean body mass according to WebMD. Assuming you lift heavy but don't compete, 1.2-14g/kg probably makes sense.)
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I'm ~10 lbs smaller than my previous lowest dieting weight, but back then I had a better strength training regimen. Right now I'm ~2 inches thicker in my waist/hips/bust than back then because I have more fat replacing the muscle I used to have.
It's all about body composition. I had gained that muscle mass training during a calorie deficit and lost it during a period of inactivity, but I wasn't training as hard this time around because of all the people saying you can't really "gain" muscle mass in a deficit.
I wish I hadn't let them discourage me. Now I'm working my way back up to the same muscle mass because my body just looked and felt so much better.0
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