Powerlifting while trying to lose weight

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xmasgrace
xmasgrace Posts: 9 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Ive currently started training for powerlifting which is going great! but im also still trying to lose another 50 lbs which my weight loss has completly halted! Incredibly ive lost a pants size, while staying within the same 3-5lbs but not losing more than that. Im going to talk to my personal trainer next session but anyone else have suggestions or ideas to help?

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  • Kimo159
    Kimo159 Posts: 508 Member
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    Well, a moderate deficit for one. Just know that being at a deficit is going to reduce your strength gains though.
  • wilsoncl6
    wilsoncl6 Posts: 1,280 Member
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    How long have you been training? Heavy lifting will cause fluid retention in the damage muscle fibers. It's not unusual to see weight loss slow or even stop when you pick up a heavy lifting program. If you're positive you're still eating at a deficit, I would attribute it to fluid retention. For those that have a significant amount of weight to loose, and are lifting heavy weights, you might see more of a body composition change for a period of time until your fat stores are starting to get depleted. Also, you can't really discount newbie gains if you're new to lifting.
  • pmm3437
    pmm3437 Posts: 529 Member
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    When you 1st start lifting, all else being equal, you actually tend to gain weight due to water retention instigated by the repair process at work in your musculature. If you continue to train regularly, your body will continue to retain the additional fluids it needs to effectively recoup/restore the damage.

    This can result in an apparent plateau. Additional retention tends to normalize in the short term, again considering all other things remaining relatively the same.

    This is similar to additional water retention due to increase carb or salt intake above normal/average

    My suggestion to you would be to not be overly concerned with it, if you are within the 1st 4-6 weeks of starting a new program, and you were previously not training. The change in your waist measurement indicates you are likely still making progress, and your just holding extra fluids.

    It wouldn't hurt to mention it to your trainer, and if you work with him regularly, he should be able to give you a better idea if its normal for your situation.

    If it has been longer ( or gets to be ), you may benefit from reviewing your processes, which may help identify other potential sources.

  • xmasgrace
    xmasgrace Posts: 9 Member
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    Im in my 3rd cycle of training which is 5weeks per cycle. I originally started MFP to lose weight and lost about 40lbs in a year. Became interested in powerlifiting switched personal trainers and started lifting. Ive made incredible gains in 3 cycles Deadlft 285 sqaut 245 bench 135. Went from calorie intake of 1600 with my previous trainer and my new trainer had me increase to 1900 to retain muscle. But i am still at a deficit, like i mentioned i have noticed muscle tone and lost a complete pants size but literal scale # is not budging.
  • BillMcKay1
    BillMcKay1 Posts: 315 Member
    edited May 2016
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    I have powerlifted in the past to lose *fat* and I'm doing so again. I did 2 12 week cycles of SL 5x5 and got to 350 deads, 325 squats and 215 bench while going from a 42 pant to a 34. I did net out losing about 35lb going from 240 to 205 but the body transformation was well beyond the scale change. Sadly i stopped lifting and gained it all back and am starting from scratch.

    To keep making strength gains you have to eat so you will be at less of a deficit than doing a higher rep lower weight training with more cardio. Doing heavy squats every second day requires lots of rest for your body on off days. Not a lot of time to recover and add in much cardio other than a 30 min walk. The scale will budge but slower than someone doing 6days a week cardio+high rep weights. The bonus though, even after gaining back the weight I had lost years ago, I can wear my old 220/230 lb clothes at 250lbs.

    Your body will carry the weight much differently. If the lack of movement on the scale is getting you down stop getting on the scale. Do a weekly measure, neck, shoulders,chest,waist, thigh, biceps. That is where you will see the differences.

    Google Mark Bell. He was the stereotypical powerlifter with the big belly and decided that the weight wasn't helping him lift so he made some changes to his diet. Good article from him on powerlifting while losing 50 lbs. He saw some drop in lifts, but the dude is doing 1000lb lifts, guys like you and me shouldn't have the same problem.

    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ask-the-super-strong-guy-low-carb-diet.html

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